Skip to main content
Advertising

News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Redskins Set Sights On Indianapolis Colts

redskins-colts-line-ap-660x350.jpg

With today's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers officially a thing of the past, the Washington Redskins turn their attention to the leaders of the AFC South.

The Redskins (3-8) next Sunday travel to the Midwest to take on the Indianapolis Colts. Kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.

The Colts entered today's action with a 7-4 record – putting them atop the standings in the AFC Southern Division – and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-3 today in the Circle City.

Indianapolis opened up its season hot, winning its first four games over the Tennessee Titans (41-17), Baltimore Ravens (20-13), Houston Texans (33-28) and Cincinnati Bengals (27-0). They went 1-2 over their next three games, however, losing 51-34 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, defeating the New York Giants 40-24, and then dropping a 42-20 decision to the New England Patriots.

The Colts are led by third-year head coach Chuck Pagano. Hired in 2012, Pagano, 54, was able to return a proud Indianapolis franchise back to its winning ways, collecting a 28-14 (.667) winning percentage in his two-plus seasons. He overcame personal adversity early in his tenure, beating acute promyelocytic leukemia and missing 12 games of the 2012 season before returning to lead his team to the playoffs, earning league Coach of the Year honors in the process.

Prior to today's game, the Colts were coming off a 42-20 loss to their rivals, the Patriots, in which Indianapolis found itself in an early hole and couldn't recover. They also struggled in their rush defense, allowing 199 yards and four touchdowns to Patriots running back Jonas Gray.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck completed 23-of-39 passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also led Indianapolis with just 15 rushing yards. Tight end Colby Fleener had a strong day with seven receptions for 144 yards.

Defensively, the Colts were led by safety Mike Adams, who had a team-best 11 tackles and picked off two Tom Brady passes.

The Colts entered today's game ranked first in the league in total offense with 438.3 yards per game, including a league-best 334 passing yards per game and 104.3 rushing yards per game, good enough for 17th in the NFL.

A look back at some of the top images in games between the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts.

Their defense, meanwhile, ranks 24th in the league with a 375.8 yards-allowed-per-game average, including 262.9 passing yards and 112.9 rushing yards allowed per game.

Entering today, Luck has continued to establish himself as a potential MVP candidate. He's completed 273-of-432 passes (63.2 percent) for 3,388 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's also ran the ball 38 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

With running back Ahmad Bradshaw out due to injury, the Colts turn their running duties over to Trent Richardson. Entering today, he has 114 carries for 391 yards (3.4 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, meanwhile, has developed into one of the best deep threats in the league, and has 59 receptions for 961 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Colts are led by linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who had a team-best 81 tackles and also has three sacks on the year.

Game notesHere's some more facts and figures from next Sunday's Redskins-Colts matchup in Indianapolis, courtesy of Redskins Public Relations:

  • The Redskins will seek their first win against the Colts since a 26-21 win Oct. 27, 2002.
  • A win would be the Redskins' first in Indianapolis since overcoming a 14-point first-half deficit en route to a 41-27 victory Oct. 23, 1994.
  • The game is expected to feature quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck, both of whom were selected among the top two picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. It would be the first matchup of starting quarterbacks selected Nos. 1 and 2 overall in a draft since Peyton Manning (No. 1, 1998) and Ryan Leaf (No. 2, 1998) started against one another on Oct. 4, 1998.

RELATED LINKS:-- [Pierre Garçoninternal-link-placeholder-0]: Lifted By Diverse Background
-- PHOTOS: Redskins-Colts 2010

.

.

.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Advertising