Week 7 Game Recap: Washington Redskins 22, Indianapolis Colts 36

What you need to know

Washington Redskins

The Redskins had the lead by one point at halftime after an Antwaan Randle El punt return for a touchdown, but proceeded to give up touchdowns on each of Indianapolis’ first three second half possessions and were unable to recover. Their only second half score came at the end of the game in garbage time.

Despite going against the worst rushing defense in the league, the Redskins didn’t have much success on the ground. There were two main reasons for this: starting running back Clinton Portis got dinged up a couple different times (he left the game in the second half), causing Ladell Betts to handle most of the second half carries, while the score in the second half caused the Redskins to abandon the run in the final portion of the game. The running game didn’t have much success early on, even when the game was close. Indianapolis simply played better rush defense than they usually do.

Mark Brunell had a decent game, despite regularly being pressured by the Colts’ pass rush. Brunell had a first half touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley and a late game scoring toss to wide receiver James Thrash. He completed 73% of his passes for 226 yards. Number one wide receiver Santana Moss left the game in the fourth quarter with a reported hamstring pull.

The defense played admirably throughout the first half, but gave up three straight touchdowns to open the second half, effectively ending the game. They gave up four touchdown passes, didn’t create a single sack, and had no turnovers. They played solidly early on, but were dominated late. They gave up 452 total yards.

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning had an outstanding game. He threw four touchdowns; two to Marvin Harrison, and one each to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Manning took a nasty hit late in the first half that bent him in half backwards and pulled his helmet off. He seemed a bit out of it afterwards, but settled down at the start of the second half to lead his team on three straight touchdown scoring drives.

The receiving corps also had an outstanding game. Both wide receivers (Harrison and Wayne) finished with seven receptions. Tight ends Dallas Clark, Ben Utecht, and Bryan Fletcher also contributed with nine total catches coming from the position.

Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes continued to split running duties, although Addai was clearly more effective. He had several long rushes where he made defenders miss and broke tackles. While Rhodes had more carries, Addai did more with his, gaining an average of 7.7 yards per rush.

The Colts’ defense, especially in the running department, played well. The mid-week addition of Anthony McFarland (from Tampa Bay) produced immediate dividends, as he stopped Portis for no gain on Washington’s first play of the game. He seemed to galvanize and strengthen the Colts’ rush defense, as they gave up only 114 yards on the ground, about 50 yards less than average. The pass rush constantly harassed Mark Brunell, although they only sacked him once. They didn’t produce any turnovers, but they played tough enough to secure the victory. On the injury front, safety Mike Doss left in the second half with a sprained knee.

What you ought to know

QB Mark Brunell, Pass: 27 - 37 - 226 - 2 TD / 0 INT

Brunell had an accurate and mistake-free game throwing the football. He distributed his passes to eight different receivers, primarily targeting wide receivers Moss and Lloyd in the first half, while frequently checking down to Ladell Betts in the second. Brunell connected with tight end Chris Cooley for a 13 yard touchdown in the first half, and hit James Thrash for a score late in the game. The touchdown was relatively meaningless, as the outcome was already determined and the Redskins were simply trying to end the game on a positive note. Brunell completed 73% of his pass attempts. He was under seemingly constant harassment from the Colts’ pass rush, although he was only sacked once. Brunell took several hits in the game and was seen at various times to be in pain or limping. He finished the game strong though, and whatever injuries ailed him didn’t seem to affect his performance.

There is rumbling about a QB change to the young Jason Campbell but quarterback play doesn’t seem to be the problem with this team.

RB Clinton Portis, Rush: 12 - 43 - 0, Rec: 4 - 21 - 0 (6 targets)

Portis took several hard hits, and was forced to leave the game a couple of times, the last one for good. He had trouble finding any holes to run through at the beginning of the game, but slowly increased his production as time went by. Portis had a game high 34 yard run in the second half that was on the same drive he had a 20 yard run called back on a holding penalty. Portis was targeted primarily on screens and swing passes. It was unclear whether his injuries were considered serious, as he left the game late when the outcome was already decided.

RB Ladell Betts, Rush: 10 - 52 - 0, Rec: 5 - 41 - 0 (7 targets)

Betts had one run for ten yards in the first half, and then saw his duties increase significantly in the second half with starter Clinton Portis ailing. Betts responded well to his increased playing time, as he averaged 5.2 yards per carry over his ten rushes. He was Mark Brunell’s favorite target in the second half, especially on the final drive of the game, where he was frequently used as a receiver out of the backfield. Betts provided a large portion of Washington’s offense, finishing with the most rushing yards and one yard short of the most receiving yards on the team.

RB Mike Sellers, Rec: 2 - 5 - 0 (2 targets)

Sellers had two short receptions early in the fourth quarter.

