In one of the season’s most surprising results to date, the Colts rolled to a 27-7 victory against the 49ers on Sunday in San Francisco.
The Niners, the NFC champions in 2012, are now 1-2 and two games back of unbeaten Seattle in the West.
A strong ground game helped lead the way for Indianapolis, but it was Ahmad Bradshaw, not Trent Richardson, getting the biggest share of the carries. Bradshaw, the ex-Giants back, racked up 95 yards and a touchdown on 19 rushes. Richardson, whom the Colts acquired from Cleveland for a 2014 first-round pick on Wednesday, scored on his first carry but had just 35 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
Overall, the Colts outgained the 49ers 336-254 and held the ball for more than 36 minutes.
The Colts’ defense had a tremendous game. San Francisco’s passing game had a day to forget, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick completing just 13-of-27 passes for 150 yards. The Niners were without tight end Vernon Davis, a big part of their offense.
The Niners did have some early success with the ground game. However, the Colts surrendered just 13 rushing yards on seven carries in the second half as they surprisingly seized control of the game.
The victory puts the Colts in a tie atop the AFC South with the Texans and Titans at 2-1. The 49ers, by contrast, have a losing record for the first time in Jim Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach. Moreover, they face a week of questions about their offense, which has struggled in consecutive games. Now, the 49ers have the unenviable task of shaking off this loss and traveling to St. Louis for a game on Thursday night.