Colts 52, Raiders 38...Where's the D ?

Prior to this contest both coaches met up to discuss what they expected. Both me agreed that it would be a high scoring offensive affair with the team that got the most luck winning. That astute observation described this contest to a "T". It was a given that Reggie Wayne would run deep and Peyton Manning would deliver him the ball with precision excellence or that Rich Gannon would scramble to find time then hit Tim Brown or Jerry Rice on the fringes of the field. What could not be predicted was the battle of the turnovers, which weighed heavily in favor of the horseshoe. Time and time again normally sure handed Raider ball carriers put the ball on the carpet. Oakland fumbled the ball 5 times including one of the strangest plays ever that helped seal the game.

With 1:02 left to play in the game the Raiders were just past midfield and needed a quick strike. Indy had everyone covering Rice, so Gannon threw a long out pass to Tim Brown on the 20. Brown caught the ball and waltzed toward the end zone and began celebrating a bit prematurely. Before he was able to cross the goal line Cato June came up from behind and slapped the ball out of his hands and out of the end zone. What would have been a 52-45 score with about a minute to go was still 52-38, with the ball in Indy's hands. The Colts ran out the clock, took the victory, but everyone in Raider Nation shook their head. In this offensive extravaganza 4 receivers had over 100 yards apiece. Tim Brown and Jerry Rice both eclipsed the century mark and had identical 19.5 ypc averages. Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokely did the same with 21 and 22 ypc averages. Manning barely missed another 400 yard day, but did have 5 TD passes. Gannon had 4 himself, but his Pick 6 to Cato June (late in the 4th) really hurt his team. Charlie Garner, who the Colts paid no attention to rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries. Oakland fell to 3-5 and Indy moved to 5-3.