The Indianapolis Colts came out on fire in their 2020 season opener on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a mixture of untimely penalties, turnovers and defensive miscues would ultimately prove the difference in their 27-20 loss.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers made his first career start with Indianapolis and his 225th consecutive start in the NFL. He is the current leader among active players in consecutive starts.
- Rivers had 227 passing yards in the first half, which is the most by a Colt in the first half of a game since Andrew Luck had 237 at Houston in Week 14 of 2018.
- Running back Jonathan Taylor finished with nine carries for 22 yards as well as six receptions for 67 yards in his Colts debut. He is only the second Colts running back to record more than 60 receiving yards in Week 1 (Ahmad Bradshaw, 2014).
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton finished with four receptions for 53 yards. He passed Jim Mutscheller (72) for the seventh-longest streak of consecutive games with a reception in franchise history.
The Indianapolis Colts didn't have the effort they wanted from their offense, defense or special teams in their Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 2020 home opener against the Minnesota Vikings, however, was a completely different story for the Colts, who bullied their way to a 28-11 victory to even their record at 1-1.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers tied Fran Tarkenton (124) for the eighth-most wins as a starting quarterback in NFL history. He also tied Terrell Suggs (226) for the 11th-most games started in NFL history.
- Indianapolis finished with a 100-yard rusher (Jonathan Taylor, 101) and a 100-yard receiver (Mo Alie-Cox, 111) in the win. It was the first time the Colts had both a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game since Joseph Addai (128) and Pierre Garcon (103) on October 17, 2010 at Washington.
- The Colts defense limited the Vikings to 175 total yards and recorded 3.0 sacks, three interceptions and held the Minnesota offense to 2-of-9 (22 percent) on third downs. The 175 total yards are the fewest yards allowed by Indianapolis since October 19, 2014 vs. Cincinnati (135).
- Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner tallied three tackles (two solo), 1.0 tackle for loss and 1.5 sacks. In the second quarter, he recorded a sack-safety on Kirk Cousins and reached 30.0 career sacks.
The Indianapolis Colts were heavily favored coming into the Week 3 home contest against the New York Jets, and certainly played like it, especially on defense, as Indy logged two pick-sixes and forced a safety in its 36-7 blowout win at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Stats To Note
- Indianapolis scored on a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown, interception returned for a touchdown (two), field goal (two), extra point (four), and a safety. It is only the second time in team history the Colts produced each of those scores in a single game. The other was November 17, 1996 vs. New York Jets.
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 17-of-21 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown for a 125.6 quarterback rating. With his first five completions, he passed Dan Marino (4,967) for the fifth-most passes completed in NFL history. He also surpassed 60,000 career passing yards and became just the sixth player in NFL history to reach that plateau, joining Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino. He reached 400 career touchdown passes and became just the sixth player in NFL history to reach that mark, joining Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino.
- The Indianapolis defense held the Jets to seven points and scored 16 points as a unit (two interceptions returned for a touchdown and one safety). This is the first time the Colts have held an opposing team to 11 or less points in back-to-back games since Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2013 season.
- The Colts defense forced three interceptions (two interceptions returned for a touchdown). It is the third time in team history and the first time in Indianapolis history they have had at least two interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single game. The last time it happened was on October 18, 1970.
- The Colts defense recorded safeties in back-to-back games for the first since Weeks 10 and 11 of 1960.
The Colts' defense put together its third straight dominating performance, as the Chicago Bears struggled to move the ball with any sort of consistency in Indy's 19-11 Week 4 road victory at Soldier Field. The Colts (3-1), who were able to knock off the previously undefeated Bears (3-1), were now winners of three straight.
Stats To Note
- The Indianapolis defense held the Bears to 11 points and tallied 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, seven passes defensed and one interception while limiting their offense to 4-of-14 on third down (29%). They have held their last three opponents to 11 points or less. The last time Indianapolis did that was from Weeks 15-17 of the 2013 season.
- Indianapolis only allowed 28 rushing yards. It is the fewest rushing yards the Colts have allowed in a game since September 27, 2009 at Arizona (24). It is only the 10th time in franchise history that they have held an opponent 28 rushing yards or less. Since 2018, Indianapolis has held opponents to under 29 rushing yards twice, with the other game being November 17, 2019 vs. Jacksonville (29).
