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October 26, 2009

Colts pound winless Rams to stay undefeated

By Tom James

St. Louis — Believe it or not, it wasn’t quite as easy as it may have appeared to the casual observer.

Yes, the Indianapolis Colts posted a 42-6 victory over the winless St. Louis Rams in National Football League play Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. But this wasn’t the Colts’ best effort of the season. Far from it. But it was good enough for them to remain one of the National Football League’s unbeaten teams.

A few too many dropped passes. Untimely penalties (six in all for 51 yards). An inconsistent running attack. Injuries to several key players — such as rookie running back Donald Brown (strained shoulder), wide receiver Reggie Wayne (strained groin), and cornerback Kelvin Hayden (neck sprain) — although none initially appeared to be serious.

Throw in a spotty run defense, which allowed a game-high 134 yards rushing to Rams running back Steven Jackson, and it should give Jim Caldwell and his coaching staff more than enough things to talk about during this morning’s team film review.

Still, the Colts did improve to 6-0 and have now won 15 straight regular season games dating back to last year.

And St. Louis managed to drop to 0-7 for the season while suffering its 17th consecutive loss since 2008.

Despite the rough spots, Caldwell preferred to talk about the good things that he saw in the win.

“We certainly feel that we played pretty well. Obviously, we had some rough spots there in the game a little bit. But the great thing about it is that these guys prepare well. They practice hard. They play hard. And it shows,” the Colts coach said afterward.

“I think that it showed today. The other great thing [about the win over the Rams] is that [Indianapolis’ players] will take this and celebrate for a short period of time and get right back to work.”

As usual, quarterback Peyton Manning led the way offensively for the Colts. Manning missed posting his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, instead hitting on 23 of 34 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

Indianapolis rolled up 391 yards in total offense. The Colts picked up 156 yards on the ground thanks to the combined play of running backs Joseph Addai (64 yards in 20 carries), Chad Simpson (35 yards in three rushing attempts plus a 31-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter), and Brown (58 yards in two carries, including a 45-yard run in the second quarter that set up the Colts’ second touchdown of the day).

“We ran the ball decently. We were able to move the ball when we had the opportunities,” the Indianapolis coach said. “We did get stalled a couple of times.”

Manning had touchdown throws to Wayne (from 6 yards out midway in the first quarter), tight end Dallas Clark (27-yarder with 3:31 left in the first quarter) and rookie wide receiver Austin Collie (8 yards with 3:42 remaining in the game).

Wayne had seven catches for 83 yards and a TD despite seeing limited work in the second half. Collie added four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. And Clark hauled in three pass for 44 yards and a TD.

Backup tight end Gijon Robinson chipped in with three receptions for 38 yards. Second-year wide receiver Pierre Garcon struggled a bit, although he did catch three passes for 24 yards.

As for the Colts defense, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger hit on 14 of 26 passes for 140 yards. But he was intercepted twice, one by rookie cornerback Jacob Lacey which he returned 35 yards for his first NFL touchdown.

Hayden, returning to the Indianapolis lineup since reinjuring a sore hamstring at Miami in the second week of the season, had the other interception for the Colts.

Indianapolis sacked Bulger three times, one each by defensive end Dwight Freeney and defensive tackle Eric Foster. Defensive tackle Daniel Muir and weakside linebacker Clint Session shared a sack. Safety Antoine Bethea had a game-high eight total tackles.

“Defensively, early in the game, and specifically in the first half, I think we did a good job of stopping the run. You have to give [the Rams] a lot of credit. That big strong back [Jackson] is very difficult to handle,” Caldwell said.

“He got loose on us in the second half. And I am certain that he had some pretty big numbers. He is a guy who can certainly be overpowering and one that can dominate the game as well. The two interceptions [by Lacey and Hayden] were big. Lacey’s interception and score was big. I think our [defensive] guys did create a little cushion for us and turn the game around.”

The Colts — 3-0 against NFC West teams this year — will now get a chance to enjoy three straight home games, starting with next Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium. St. Louis, meanwhile, travels to Detroit on Sunday.

“The good thing about [the win over the Rams] is that we have a lot of room to improve. We have a lot of work to do, but that is what [life in the NFL] is all about,” the Indianapolis coach said.



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