The Colts had to outlast both the 49ers and the weather to get a win on the road Sunday night.
Relentless rain made it difficult for both teams to keep their hands on the ball, but that didn’t lead the Colts to get conservative with a five-point lead late in the game. Rather than settle for a field goal attempt, head coach Frank Reich reversed course from the team’s Week Five loss to the Ravens and stayed aggressive by calling for a throw to Michael Pittman Jr. in the end zone on a third down with less than three minutes to play in the game.
Pittman outfought 49ers cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick for the ball and a touchdown that sealed the 30-18 Colts win. Quarterback Carson Wentz said after the game that he was happy that the Colts didn’t let the weather keep them from taking a shot.
“We said hey, let’s still be aggressive and not let the weather completely change who we are,” Wentz said. “Be smart, pick and choose our opportunities, but I really appreciate coach still trusting us to call those plays and create some big plays. . . . I love that Frank was aggressive and trusted us with that. That was the first thing I went and told him is hey, I appreciate you trusting us and me appreciating just trusting Pitt and his ability to go up and get that.”
Sunday night’s win was the second in a row for the Colts and their season now looks a lot different than it did at 1-4 after the loss to the Ravens. That’s a good reason to continue taking big swings in any conditions in the weeks to come.