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted 4-of-4 field goals and one extra point for 13 total points. He became only the third rookie in franchise history to have two games with four or more field goals converted.
Despite trailing by 17 points early in the third quarter, the Indianapolis Colts clawed their way back into the Week 5 contest against the Cleveland Browns with flash plays on special teams and defense. But the Browns would steal that momentum right back, snapping Indy's three-game win streak with their 32-23 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards with two interceptions. With the start, he tied Bruce Matthews (229) for the second-longest streak of consecutive regular season games started by a player since 1970. With his first four completions, he reached 5,000 career passes completed. He became just the fifth player in NFL history to reach that plateau, joining Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the team in receiving with six receptions for 69 yards. With his first reception, he tied Marshall Faulk (77) for the sixth-longest streak of consecutive games with a reception in franchise history.
- Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers had five kickoff returns for 212 yards (42.4 avg.) with one touchdown. In the third quarter, he returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. It was the Colts' first kickoff return for a touchdown since Jordan Todman did it at Green Bay on November 6, 2016. He became just the sixth rookie in franchise history to have a kickoff return for a touchdown and is the first since Dominic Rhodes in 2001. His 212 kickoff return yards are the third-most by a player in a single game in franchise history.
#INDvsCLE Content
The Cincinnati Bengals could do no wrong — and the Indianapolis Colts could do no right — the first quarter and a half in the Week 6 matchup. But the Colts eventually figured it out, and headed into their bye week with a satisfying 31-27 come-from-behind win at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Stats To Note
- Indianapolis overcame a 21-point deficit marking the largest comeback for the team at home in the regular season. The Colts have overcome four other 21-point deficits, all on the road (1975 at Buffalo, 1995 at the New York Jets, 1995 at Miami and 2003 at Tampa Bay). The game marked the first time a team has overcome a 21-point deficit in the regular season since 2016 (Kansas City).
- Quarterback Philip Rivers completed 29-of-44 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a 105.4 passer rating. His 371 passing yards are his highest total in a single game dating back to Nov. 18, 2018 against Denver (401). With the start, he passed Bruce Matthews (229) for the second-longest streak of consecutive regular season games started by a player since 1970.
- Running back Nyheim Hines tallied five receptions for 27 yards. With his first three receptions, he passed Joe Washington (127) for the third-most receptions by a Colts running back in their first three seasons. He also passed Washington for the 10th-most receptions by a Colts player in their first three seasons.
- Indianapolis' defense held Cincinnati to 98 rushing yards. It is the fourth game this year the defense has not allowed 100 rushing yards.
- Indianapolis recorded one interception and increased its streak of consecutive games with a pick to five. The last time the Colts had five-straight games with an interception came in Weeks 3-7 of 2018. They also registered 11 passes defensed, which are the most by Indianapolis in a single game this season.
WEEK 7 - BYE
No thanks to an early blocked punt, the Indianapolis Colts found themselves down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter of their Week 8 road matchup against the Detroit Lions. But an advantageous Colts team would take over from there with big plays on offense and on defense, scoring 20 points in the second quarter and 21 in the fourth, to pull away and earn a 41-21 victory at Ford Field.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 23-of-33 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns for a 123.5 passer rating. He had three passing touchdowns in the first half. It is the eighth time in his career he has had three touchdowns in the first half. It is also the first time a Colts' quarterback has done it since November 11, 2018 (Andrew Luck).
- Running back Nyheim Hines tallied three receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns. It is his second-career multiple-receiving touchdown game. The other game was September 30, 2018 vs. Houston. He is only the third running back in the NFL this season to have two receiving touchdowns in the same game (Chris Carson, Alvin Kamara).
- Tight end Jack Doyle recorded two receptions for 18 yards and one touchdown. With the touchdown reception, Doyle passed Tom Mitchell (19) and Dwayne Allen (19) for the fourth-most total touchdowns by a tight end in team history.
