How Andrew Luck and Rob Chudzinski saved Chuck Pagano

Andrew Luck returned to form, and so did the offense. The question being where did the magic come from? Is it the fact that new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski changed the scheme to work for Andrew Luck instead of against him. He also didn’t sway from the running game. Frank Gore rushed 28 times in the contest.

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Chud used power formations such as the two-tight end set, and extra lineman used as tight ends. He also put an emphasis on rubs, crossing routes, and the short passing game. Patience was key, as was the resistance to throw deep.

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This scheme helped ease the pressure for Andrew Luck and allowed him to be comfortable. He proved how comfortable he was by passing for 252-yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Not only did he perform well, but he also did it against arguably one of the better passing defenses in the last 30 years.

“That’s who we need to be, consistently,” Luck said. “Probably a little bit of soul-searching, trying to figure out what we want to be. The truth of the matter is we have the pieces, which is pretty darn obvious.” Colts offense has struggled against each and every team this season. Yes, even that sieve of a defense in the New Orleans Saints.

Rob Chudzinski was also able to scheme the offense to allow Andrew Luck to find open receivers, and when there was none, there were lanes for him to run with the ball. He finished with 34-yards on six carries. “Chud” also didn’t forget about the presence of Frank Gore. The All-Pro running back had his most carries as a Colt with 28. He also had 81-yards to show for it. The yards per carry isn’t there, but it didn’t have to be, as he slammed into and wore down the defense giving credence to his moniker of “tank.”

CBS and Senior NFL columnist Pete Prisco noticed the change in the coordinators schematics after just one game.

"“It was a vertical-based passing game that didn’t help Luck, even though he can drive the football down the field. The problem was that the vertical routes took time, and the Colts offensive line wasn’t good, and Luck’s eye-level started coming down.”"

He went on to say:

"“sometimes, he was impatient letting the reads develop and at other times he was too slow to get off his initial reads. There was no consistency. His numbers were downright ugly.”"

Somehow Chudzinski found a way to make the Colts a balanced attack without taking away any of their weapons. Gore (28 carries) and Bradshaw (six carries) ran a total of 34 times, and Luck had 38 passing attempts.

The new bright spot about the new Colts offense was how they started. They were the first team to score and at one point held a 17-0 lead. But, at the very height of happiness, it seemed to turn at the last moment. With 0:15 seconds left in the first half, Omar Bolden returned a Pat McAfee punt 83-yards for the touchdown.

It took just one quarter for the Broncos to tie the game. A 64-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders and a 29-yard field goal by Brandon McManus pushed a 17-point lead by the Colts out the window. My thoughts: “Good teams win games by preserving leads or coming from behind to win, and bad teams lose out the gate and find a way to lose when ahead.” Where will the Colts fall, and what would happen to the coaching staff, Chuck Pagano in particular, if the Colts falter, especially with a bye week ahead?

Something must have clicked in the mindset of the Indianapolis Colts. As they stood huddled at the 20-yard line after the kickoff resulting from the McManus field goal.

“Yeah, we knew what we needed to do there,” Colts wide receiver Griff Whalen told FOX Sports by phone. “Everybody on the offense was fully confident. We had a really great week of practice and just felt like we could execute and move the ball down against these guys.”

Nov 8, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) gains yards in the second half against the Denver Broncos. The Colts defeated the Broncos, 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

This drive that took 5:52, 12-plays, and 80-yards to find pay dirt as Ahmad Bradshaw took a short pass from Andrew Luck and leaped over a defender into the end zone to take a 24-17 lead could have been a huge turning point in the Colts season. A focus point in that drive was at the end of the third quarter when Luck hit Griff Whalen on a wheel route for 38-yards.

Yes, the Broncos drove 80-yards themselves to tie the game, but it’s hard to put out a determination fire, and Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field from 52-yards out with 6:13 left to play.

“We all needed a win,” said Andrew Luck, who was 21 for 36 for 252 yards, two touchdowns and, for only the second time this season, no interceptions. “No one feels sorry for you in this league, but it was almost like a one-game playoff in a sense. And we managed to win, which is great.”

Frank Gore chimed in about the victory “Hearing all the B.S. about we can’t do this, we can’t do that, and today, we stood up to a top team in the NFL,” running back Frank Gore said after a 27-24 triumph improved the Colts’ record to 4-5. “But I’m not surprised, though.

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“As long as we don’t beat ourself, we have a great shot. But be real, though. Be real. When y’all watch film, we also help the other team. We (don’t) suck. We’re not a suck team. We just can’t beat ourself.”

Not only did the Colts not beat themselves, but they possibly saved the job of their inspirational head coach Chuck Pagano.