Quick Reaction: Colts defeat Broncos 15-13 on late Vinatieri field goal

If there was a collection of ugliest wins in franchise history, this game would be on it. Adam Vinatieri cost the team 4 points with a bad miss on a field goal attempt in the first half that was well within his range. He also missed the fourth PAT of the season, tying him for the most missed PATs by a kicker in 2019.

He then kicked two field goals over 50 yards to give the Colts the win. Classic Vinny. Am I right?

The offense was never able to get anything going today. Jacoby Brissett faced a lot of pressure but also seemed entirely incapable of finding an open receiver. Everyone knows that Broncos defense is very tough. Is it possible their secondary is really THAT good?

What has become somewhat concerning is some questionable play-calling by Frank Reich. There have been more Nyheim Hines runs up the gut called this season than there should be in any two. I like Hines, he gives the Colts a change of pace back who can make defenses pay in the open field. He might be the second-best receiver on the team.

He is not a good between the tackles runner and shouldn’t be put in impossible situations.

Don’t get confused. If he ever hits a good seam up the middle, he could take one to the house. However, this offensive line thrives on generating push at the line of scrimmage and players like Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins seem best suited to take advantage of that.

The defense was just good enough to win in this one. Joe Flacco was held to under 174 passing yards and the running game only created 113 total yards but the bend but don’t break style was in effect for long periods, particularly in the first half.

12 punts between the two teams and only one turnover, another bad fumble by Jacoby Brissett made the game rather sloppy.

Also, the officiating in this one was horrifying for much of the game. It is amazing that the officials finally overturned a missed pass interference penalty to keep the Colts alive in the fourth quarter. The weakest call of the game may have been the horse collar tackle on Hines that generated the yards needed to setup Adam Vinatieri for his game winner.

Either way, the NFL still has a lot of figuring out to do regarding the officiating. It has become an every game, every week occrence that blatant horrible calls are made and they often determine the outcomes of games.

I’ll give one shout out on both sides of the ball.

On defense, Al-Quadin Muhammad will likely be an overlooked member of the Colts defensive line for much of the season. He’s a non-starter at defensive end but he brings the type of run game presence that Sheard does and also find his way into the quarterback’s face with regularity. He has had a very good season and deserves to be recognized.

On offense, Jack Doyle had the type of blue collar day fans have come to expect from him. He sees a ton of offensive snaps and makes a big impact on the ground and through the air. He was called for a ridiculous holding penalty, not the first time this season either, but brought in 4 of his 5 targets for 51 yards. That is more than a quarter of the Colts passing game.

Fancy that, a tight end getting recognized on “national tight end day.”