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Date: 9/17/2006
Houston
Texans At Indianapolis Colts
at RCA Dome
Start
Time: 1:03 PM EST
Game
Day Weather
Played
Indoor on Turf: FieldTurf
Outdoor
Weather: Mostly sunny 83 degrees
Officials
Referee:
Jeff Triplette (42)
Line
Judge: Jeff Seeman (45)
Field
Judge: Duke Carroll (11) Umpire: Jim Quirk (5)
Side
Judge: Greg Meyer (78)
Replay
Official: Mark Burns () Head Linesman: Jim Mello (48)
Back
Judge: Greg Steed (12)
Week 1,
The Manning Bowl had the buildup, the prime-time slot and the
nation's attention. Week 2 turned out to be a productive scrimmage
with the Houston Texans. The repetitious beating through three
quarters was as much as anyone could stand, Even the Colts lost
interest as Dungy commenced to sending in subs, which in turn made
the Texans feel as though they were an actual football team. However,
it was over when Indianapolis raced to a 14-0 lead in the first seven minutes.
The
Houston Texans had to know it was going to be a long day when David
Carr was sacked on the first play, and he fumbled the ball away on
the second.
Things
only got worse from there as the Texans lost 43-24 to Indianapolis on
Sunday, dropping to 0-9 all-time against the Colts.
The RCA
Dome has been a house of horrors for the Texans over the past four seasons.
Indianapolis
won its ninth straight game over Houston, limiting its AFC South
rivals to 299 total yards (194 of that in the second half as Colts
were bored with humiliating them), sacking Houston quarterback
David Carr four times and forcing an equal number of fumbles (two
of which were recovered by the Colts).
The
record-setting combination of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison had
another milestone day.
Manning
passed for 400 yards and three touchdowns, completing 68 percent of
his throws; furthermore receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne
each had more than 100 receiving yards, to spark Indianapolis'
offensive assault. In unison Peyton Manning broke the iconic Johnny
Unitas' franchise record for the most pass completions by a Colt,
accomplishing such an achievement in just his ninth year. Manning set
the mark with 8:17 left in the first quarter when he threw a 21-yard
touchdown pass to Joseph Addai. The third completion of the game gave
Manning 2,797 career completions in 130 games. Unitas had 2,796 in
206 career games with the Colts. The scoring pass was the first
regular season touchdown for the Colts' first-round draft choice,
Joseph Addai , who took the short pass and outran the Texans' defense
into the end zone.
Whereas
Marvin Harrison moved into fifth place on the all-time receptions
list, with his 941st career catch surpassing Art Monk (940 receptions)
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 17:
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison #88 of the Indianapolis Colts finds
open field as he turns with a catch against the Houston Texans
September 17, 2006 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The
Colts won,43-24.
while
Marvin is setting his sights now on:
Andre
Reed (951),
Tim Brown (1,094),
Cris
Carter (1,101)
and Jerry
Rice (1,549).
Harrison
caught his 941st pass, and during the break between the third and
fourth quarters, Harrison got a thunderous ovation from the crowd.
"That
meant a lot,'' Harrison said. "It means they appreciate
me, and more than anything, all my teammates on the field, every one
of them congratulated me. As long as they continue to count on me to
be the player I've always been, that's what I want to repay them with.''
Harrison
entered the game with 936 career receptions, caught two early passes
and wasted little time in hauling in three more early in the second
half. He had seven receptions for 127 yards, giving him 943 catches
in his career. His 55 career 100-yard games is second all-time to
Jerry Rice.
ON WITH THE SHOW
Houston
wins the toss, elects to Receive, and Colts elect to defend the East goal.
FIRST QUARTER
Adam
Vinatieri kicks 70 yards from the Colts 30 to Houston's 0. Texan's
Edell Shepherd received the kick and brought it out to Houston's 25
for 25 yards after meeting up with Colts Jason David.
As The
Houston Texans offense takes to the field and snaps the ball, David
Carr bootlegged right, trying to avoid Dwight Freeney, the
Indianapolis Colts' Pro Bowl right end and in turn he was met by Left
end Robert Mathis and ends up getting sacked before he could even set
up to throw for an 8-yard loss on the first play of the game.
(AP
Photo/Michael Conroy)
Houston Texans quarterback
David Carr, front, is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive end
Robert Mathis on the first play of the game in NFL football action in
Indianapolis Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006.
Mathis
was The Colts sack leader with 11 ½ sacks last year in 2005.
Second
down and 18, Texans back to the line of scrimmage, snaps the ball; 40
seconds into the start of the game, Carr fumbles and looses the ball
and was recovered by Colts, defensive tackle Raheem Brock at the
Texans 16.
Sam Riche
The Colts Raheem Brock (79)
grabs this fumble from Texans David Carr on the second play of the day.
