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| ATL at NO | CAR at ARI | CLE at CHI | DEN at BAL | HOU at BUF | JAX at TEN | MIA at NYJ | MIN at GB |
| NYG at PHI | OAK at SD | SEA at DAL | SF at IND | STL at DET | |||
Week 8 Game Recap: San Francisco 49ers 14, Indianapolis Colts 18
San Francisco 49ers
| QB Alex Smith, Pass: 19 - 32 - 198 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 10 - 0 |
Smith was impressive at times, and his overall day would likely have been better had a few bounces gone his way. He played smart in his first start of the season: he spread the ball around on sustained drives, but knows that Michael Crabtree is his most likely meal ticket going forward and tried to get him the ball often. Smith had his share of highlight reel plays -- a laser beam pass to Crabtree in stride for a 27 yard pickup looked like a good sign that they were in synch together; and he hooked up with Vernon Davis for another TD (after 3 last week) -- but was also wildly inconsistent with his accuracy -- sometimes right on the button, and sometimes way off target. Smith did a good job eluding the pass rush, scrambling well but not leaving the pocket until he absolutely had to.
| RB Frank Gore, Rush: 13 - 91 - 1, Rec: 5 - 43 - 0 (6 targets) |
Gore contributed on the ground and as a receiver. His 64 yard score was beautiful. He ran it up the middle, eluded two tacklers, and was off. Unfortunately, he never got any meaningful gains on the ground after that, and playing behind late in the game meant that he only ran the ball four times in the second half. Even so, Gore was dangerous on short receptions out of the backfield, and showed he has very good hands, catching every ball thrown to him and gaining yards after the catch on most of them.
| RB Moran Norris, Rush: 3 - 4 - 0 (1 targets) |
Norris was given the ball in a few key short yardage situations, but no goal line carries.
| RB Glen Coffee, Rush: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) |
Coffee only had one carry on the day, but it was for eight yards. He remains the backup to Gore, there is clearly no time share.
| WR Michael Crabtree, Rec: 6 - 81 - 0 (9 targets) |
Crabtree had a good game by the numbers, and it likely will get better from here. For every good play, though, he had an equal number of rookie mistakes. He lost a fumble, tipped a pass that resulted in an interception, and bobbled a couple of short passes that were well thrown. The good is that QB Alex Smith went right back to him after a mistake, and he had a couple of notable plays. One was a nice sideline catch, where he showed that he wasn't afraid to go up and take a big hit, and on another play, Smith caught him in stride at full speed for a 27 yard gain. Crabtree was targeted a couple of times on swing passes, but didn't get much yardage. For the most part, he was getting open, and while there was good and bad to take from this one, it looks like he is already the number one target for Alex Smith.
| WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 4 - 51 - 0 (8 targets) |
Bruce had the 49ers first two receptions, and was a reliable possession receiver for Smith the whole game. He could have had a couple more catches, but he and Smith just barely missed connecting on a couple of passes while scrambling.
| WR Josh Morgan, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (2 targets) |
Morgan looks to be a casualty of the Crabtree signing, though this could be a weekly blip. He was not targeted at all in the first half, while Isaac Bruce was a reliable target for Alex Smith. Coach Mike Singletary could go with whoever is hot in the rotation, but this week at least, Morgan drew the short straw. At best, he was the 5th look for Smith, after Crabtree, Davis, Bruce, and Gore.
| TE Vernon Davis, Rec: 3 - 20 - 1 (5 targets) |
On the first drive, Davis caught the ball on sideline but did not get his second foot down in bounds. It was a play that showed a pretty big lapse in focus, but he was reliable after that, and is obviously a favourite target for Smith, especially in end zone.
Indianapolis Colts
| QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 31 - 48 - 347 - 0 TD / 0 INT |
Manning had a frustrating day, as he passed for 347 yards but had zero touchdowns to show for it. He was nearly intercepted early on, and couldn't keep any drives going in the first half. He was sacked for the first time in five games -- three times, in fact. Manning also overthrew a good number of passes, but many looked intentional in nature, because the receiver was covered so well. The first time he moved the ball effectively was with 26 seconds left in the half, but there wasn't enough time to get more than a field goal. Manning relied heavily on Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark when the going got tough.
| RB Joseph Addai, Pass: 1 - 1 - 22 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 20 - 62 - 0, Rec: 2 - 4 - 0 (2 targets) |
Addai got the start and with Donald Brown inactive, had the backfield all to himself. He always gained a few yards, and a few times looked like he was going to break loose, but against a fast defense, he was never quite able to. The Colts all but abandoned the running game in the 3rd quarter, but Addai got the call to throw a 22 yard strike to Reggie Wayne, who was wide open in the end zone. With the Colts leading, he gained a couple of important first downs in the fourth quarter. Not an amazing day, but he did have one more passing TD than Peyton Manning.
| WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 12 - 147 - 1 (20 targets) |
Manning relied on Wayne heavily the entire game and he did not disappoint. Wayne was covered pretty tightly and so the Colts used him often, and uncharacteristically, on shorter routes. On a couple of deep patterns, he was overthrown and the pass was defended. This was typically what happened when Manning tried to hit him for anything beyond ten yards Wayne did manage to get his yards, though, much of them after the catch. His touchdown was a 22 yard pass from Addai, who found him wide open in the end zone.
| WR Austin Collie, Rec: 6 - 66 - 0 (8 targets) |
Collie continues to show that he is an ultra-reliable target underneath. He was mainly used on shorter routes, but not exclusively. When the Colts are leading, Garcon and Collie's roles are clearer, but when behind, they are pretty much interchangeable. And so, as the game plan went out the window, both became less effective.
| WR Pierre Garcon, Rec: 4 - 53 - 0 (7 targets) |
Garcon was looked to on deeper routes, but not exclusively. He did catch a couple of shorter passes late in the game. In general, Garcon is targeted less, but used on longer routes (which he excels at). When the Colts are leading, Garcon and Collie's roles are clearer, but when behind, they are pretty much interchangeable. And so, as the game plan went out the window, both became less effective.
| WR Hank Baskett (2 targets) |
Baskett had a couple of chances, but with throws that were tough to catch. He is at best Manning's 5th look, after Wayne, Clark, Collie, and Garcon. Once Gonzalez returns, he will most likely return to complete irrelevance.
| TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 8 - 99 - 0 (10 targets) |
Clark was his usual versatile self: With great hands, he is extremely effective out of the slot, and is Manning's second option on most plays. He was targeted twice in the end zone, but was covered both times. Clark is the guy Manning looked to in the clutch, and he did not disappoint.