- Tight end Trey Burton registered three receptions for nine yards and one rush for a two-yard touchdown. He has rushed for a touchdown in consecutive games and is only the third tight end in NFL history and the first since 1968 to have consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (Jackie Smith, Jacque MacKinnon).
- Indianapolis' defense racked up 5.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss, one interception returned for a touchdown, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. They also held the Lions to 29 rushing yards. Indianapolis now has three interceptions returned for touchdowns. It is only the 11th time in franchise history that a Colts team has had three or more interception returns for a touchdown in a single season.
The Indianapolis Colts had a mostly solid first half of football — particularly on defense — in their Week 9 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, but Baltimore showed why it's one of the top teams in the AFC in the second half, taking advantage of a key Colts turnover and playing keep away from there in Indy's 24-10 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Stats To Note
- The Colts allowed just 55 total net yards in the first half. It's the fewest for a Colts opponent in the first half since Week 7 of 2014 vs. Cincinnati (27).
- Indianapolis registered 9.0 tackles for loss for the second straight game. They are one of two teams to have at least 9.0 tackles for loss in back-to-back games (Pittsburgh) this season.
- Linebacker Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with 15 (13 solo), while also adding 1.0 tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. He passed Jeff Herrod (331) for the third-most tackles in a player's first three seasons in Colts history. His 13 solo tackles are the most in the NFL in a single game this season and his 15 total tackles are tied for the third-most in a single game this season.
The Indianapolis Colts found themselves in a slugfest with their AFC South Division rivals, the Tennessee Titans, on Thursday Night Football in Nashville. After trading jabs throughout the first half, however, the Colts used a dominant effort in all three phases over the final two quarters to earn a huge Week 10 win, propelling them to the top of the division standings.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 29-of-39 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown for a 105.5 passer rating. With his first four passing yards, he passed Dan Marino (61,361) for the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history. It marked Rivers' 73rd 300-yard passing game of his career and his third this season.
- Running back Nyheim Hines led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 70 yards and one touchdown. He also contributed with five receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown. He had a career-high 115 yards from scrimmage. According to NFL Research, Hines is only the second player since at least 1948 to have his first career game of 100-plus scrimmage yards and two-plus touchdown fall on their birthday (Samkon Gado in Week 10 of 2005).
- Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. tallied seven receptions for a career-high 101 yards. He also added one carry for 12 yards. He is the first Colts' rookie to have 100 receiving yards in a single game since Donte Moncrief in 2014.
- Indianapolis recorded a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown. It was the team's first blocked punt returned for a touchdown since Week 13 of 2010. The touchdown marked Indianapolis' fifth defensive or special teams touchdown this season, which is the most in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit — and a furious late comeback effort by MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers — to pull off a 34-31 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Stats To Note
- Indianapolis recorded four takeaways during the game. The Colts recovered three fumbles against the Packers, which is tied for the fifth-most in a single game for the team since 1950.
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 24-of-36 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a passer rating of 107.2. With his 107.2 passer rating, he tied Brett Favre (108) for the fourth-most 100.0-plus passer rating games in NFL history.
- Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. led the team in receiving for the second consecutive week with three receptions for 66 yards and his first-career touchdown. He has recorded at least 55 receiving yards in three consecutive games and is only the fifth Colts rookie to log 55-plus receiving yards in three consecutive games. (Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, Andre Rison and Bill Brooks, who did it twice).
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted 4-of-5 field goals and two extra points for 14 total points. He recorded his first game-winning kick in overtime from 39 yards out.
The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, as expected, traded punches early in their Week 12 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tennessee, however, was able to flip a switch and dominate in all three phases the rest of the way, handing Indy a 45-26 loss and taking control of the AFC South Division race.
Stats To Note
- Running back Nyheim Hines led the team in rushing with 10 carries for 29 yards. He also contributed a team-high eight receptions for 66 yards. With his first two receptions, he passed Reggie Wayne (144) for the seventh-most receptions by a Colts player in their first three seasons. Hines passed Edgerrin James (149) for the second-most receptions by a Colts running back and the sixth-most by a Colts player in their first three seasons.
