|
|
|
|
|
49ers tricked by the Colts in a narrow loss
By Morris Phillips November 1, 2009 |
||
|
|
|||
|
Sunday’s 49ers-Colts game only seemed unusual while it was going on. The 49ers scoring explosive touchdowns, while the Colts settled for field goals. But when it was over, the storyline was business as usual. The Colts captured their 16th consecutive regular season win, 18-14, led by Peyton Manning's methodical passing, while the 49ers offense, ultimately, was lacking. The 49ers made an impression by establishing an early lead, then maintaining it through three quarters. But when San Francisco went scoreless in the second half, it was only a matter of time. The Colts took the lead and kept it on Joseph Addai’s halfback option pass to Reggie Wayne for a 22-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. “We’re young, and we have to learn how to win those games,” said a downcast coach Mike Singletary. “You got to come out there and you can’t lay and egg in the second half. We did some good things, just didn’t finish any of those drives,” Alex Smith said. It only seems like the Colts are out of sorts in a low scoring game. It’s not their preference, but seven times in their last 24 games, the Colts have scored 18 points or less. The Bears ran successfully, and kept Manning off the field. San Diego got three and outs and kept the Colts from the endzone with effective pass coverage, and the Jaguars played physical and tackled flawlessly. But an effective game plan against Manning hasn’t always led to a victory. It didn’t on Sunday. With the win over the 49ers, Indianapolis has gone 4-3 in the low scoring games, while they’re near perfect at 16-1 when they score more than 18 points. “We never found much rhythm,” Manning said. “(We) had a number of three-and-outs, couldn’t have been very good, percentage wise on third down. It certainly felt that way. It was one of those days. We call it a “grinder.” The 49ers used excellent defensive line play, led by nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, to stop the Colts’ running game, and put pressure on Manning. The secondary succeeded in keeping play in front of them with deep drops and sure tackling. Eventually, the Colts backed down, taking only what the defense would afford them. Manning continued to throw, despite suffering three sacks, but instead of pursuing touchdowns, he settled for first downs. Afterwards, Singletary spoke of how the 49ers tried to take advantage of favorable matchups with their defenders against the Colts offensive line and receivers. But eventually, the Colts found matchups they favored, as Shawntae Spencer and new starter, Tarell Brown, in place of Nate Clements, struggled to contain Wayne. Wayne established a career-high 12 catches for 147 yards as Manning continually looked for his main threat on comebacks and outs. And with the 49ers ganging up on the run, Spencer bit on Addai’s option play, leaving Wayne open in the end zone. The Colts admitted they hadn’t run such a play in the nine years Wayne has been with the club, but they grew confident in the play after practicing it during the week. Addai’s throw was far from perfect but the former All-American high school quarterback was afforded plenty of room for error as the defenders played run from the snap. With the lead, the Colts lethal pass rush finally became a factor, sacking Smith three times in the final period. And while Gore shocked the Colts with a 64-yard touchdown run in the first four minutes of the game, he struggled after that, managing just 27 yards on his other 12 carries. Smith, in his first start in two years, started fast, but couldn’t break through with a key gainer in the second half. He continued to utilize Michael Crabtree, who finished with six catches, and Vernon Davis, who caught a second quarter touchdown. But Crabtree was stripped of the ball on a critical play in the third quarter, and along with the sacks, and a few errant Smith throws, the sum of the errors kept the 49ers from scoring in the second half. Now, the 49ers return home for a pair of home games, against Tennessee and Chicago, just five days apart. Look for the play of the struggling, injury-plagued offensive line to be a big indicator in whether the 49ers can get back to winning football. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||