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Indianapolis Colts: Old school resilience conquers weather and San Francisco 49ers

By Sravan Gannavarapu

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by Arden Key #98 of the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by Arden Key #98 of the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Bad weather in San Francisco was concerning but not unbearable for the Indianapolis Colts as they head home with a soaking wet victory. 

California has been experiencing a water drought, and last night, it looked as if San Francisco had sent a fervent message to the weather lord to pay up.

The rain came all right, but it didn’t help their hometown team as the 49ers zigged against the visiting Indianapolis Colts, who zagged to a 30-18 victory,  improving to 3-4 on the season. The 49ers now drop to 2-4, falling further behind in an already competitive NFC West.

It’s a remarkable shift given how Indianapolis started the season 0-3 before winning three of their next four games, including this one. Their lone loss in that stretch was on Monday Night Football against Baltimore when Indianapolis blew a 19-point lead before falling in overtime.

Carson Wentz, despite not lighting up the stat sheet, played a pedestrian role with a twist. 17/26 for 150 yards, a passing touchdown, and an interception, but he had his moment in the endzone with a rushing touchdown.

Jonathan Taylor played the role of the main attraction for Indianapolis, rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown. Michael Pittman Jr finished the night with four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Mo Alie-Cox, on National Tight Ends Day, joined in the fun with a touchdown catch of his own.

Jimmy Garopppolo was less than desirable, throwing for 162 yards on 13/23 passing with a touchdown and two crucial late-game interceptions. Deebo Samuel was the primary weapon for the 49ers’ offense, catching eight passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. Elijah Mitchell provided 107 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown in the losing effort.

Defensively, both sides forced several fumbles, although the sloppy conditions may have had a lot to do with that. The Colts forced three of them compared to San Francisco forcing four. Despite that, Indianapolis took advantage of the opportunities given and capitalized on 49er mistakes.

The Indianapolis Colts showed that despite the weather,

Indianapolis now edges closer to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South. Tennessee moved to 5-2 earlier in the day after demolishing the Kansas City Chiefs 27-3, holding Patrick Mahomes and co. to no touchdowns, the first such occurrence since Super Bowl LV.

However, Indianapolis’ performance against San Francisco, albeit a winning one, didn’t come without its challenges, as evidenced by the rough start to the game and the events that took place throughout the night.

Early on, it looked like the 49ers were poised to put the Colts further down the standings, starting the game off with a touchdown and taking a 12-7 lead after one quarter. Since then, it was all Indianapolis, holding a one-point lead at the half and ultimately outscoring the home team 23-6 after the first 15 minutes of gameplay.

Given the competition in the AFC, any margin of error can be catastrophic come season’s end. The Colts are fortunate that they gained a little ground and can relax, at least for the next 24 hours.

Coincidentally, their next test is against the Titans on Halloween next Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. San Francisco, on the other hand, will be on the road in Chicago.

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