Indianapolis Colts Veterans Must Carry the Load with Andrew Luck Injured

Overcoming an injury to your starting quarterback is a team task. 

Ever since Andrew Luck's abdominal and kidney injuries were reported, the Indianapolis Colts knew that it would be a group effort to keep afloat while the fourth-year quarterback healed up in time for the stretch run. 

But while Luck's absence meant there was playmaking and production that had to be replaced, it also meant there was an absence of leadership. While just a fourth-year player on a team full of veterans, Luck is the on-field general for Indianapolis and the one who the Colts look to when the going gets tough. 

On the sideline for the Colts' game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Luck couldn't fill that role. 

Fortunately, there were plenty of leaders ready and willing to take that role. 

Matt Hasselbeck, the Colts' 40-year-old backup quarterback, got his third victory of the season with a tough, persevering performance, including leading the game-winning drive to complete the fourth-quarter comeback (his second of each this season). 

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Adam Vinatieri, the 42-year-old field-goal kicker, was the one who scored those game-winning points, and he has been clutch all season for Indianapolis, making all of his attempts since missing two early in the first two weeks. 

The two senior citizens on the Colts are the two oldest players in the NFL and are widely respected, especially in the Indianapolis locker room. Nobody was happier than head coach Chuck Pagano after the win: 

But it wasn't just Vinatieri and Hasselbeck stepping up to the plate. Across the board, all of the Colts veterans had their moments. 

Frank Gore had 80 yards from scrimmage, including a key 31-yard screen pass on the game-winning drive to get the team into field-goal range. Ahmad Bradshaw, a midseason signing, scored two short touchdowns on receptions out of the backfield.

On defense, it was 32-year-old D'Qwell Jackson coming up with the biggest plays of the game, most notably the game-tying pick-six in the fourth quarter. But Jackson also had the team's only sack, recovered a fumble and led the team with two tackles for a loss. 

Of course, that didn't mean the game was perfect. Much like it's been with the entire team this season, the veterans in Indianapolis had to overcome a hole that they had helped build. 

In particular, it was redemption for Hasselbeck, who really didn't play well for most of the game. The veteran threw an interception on the first play of the game, where there was some miscommunication with him and Coby Fleener. Hasselbeck told Colts.com after the game that it was even a play that he had picked out specifically to start the game. 

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It was a very ugly start. We talked about trying to do some things early, and we did the exact opposite of those things. I requested that first pass as a play that I really liked. I thought it was a safe, completion play. I, you know, overthought it. 

"

Hasselbeck would go on to miss some open receivers on third downs to miss chances to extend drives, as well as make some questionable decisions in the pocket. But in the end, he came through, bouncing back from a fourth-quarter interception in the red zone to lead the game-winning drive. 

Likewise, Frank Gore started the game on a bad note, fumbling on the Colts' second drive as well as being held to just 2.4 yards per carry. The Falcons stacked the box for most of the day, daring the Colts to throw downfield, and there was little room for Gore on the ground. It was similar for Bradshaw with his 3.6 yards per carry. But both did their jobs through the air, making the key plays when Indianapolis needed them. 

Going forward, this is what the Colts need. Not the slow start offensively, but the veteran leadership that steps up to make key plays when they need them. 

It'll mean the defense has to continue to play well, forcing three turnovers on Sunday and keeping Atlanta from getting any kind of rhythm all day. The defense kept the team in the game early despite the Colts' offensive miscues, as Atlanta didn't score a single point off of the Colts' three turnovers. 

Improvements will need to be made, of course. This was a win, but a sloppy one. The Colts probably won't win many games without Andrew Luck if they're running for 2.7 yards per carry. They won't win many games turning the ball over three times. They won't win many games with the wide receivers combining for just 95 receiving yards. 

But they won this one, in large part because the veterans on this team, empowered by Chuck Pagano and his staff, wouldn't let them lose. Plays were made when they had to be made, and that hasn't always been the case this season.