The Colts aren’t fully stocked, but they have a certain personality about them.
Playing without the quarterback they anticipated (Andrew Luck) as well as their leading tackler (Darius Leonard), the Colts held on for a 27-24 win over the Falcons to improve to 2-1.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns, and they were able to run enough and play just enough defense to win in their home opener.
Brissett’s day was summed up by a late third-down conversion, when he coolly found tight end Jack Doyle for the conversion which allowed them to kneel out the clock. It wasn’t a flashy play, but it was efficient.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri shook off some recent bad luck, banging an early field goal off the goal post and in, after missing five kicks in the first two weeks.
The Falcons came back in the second half to make it a game after trailing 20-3 at halftime, with quarterback Matt Ryan heating up.
Tight end Austin Hooper caught a pair of touchdowns, and wide receiver Julio Jones scored for the seventh straight game, but the Falcons were in self-destruct mode, with 16 penalties for 128 yards.
Beyond the microscope of today’s game, the story for both teams could be injuries.
Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton went straight to the locker room after his second quarter touchdown pass, and didn’t return with a quad injury.
For the Falcons, safety Keanu Neal left with an Achilles injury, which is a cruel blow for a guy who tore his ACL in last year’s opener. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett also left late with a toe injury.