The Colts
capitalized off the turnover as Manning needed just three plays to
find the end zone, connecting with Brandon Stokley in the back-right
corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0
with 12:48 left in the opening quarter.
Sam Riche
The Colts Brandon Stokley grabs
this Peyton Manning pass for a TD in the first quarter.
On
a bad note, where Stokley came into this game after being out since
training camp with a high ankle sprain left the game injuring his
ankle again. Stokley leaped as he adjusted his body in midair to make
the catch and in turn coming down making sure his feet were in bounds
ending up landing hard on his already injured ankle.
Vinatieri
kicks 66 yards from the Colts 30 to Texans 4 as Shepherd returns to
thier 24 for 20 yards before he is met up with Colts, Keith O'Neil
and Marlin Jackson.
On
Houston's first play of this series running back, Wali Lundy is met
at the line of scrimmage for a no gain by Colts Gary Brackett and
Robert Mathis.
On the
second play of Texans possession, less than 12 minutes into the game
Carr feels the wrath once again of Robert Mathis as he is sacked for
a loss of eight yards and fumbles. Texans got lucky as Houston
offensive tackle Zach Weigert recovers the ball at their 16 yard line.
Houston
couldn't move the chains on their third down as they were forced to punt.
Starting
at his own 37-yard line, Manning led the Colts on a six-play, 63-yard
drive hitting Dominic Rhodes for three completions and a deep middle
pass for 26 yards to Ben Utecht.
Can
somebody tell me why the helmet to helmet call didn't come into factor?
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(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Indianapolis Colts tight end
Ben Utecht, center, is tackled by Houston Texans safety Glenn Earl,
bottom, and C.C. Brown, in the first quarter of NFL football action
in Indianapolis Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006. |
Sam Riche
The Colt's tight end Ben Utecht
gets hammered on this first half shot by the Texans (24) C.C. Brown
and (26) Glenn Earl. |
|
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 17:
Tight end Ben Utecht #86 of the Indianapolis Colts is hit by free
safety C.C. Brown #24 as safety Glenn Earl #26 of the Houston Texans
brings him down in the first quarter September 17, 2006 at the RCA
Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won, 43-24. |
Matt Kryger
Indianapolis Colts Ben Utecht
(86) lays on the turf after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit by Texans
C. C. Brown in the first quarter. |
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 17:
Tight end Ben Utecht #86 of the Indianapolis Colts nurses his head
after being hit by free safety C.C. Brown of the Houston Texans as
tight end Dallas Clark #44 checks on him in the first quarter
September 17, 2006 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The
Colts won, 43-24. Peyton concluded the series after a Texan blitz and
hit Addai with a swing pass and ran it in up the left sideline from
21 yards out for his first touchdown in the league.
Peyton
concluded the series after a Texan blitz and hit Addai with a swing
pass and ran it in up the left sideline from 21 yards out for his
first touchdown in the league.
(MATT KRYGER / The Star)
Colts running back Joseph Addai
crosses the goal line in the first quarter to score his first career
NFL touchdown.
In
less than seven minutes in the first half of the game, The Colts lead 14
- 0.
On their
third series of the game, the Texans gained three first downs before
running back Wali Lundy fumbled on the Indianapolis 19. Defensive
tackle Montae Reagor recovered for the Colts' second takeaway.
Sam Riche
The Texans (33) Wali Lundy gets
stripped of the ball by the Colts (90) Montae Reagor near the Houston
goal line in first half action.
Peyton
commenced to use Harrison, Wayne, Rhodes and Addai in moving the
Colts 56 yards down the field to end the first quarter . . .
2nd Quarter
. .
. Going into the second quarter, whereas the Colts started their
drive from their own 19 yard line, Peyton continued to move the Colts
down the field for another 29 yards to Texans 1 yard line. On the
next play, Addai rushed for a one-yard touchdown, but head coach Gary
Kubiak challenged the ruling, arguing that Addai fumbled before
crossing the goal line. The officials reviewed the play and
overturned the call.
(AP
Photo/Darron Cummings)
Indianapolis
Colts running back Joseph Addai (29) fumbles while being tackled by
Houston Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans (59) as he crosses the goal
line during the second quarter of a football game in Indianapolis,
Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006.
However,
NFL rules state that as soon as the football crosses the plane of the
end-zone, a TD is scored, regardless of what happens after. Therefor,
the TD would stand regardless of the supposed fumble.
I am 44
years old and my vision is not as great as it used to be, but is
Addai not across the plane in the photo above? Did the Replay
Official not see this in the many takes and angles he viewed at this time?
Since
linebacker Morlon Greenwood recovered the fumble in the end zone, the
Texans' offense took over on their 20-yard line with 11:58 left in
the first half. Nevertheless, Texans were unable to capitalize on
this poor Officiating turnover as on the fourth play of their drive,
fullback Jameel Cook was flagged for a chop block, moving the Texans
back 15 yards and leading to a Texans second punt of the game.