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the team in receiving yards with 81 on four receptions with one touchdown. He reached 9,000 career receiving yards and became just the fourth player in franchise history to reach that mark, joining Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Raymond Berry. With his receiving touchdown, he passed Dallas Clark (46) for the 11th-most total touchdowns in team history and tied Clark (46) for the sixth-most receiving touchdowns in team history. With his first 19 receiving yards, he reached 1,000 career receiving yards against Tennessee. He now has at least 1,000 receiving yards against every AFC South opponent.
- Linebacker Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with 14 (10 solo) and also added 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack and one pass defensed. He recorded his 18th-career game with 10 or more tackles and tied Jerrell Freeman for the third-most games with 10 or more tackles in Colts history since at least 1987.
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted two extra points. With his first extra point, he tied Raul Allegre (11) for the second-most consecutive games with a score by a rookie in franchise history.
A back-and-forth battle in the first half turned into a defensive slugfest over the final two quarters in Houston, where the Indianapolis Colts escaped with a dramatic 26-20 Week 13 victory over the Texans to improve to 8-4 on the season.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 27-of-35 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns for a 119.3 passer rating. With his first 22 yards, he reached 3,000 passing yards for the season and became the fifth player in NFL history to reach 3,000 passing yards in 15 seasons, joining Peyton Manning (16), Drew Brees (16), Tom Brady (18) and Brett Favre (18). With his first 18 attempts, he reached 8,000 career passes attempted. He became just the seventh player in NFL history to reach that plateau, joining Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino and Eli Manning.
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the team in receiving for the second consecutive week with eight receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown. In his career, he now has tallied 98 receptions for 1,732 yards and 11 touchdowns against Houston in 18 career games, including one postseason game. He passed Reggie Wayne (1,636) for the most career receiving yards against the Houston Texans in the regular season. It is his eighth game of 100-plus receiving yards against Houston.
- Defensive end Justin Houston registered four solo tackles, 3.0 sacks (including one sack-safety), 2.0 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. In the fourth quarter, he recorded a sack-safety and tied Ted Hendricks, Doug English and Jared Allen (four) for the most safeties in NFL history. It was his eighth-career game with three-plus sacks. He joined John Abraham (10) Julius Peppers (nine) and DeMarcus Ware (nine) as the only players with eight-plus games with three-or-more sacks since 2000.
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted one field goal and three extra points for six total points. With his six points, he tied Edgerrin James (102) for the third-most points by a rookie in franchise history.
The Indianapolis Colts improved to 9-4 on the season with their 44-27 Week 14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders (7-6) at Allegiant Stadium.
Stats To Note
- The Indianapolis Colts improved to 9-4 following a win against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, 44-27. It was the team's fourth consecutive road win. Indianapolis scored its most points in a single game since Week 13 of 2014 (49).
- Running back Jonathan Taylor led the team in rushing with 20 carries for a career-high 150 yards and two touchdowns and also added two receptions for 15 yards. With his first 120 scrimmage yards, he became only the fourth Colt to reach 1,000 scrimmage yards in their first 12 games, joining Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk and Joseph Addai.
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the team in receiving for the third consecutive week with five receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. He passed Lenny Moore (48) for the fifth-most receiving touchdowns in team history. He also passed Joseph Addai (48) and tied Jimmy Orr (50) for the ninth-most total touchdowns in team history.
- The Colts' defense tallied two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), one fumble recovery and only allowed 79 rushing yards. The four interceptions returned for touchdowns are the most by an NFL team since 2018 (Chicago).
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted three field goals and five extra points for 14 total points. With his three field goals made, he tied Mike Vanderjagt (27) for the second-most field goals made by a rookie in franchise history.
The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans found themselves going down to the wire for the second time in three weeks, and, like in Week 13, another huge defensive stop near the goal line was the difference in the Colts' 27-20 Week 15 win at Lucas Oil Stadium, their 10th victory of the year.
Stats To Note
- The Indianapolis Colts improved to 10-4 following a win against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium, 27-20. It was the team's first sweep of Houston dating back to the 2017 season. Indianapolis has reached 10 wins for the first time since 2018 and the 10-4 record is its best start since 2014. It is the 25th time in franchise history the team has reached 10 regular season wins.
