Mike Hart Helps the Indianapolis Colts Hand the Chiefs Their First Loss

All the Indianapolis Colts really needed Sunday was to get rid of their homesickness as they returned to Lucas Oil Stadium all fired up.

The Colts' 19-9 win was larger than it showed on the scoreboard. It felt more like 27-9. In only their second home game of the season, the Colts received a warm standing ovation from the fans to help pump them up against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

This season, the Colts’ defense has been a huge disappointment, especially on the road. Their only good performance was the 38-10 victory over the New York Giants in Week 2. At 2-2, Indy had to stop the only undefeated team left in the league.

They needed to gain their momentum and their confidence. They needed to bring back the good ol' ways of Colts football. That didn't happen Sunday, but they still brought in a win. If Indy was traveling to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, the game would have been a lot closer—or worse, a loss.

But it was being at home that helped, especially the defense.

Peyton Manning was not like his usual self, going 26-of-44 for 244 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception. This brought him to a 65 quarterbacking rating—his worst performance this season. Manning had the best four-game performance of any quarterback in NFL history. Let’s hope this performance doesn’t slow him down from beating Dan Marino’s single-season yards record.

The rushing game really helped the Colts. Joseph Addai was on a roll. He would end the game with 17 carries for 50 yards, but his powerhouse running came to a halt when he injured his shoulder. It was then up to former Michigan Wolverines legend Mike Hart to step it up.

The Colts clung to a 12-9 lead early in the fourth quarter. Manning was frustrated, more than I have ever seen this season. The Colts needed a touchdown, and, thanks to Hart, they got one. Hart ran well on the 12-play, 71-yard drive as the Colts scored on Hart’s 11-yard run. The small back reached his arms to the end zone, and it was a score.

After that, the Colts defense stepped it up. With about a minute to go, Matt Cassel helped the Chiefs drive down the field. On a 4th down, the Chiefs went for a field goal with 1:12 left. The plan was for Ryan Succop to make the 51-yard kick. Kansas City would then go for an onside kick, recover it, and go for a touchdown. The plan ended quickly, as Succop missed the field goal as the ball went way to the right.

Cassel had a lot of errors. He fumbled twice on one play, along with a long streak of incompletions. He finished the game going 16-of-29 for 156 yards with a 70.5 rating.

The Chiefs running game was great, but it wasn’t enough for a win. Jamaal Charles had 87 yards on 16 carries, while Thomas Jones had 19 yards on eight carries. Hart had 11 carries for 50 yards with a touchdown—his second of his NFL career.

Reggie Wayne had six catches for 75 yards while Pierre Garcon had six for 57. Tony Moeaki had four catches for 50 yards. Dwayne Bowe had two for 33 yards.

Although the Colts could have played a lot better, it was a win. And that was all that really mattered. This season is the first season the NFL hasn’t had a team become 4-0 since 1970.

Indianapolis is 3-2 and will play at Washington. The team is currently 1-2 on the road and need to improve on that, starting against Donovan McNabb and the Redskins.

The Colts are improving. It’s getting better for them. Let’s see if they can take advantage now for the rest of the season after this important victory.