On Colts
next series, Manning passed for 44 yards on three completions and
Rhodes ran for 3 to set up Adam Vinatieri's 39-yard field goal, which
put the Colts ahead 17-0
with 6:02 left before halftime.
With
Mathis and Freeney coming off the edges and tackles Brock and Montae
Reagor pushing up the middle, Houston was forced to abandon its game
plan. Down 17-0, Texans went to an I-formation. They ran the ball and
threw short passes off quick drops to its running backs and tight
ends as Carr completed his first four pass attempts for 36 yards,
including a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Andre Johnson. On third-and-nine
from the Indianapolis 32, running back Samkon Gado sprinted nine
yards up the middle of the defense to set up Kris Brown's 43-yard
field goal attempt. The score on the 10-play, 55-yard drive cut the
Colts' lead to 17-3
with 1:54 remaining in the first half.
The Colts
bounced back, though a touchdown pass to Wayne was taken off the
board thanks to a holding penalty on Colts' offensive tackle Tarik
Glenn. Peyton engineered a nice two-minute drill using nine-plays for
44-yards that was capped off with a Vinatieri 43-yard field goal as
time expired and The Colts went into the locker room with a 20-3 lead.
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 17:
Adam Vinatieri #4 of the Indianapolis Colts kicks a field goal
against the Houston Texans September 17, 2006 at the RCA Dome in
Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won, 43-24.
3rd Quarter
The
scoring didn't stop over the final two quarters as Indianapolis
continued to dominate!
Any
chance the Texans might have had ended when The Colts opened the
second half with a 13-play, 82-yard drive highlighted by Addai's 16-yard
rush to the Houston 12. On third-and-13, Manning fired a 15-yard
touchdown pass to Fletcher, which gave Indianapolis a 27-3
lead.
Jason Chapman / Colts.com
On Texans
next series Carr went three and out as the Texans punted away.
With 3:21
left in the third quarter, Vinatieri added to the Colts' lead with
his third field goal, a 38-yarder, which capped an eight-play,
38-yard drive.
Again on
Texans next series Carr went three and out but before he was sacked
by Raheem Brock for a loss of 3 yards and Texans punt once more.
As Rhodes
ran for 12 yards on two plays
Matt Kryger
Indianapolis Colts running back
Dominic Rhodes jumps over his teammate Joseph Addai in the third quarter.
and
Manning hit Harrison for 17 yards, the Colts conclude the third
quarter moving 29 yards down the field . . .
4th Quarter
After
Manning was sacked for a loss of 10 yards and an incomplete pass,
Hunter punted the ball away 45 yards to the end zone for a touchback.
Carr
actually moved the Texans to midfield after completions to Johnson
and Cook for 18 yards and 15 yards, respectively. On third-and-seven
from the Indianapolis 33, Carr found rookie, tight end Owen Daniels
open on a post route for a 33-yard touchdown to cap the seven-play,
80-yard drive over 2:35. Brown's extra point cut the Colts' lead to 30-10
with 11:36 left in the game. This would be the 50th touchdown pass of
Carr's exciting career.
With
Colts next possession, Addai ran the ball 3 times for 4, 7 and 6
yards whereas An 18-yard catch by Marvin Harrison followed by Reggie
Wayne's acrobatic 37-yard catch with cornerback Lewis Sanders in his
face falling just two yards short of a touchdown,
|
Matt Kryger
Indianapolis Colts Reggie Wayne
(right) makes a leaping catch over Houston Texans Lewis Sanders
(left) in the fourth quarter.
|
Sam Riche
The Colts Reggie Wayne grabs
this ball over the Texans (21) Lewis Sanders in second half action. |
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 17:
Wide receiver Reggie Wayne #87 of the Indianapolis Colts dives for
the end zone but comes up a bit short against the Houston Texans in
the fourth quarter September 17, 2006 at the RCA Dome in
Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won, 43-24.
all led
to the Colts' fourth touchdown of the game on a two-yard run by
Dominic Rhodes with just under eight minutes left in the game to make
it 37-10.
Houston
answered on the following drive as Carr found Mark Bruener open in
the end zone for one-yard TD to make it 37-17.
Colts
next possession consisted again of Addai, Addai, Addai, and more Addai,
MATT KRYGER / THE STAR
On the loose: Colts running
back Joseph Addai (29) spins free from a tackle attempt by Dunta
Robinson (center) and Glenn Earl of the Texans. Addai rushed for a
game-high 82 yards.
and again
a Deep 27 yard reception from Reggie Wayne to end it with a
three-yard TD run by Ran Carthon made it 43-17
as the Texans scored one more time as Carr's 10-yard TD toss to
Johnson accounted for the final margin to make a score of
Colts 43
and Texans 24.