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 22-of-28 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns for a 124.4 passer rating. With his 124.4 passer rating, he now has three consecutive games with at least a 118.0 passer rating. He joins Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson as the only players this season to accomplish the feat. The last time Rivers did it was 2014. He is the third Colt to do so and the first since Andrew Luck in 2018.
- Running back Jonathan Taylor led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 83 yards and one touchdown and also added four receptions for 12 yards. He has rushed for at least 80 yards in four consecutive games and is only the third NFL player this season to do so, joining Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb. He is the first Indianapolis player to accomplish the feat since Joseph Addai (2007) and the first NFL rookie to do it since Saquon Barkley (2018).
- Linebacker Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with 12 (nine solo) and one forced fumble. He reached 100 total tackles for the third consecutive season. Since 2000, he is just the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat and the only one to do so in their first three seasons in the league.
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted two field goals and three extra points for nine total points. He passed Jim O'Brien (36) for the most extra points made by a rookie in franchise history.
The Indianapolis Colts dominated the AFC North Division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in the first half of their Week 16 matchup. But the Steelers were able to return the favor, and then some, over the final two quarters, handing the Colts a deflating 28-24 loss that put Indy out of the AFC playoff picture heading into the final week of the regular season.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 22-of-35 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He tied Dan Marino (420) for the fifth-most touchdown passes in NFL history. With his first 265 passing yards, he reached 4,000 on the season and tied Tom Brady and Drew Brees (12 seasons) for the second-most seasons with 4,000 passing yards.
- Running back Nyheim Hines registered eight carries for 44 yards as well as five receptions for 20 yards. He also added three punt returns for 63 yards (21.0 avg.). He passed Marshall Faulk (164) for the most receptions by a Colts running back and the fifth-most by a Colts player in their first three seasons.
- Linebacker Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with 10 (four solo) and 1.0 tackle for loss. He passed Duane Bickett (398) for the most tackles in a player's first three seasons in Colts history. He reached 400 tackles for his career. Since 1987, he becomes just the 10th player in NFL history to reach 400 career tackles in their first three seasons and he tied Patrick Willis (41 games) as the second-fastest to do so (fastest by Luke Kuechly – 39 games).
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted one field goal and three extra points for six total points. With four points, he tied Adam Vinatieri (129 in 2010) for the sixth-most single-season points in franchise history.
The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-14 to improve to 11-5 on the season and earn the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Stats To Note
- Quarterback Philip Rivers started the game and completed 17-of-27 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He passed London Fletcher (239) and tied Julius Peppers (240) for the sixth-most games started in NFL history. Rivers passed Dan Marino (420) for the fifth-most touchdown passes in NFL history. He passed Eli Manning (8,119) for the sixth-most passes attempted in NFL history.
- Running back Jonathan Taylor led the team in rushing with a season-high 30 carries for a single-game franchise-high 253 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor finished third in the NFL in rushing yards this season (1,169) and it marks the most by a Colts running back in a single season since Edgerrin James in 2005 (1,506). With 253 yards, Taylor broke the previous single-game franchise-record of 219 yards previously held by Edgerrin James. Taylor became only the second player in franchise history to hit the 200-yard mark in a single game (Edgerrin James did it twice). Taylor reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season becoming just the fifth rookie in franchise history to reach that plateau. He is the first to hit 1,000-plus yards since Joseph Addai in 2006. Taylor passed Dominic Rhodes (1,104) for the third-most rushing yards by a rookie in franchise history.
- Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton recorded three receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown. He passed Jimmy Orr (50) and tied Marshall Faulk (51) for the eighth-most total touchdowns in team history. He also tied Orr (50) for the fourth-most receiving touchdowns in team history.
- Linebacker Darius Leonard led the team in tackles with 10 (eight solo), 1.0 sack, two passes defensed and one forced fumble. He passed Patrick Willis (411) for the second-most tackles by a player in their first 42 career games (since 1987).
- Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted 2-of-4 field goals and two extra points for eight total points. He passed Raul Allegre (30) for the most field goals made by a rookie in franchise history.