WR Antwaan Randle El, Rush: 2 - 19 - 0, Rec: 3 - 42 - 0 (5 targets)

Randle El was a versatile offensive spark for the Redskins. He rushed twice for gains of ten and nine yards. Randle El returned a second quarter punt for an 87 yard touchdown. He also had three catches for 42 yards, good enough to tie for the team lead in receiving yardage with tight end Chris Cooley.

WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 4 - 37 - 0 (6 targets)

Lloyd saw a majority of his targets in the first half. Three of his catches were good for first downs.

WR Santana Moss, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (6 targets)

Moss had a disappointing game, seeing fewer targets than usual and finishing with only 20 yards on three receptions. He hurt the team in the first half when he was flagged for a personal foul that resulted in a missed Nick Novak field goal on the next play. Moss was targeted a couple times in the end zone, but couldn’t haul in any scores. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a pulled hamstring.

WR James Thrash, Rec: 2 - 18 - 1 (2 targets)

Thrash saw all his game action in the fourth quarter after starter Santana Moss left with an injury. He caught both of his targets, the last for a five yard touchdown.

TE Chris Cooley, Rec: 4 - 42 - 1 (5 targets)

Cooley caught all balls thrown his way, including a 13 yard touchdown in the second quarter and a two point conversion near the end of the game.

PK Nick Novak 0 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points

Novak made both of his PAT attempts, but missed his two field goals, from 49 and 35 yards.

WAS Rush Defense

Washington’s rush defense gave up 110 yards on 25 carries. They weren’t especially stingy, especially to rookie running back Joseph Addai. They didn’t allow any scores, but that’s likely due to that fact that the Colts found it easy to score through the air.

WAS Pass Defense

Washington’s pass defense was decent in the first half, and then was completely demolished in the second. They gave up 342 yards and four touchdowns. They didn’t force any turnovers or sack Peyton Manning a single time.

QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 25 - 35 - 342 - 4 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0

Manning had an extraordinary game. He completed 71% of his passes and went over the 300 yard mark. Manning was hit hard and bent over backward very awkwardly in the second quarter. He called a timeout so he didn’t have to leave the game for a play. Before the half, he left for the locker room a few seconds before the rest of his team—apparently to receive treatment. When Manning returned at the start of the third quarter, he was absolutely unstoppable, throwing for touchdown strikes on the Colts’ first three second half possessions. He finished the game with four total touchdown passes. Manning’s favorite targets were wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, although he spread the ball around to seven different receivers.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 13 - 26 - 0, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets)

Rhodes, despite getting the start and more carries than rookie Joseph Addai, had an under whelming game. He averaged two yards a rush, only saw one target in the passing game, and had two goal line carries that got stuffed for no gain and no score.

RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 11 - 85 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (2 targets)

Addai had a very impressive performance running the ball. He clearly outperformed starter Dominic Rhodes, despite getting two fewer carries. Addai’s runs featured missed and broken tackles, while displaying a very effective running style. He also had a 20 yard reception. Addai averaged an outstanding 7.7 yards per carry.

WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 7 - 73 - 2 (10 targets)

Harrison had a great game, scoring two touchdowns. He could have had a third, but his catch in the back of the end zone was ruled a score and then reversed as the replay clearly showed he only got one foot in bounds.

WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 7 - 122 - 1 (11 targets)

Wayne led the Colts in receiving yards, targets, and tied for the team lead in receptions with counterpart Marvin Harrison. He was on the receiving end of a 51 yard touchdown bomb from Manning in the third quarter.

WR Brandon Stokley

Stokley was inactive for the game.

TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 4 - 52 - 0 (5 targets)

Utecht caught a majority of his targets and was the third leading receiving yardage leader on the team.

TE Bryan Fletcher, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (3 targets)

Fletcher had three straight receptions at the end of the first half.

TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 2 - 41 - 1 (4 targets)

Most of Clark’s targets came on the first Colts’ drive of the game. He had a 40 yard reception that got Indianapolis to the Redskins’ one yard line, and then scored a one yard touchdown three plays later.

PK Adam Vinatieri 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points

Vinatieri was true on all three of his PATs and made field goals of 30, 19, and 47 yards.

IND Rush Defense

Indianapolis’ rush defense got a big boost from the addition of defensive tackle Anthony McFarland. He made an immediate impact, stopping Clinton Portis on the first two plays of the game. Overall, the rush defense played much better than they usually do; only giving up 114 yards and no scores.

IND Pass Defense

Indianapolis’ pass defense allowed Mark Brunell to complete a high percentage of his passes, but they took advantage of the lead their offense game them and only allowed two scores. The last touchdown came in garbage time, when the outcome of the game had already been determined. They gave up 226 yards and sacked Brunell once, although they were in his face much more than that.