GAME NOTES:
Coaches:
Tony Dungy (52-20 in fifth year with Colts and 108-66 in 11 years overall).
Gary
Kubiak (0-1 in first year with Texans).
Overall
series: Colts lead 9-0.
The
Texans' nine-game losing streak to the Colts is the longest ongoing
series skid in the NFL.
Last
regular-season meeting: Colts won 31-17 on Nov. 13, 2005, in RCA Dome.
Game
ball goes to ...
Peyton
Manning and Marvin Harrison. Manning was 26-of-38 for 400 yards and
three touchdowns, and Harrison caught seven passes for 127 yards as
both surpassed milestones in the Colts' victory.
Rankings:
|
Colts
- offense 10th overall (29th rushing, 5th passing), defense 31st
overall (30th rushing, 26th passing).
Texans
- offense 26th overall (27th rushing, 19th passing), defense 32nd
overall (25th rushing, 32nd passing). |
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Injury report:
|
Colts
- Out,
RB DeDe Dorsey (ankle), DT Corey Simon (knee), DE Josh
Thomas (hip), LB Freddie Keiaho (knee); questionable,
LB Gary Brackett (calf), S Mike Doss (calf), OT Ryan
Diem (hand), LB Gilbert Gardner (hand), CB Nick Harper
(ankle), TE Ben Hartsock (hamstring), CB Tim Jennings
(ankle), G Ryan Lilja (knee), DT Montae Reagor (knee),
S Bob Sanders (knee), G Jake Scott (knee), QB Jim
Sorgi (shoulder), WR Brandon Stokley (ankle), TE Ben Utecht
(finger); probable,
LB Rob Morris (foot), CB Jason David (tooth), DT Dan
Klecko (calf), DE Ryan LaCasse (foot).
Texans
- Out,
CB Demarcus Faggins (foot), CB Phillip Buchanon
(ankle); probable,
C Mike Flanagan (leg), DT Travis Johnson (calf). |
|
Hunter Smith
missed the Colts' last extra point after Vinatieri left with a
groin injury
Stokley
caught the touchdown pass on his first play of the season, but
aggravated his sprained left ankle injury and did not return
Defensive
end Dwight Freeney left the game in the fourth quarter with
an apparent leg injury. He was escorted off the field and to the
locker room by a team trainer.
Freeney
has yet to record a sack in the Colts' first two games.
Stokley
missed the regular-season opener with the Giants after suffering a
high ankle sprain during training camp. He caught a 10-yard touchdown
pass in the first quarter but re-aggravated the injury on the play.
Utecht
dinged, comes back - Tight end Ben Utecht left in the first quarter
with a possible concussion.
He was
injured after catching a 26-yard pass for a first down. After laying
on the ground for several minutes, Utecht was able to get up and
signal a first down to the Houston defense before heading to the
sidelines. He was able to return later in the game.
Vinatieri
hurt his groin.
COLTS
The Colts
converted 9-of-12 plays on third down
Tony Dungy
earned his 50th regular-season win as Colts coach.
Adam
Vinatieri connected on three field goals, from 39, 43 and 38 yards.
Indy
recognized the rescue workers who died during the Sept. 11 attacks
with a moment of silence before the game.
Houston
Houston
guard Chester Pitts missed the first snap in his career with
Houston, a span of 3,884 plays
No. 1
pick Mario Williams had another quiet outing for the Texans,
finishing with two tackles and a penalty for encroachment.
The
Texans got a 39-yarder from Kris Brown with 1:54 left in the
half, and Carr threw three touchdown passes in the last 12 minutes.
The
first, a 33-yarder to rookie Owen Daniels, was the 50th
touchdown pass of Carr's career.
Carr
was 22-of-26 for 219 yards and was sacked four times.
TE Mark
Bruener had a one-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter for
his first touchdown with the Texans and the 17th of his career.
With home
victories over the Texans this week and Jacksonville next week, the
Colts could quickly make a move for their fourth-straight division title.
Sunday's
victory improved the Colts' record within the AFC South to 21-4 since
the formation of the division in 2002. They lost twice to Tennessee
in 2002, but only one team has beaten them since -- next week's
opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Colts
lost at Jacksonville in 2003 and suffered a home setback to the Jags
in 2004, but last year's series sweep proved to be the difference in
winning the division crown. Had the Jaguars swept the series, they
would have been 14-2 and the Colts would have been 12-4, instead of
the other way around.
Last
year's games were both close, as Indy posted a 10-3 home win in the
second week of the season and notched a 26-18 triumph in December in
Florida. The first meeting this year will take place in the friendly
confines of the RCA Dome.
The
Jaguars enter the game with a record of 2-0 record after a 9-0
victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on
Monday night. |
VS 
