ST. LOUIS –First Quarter Recap
The Colts won the toss and deferred to the second half.
A three-and-out got thing started for the Colts defense, but it wasn't all gravy. Arthur Jones injured his left ankle on the second play from scrimmage. He remained on the sideline but was ruled out for the game.
The Colts offense put together a solid opening drive. A third-down toss to T.Y. Hilton for 23 yards highlighted the series. Thanks to a nice protection series from the offensive line, the Colts got on the board with a 42-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri.
It might be the preseason, however that doesn't mean trickeration stays in the playbook. Following the field goal, Pat McAfee executed yet another perfect onside kick with rookie safety Clayton Geathers pouncing on the loose football.
Like they did last year, the Colts would take full advantage of the onside kick. Andre Johnson hauled in a 32-yard touchdown to extend the Indianapolis lead to 10-0 with 7:40 left in the opening quarter.
The first quarter came to a close with the Rams in Colts territory.
At the end of the first quarter, the Colts lead the Rams 10-0.Second Quarter Recap
Any potential scoring drive for the Rams ended rather quickly. A combination of Rams penalties and Colts pressure (a sack by Erik Walden), pushed the home team out of field goal range.
With the Colts backed up on their own goal line, the offense went three-and-out.
St. Louis made the most of the short field, rather quickly. Quarterback Nick Foles found wide receiver Chris Givens, after a fake reverse, for a 44-yard touchdown.
The Colts started to shuffle some bodies on the offensive line with Jonotthan Harrison (center) and Joe Reitz (right tackle) entering the game during the second quarter. This Colts drive would end with another punt.
Outside of one play, it was a very solid first half for the Colts defense. Another sack by Erik Walden (with D'Qwell Jackson blitzing and chipping in) forced a St. Louis punt at the two-minute warning.
Luck executed nearly flawlessly on the two-minute drive, finding five different wide receivers (Donte Moncrief for 20, Dwayne Allen for 10, T.Y. Hilton for 16, Duron Carter for 14 and Boom Herron for 10). The drive ended with a 21-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri.
At halftime, the Colts led the Rams 13-7.
Third Quarter Recap
The Colts came out of halftime with many of their starters still in the game. It wasn't a good start to the third quarter though with Josh Robinson fumbling on the first play from scrimmage.
St. Louis punched it in three plays later with Trey Watts scoring on a three-yard run to give the Rams a 14-13 lead.
With Matt Hasselbeck taking over, Andrew Luck's night ended after going 12-of-21 for 161 yards and one touchdown. The Colts would punt on Hasselbeck's first possession of the night.
The teams would then trade punts on their next two drives.
Colts cornerback Jalil Brown would bring the third quarter to an end with an interception. Brown was a turnover machine during Training Camp and could certainly factor into a roster spot. The Colts had the ball at the Rams 14-yard line to end the third quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rams led the Colts 14-13.Fourth Quarter Recap
The second half highlight was easily the effort from undrafted running back Tyler Varga. Whether it was an extra effort in the receiving game or run game, Varga displayed it, and at a key time with roster cuts looming. Varga's one-yard touchdown run gave the Colts a 21-14 lead with 12:54 left in the fourth quarter. Griff Whalen converted the two-point conversion.
A turnover on downs from the Rams followed the Colts re-taking the lead.
Indianapolis would take over at the 6:09 mark of the fourth quarter, with a seven-point lead.
The teams would then trade punts on each of the next two drives, giving the Colts the ball back at the 3:15 mark.
After a nice return from Quan Bray, the Colts would extend their lead to two scores. A 55-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri gave the Colts a 24-14 lead with 2:53 left in the game.
The final score on Saturday night was 24-14, in favor of the Colts.
In-Game Injury Updates
DT-Arthur Jones (ankle)Colts Players Not Expected To Play
15-Phillip Dorsett
26-Vick Ballard
28-Greg Toler
38-Deveron Carr
55-Nate Irving
66-Donald Thomas
69-Hugh Thornton
80-Coby Fleener
98-Robert MathisColts Pre-Game Notes
-The Colts third preseason game comes on Saturday night at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Colts starters are likely to play into the third quarter this evening.Weather Update
-No weather update in the Edwards Jones Dome. It was a very nice afternoon in St. Louis.
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