2005 NFL Playoffs - Pittsburgh at Indianapolis - Part I: Looking Back to Week 12

Divisional Weekend

In the absence of a copy of the game tape from the Week 12 Monday Night Game between these two teams, there is at least the nfl.com gamebook.

So on the heels of this weeks’ earlier comments from John Clayton stating that the Colts’ Monday Night win wasn’t as nearly as dominant as it may have seemed in hindsight, what can we expect to see in this week’s rematch?

First off, the Steelers’ offense has certainly looked impressive over the last few weeks. And when considering that two of the Colts’ biggest run defenders are coming off injuries, it looks like both teams are going to be able to put up points in this game.

The pressure is really on the Colts to scratch off any rust that may have accumulated over the last month of meaningless and non-existent games. They are a team that places a high emphasis on playing with the lead, rushing the QB, and turning their opponents desperate mistakes into turnovers.
1. Looking back at the Week 13 game, the Colts were:
   
2. 1/3 red zone
   
3. kicked 4 field goals while scoring just 2 touchdowns
   
4. committed 12 penalties for 106 yards
   
5. had 5 possessions that ended in punts

Looking further, after a successful first quarter on offense, things seemed to slow down for Indianapolis.

Second Quarter
Rushing	Passing
5 attempts - 23 yards (4.6)	10 attempts - 58 yards (5.8)


IND benefited with starting field position from the PIT 36 and 45 to pick up two FGs



Third Quarter
Rushing	Passing
9 attempts - 30 yards (3.3)	9 attempts - 54 yards (6.0)


IND benefited from the PIT failed onside kick to start the second half.
They got the ball at the PIT 37 to start.

There was one drive that the Colts did have start with the ball on their own 20.
They spent 12 plays to go just 43 yards and punted.
And they weren’t necessarily running out the clock yet. They ran 5 times and passed 6.
The score was just 13-7.



Fourth Quarter
Rushing	Passing
10 attempts - 44 yards (4.4)	2 attempts - 3 yards (1.5)


Again the Colts were given good field position, starting on the PIT 36 and gaining 26 yards on 7 straight runs to help run out the clock.

In total, the Colts had 12 possessions on this night.
2 for TD, 4 FG, 5 punts, and one INT.
They ended the game with their average starting field position at their own 35.75.
On their 6 scoring drives, their average starting field position was the PIT 48.3.

…More coming this week.