By kickoff of this game, the Raiders knew their turnaround season would end without a playoff appearance and the Colts knew they could take hold of the AFC South's top position with a win.
Judging by their play in the opening minutes (a 99-yard kickoff return TD followed by forcing a three-and-out for Peyton Manning & Co.), the Raiders looked loose and ready to make this a statement game. Their next 57 minutes, however, were filled with sputtering offensive attempts and an inconsistent defensive showing.
Despite Oakland's general ineffectiveness, the Colts managed only to stay just far enough out front to keep the big-play pressure on the Raiders. That big play never came and the game ended with a Manning bootleg and clock-killing hook slide short of the goal line.
Colts: Three performances of note
Colts right defensive end Dwight Freeney (+4.8) made it clear prior to the game that he was not overly impressed with Raiders rookie left tackle Jared Veldheer. His approach against the youngster was consistent with that sentiment. Rather than emptying his bag of tricks, Freeney came right at Veldheer, feeding him a steady diet of bull rushes and only sprinkling in the spins and dips. At the end of the day, the many-time Pro Bowler had a sack, a hit, and five pressures on the quarterback … and the highest grade among Indianapolis' defenders.
Jacob Tamme (+2.9) caught just one ball while running an upfield route — a seam against Tyvon Branch that went for an 18-yard touchdown. The rest of his afternoon was spent crossing the field and shaking each Raiders defender who tried to latch on to him. Tamme caught seven of the nine passes thrown his way and was five for five when covered by an Oakland safety. On a day dominated by Colts runners and when Colts wide receivers brought in only eight of 19 targets, Tamme was the key balancing factor that kept the passing game alive in Raiders minds.
Colts cover guys gave up 29 completions in 38 Raider passing attempts, but kept everything in front of them. Cornerback Justin Tryon (+0.7) was a great example of this, allowing seven catches in nine targets, but no big plays and only 72 yards total. The final box score showed an efficient-looking day for Jason Campbell, but in reality the Raider passing game was controlled by Indy and only managed to move the ball on the final drive when the Colts' defense had softened with a two-score lead.
Raiders: Three performances of note
Veldheer (-6.8) hasn't seen a day in the green since the Week 7 blowout in Denver, his first game as the starting left tackle. He has now earned his two worst grades in the past two weeks and this week's — his worst by far — was built primarily on a rough day in pass blocking against Freeney. Veldheer never appeared to get his body fully under control in this matchup, and he was bullied. When he wasn't backed directly into Jason Campbell, he was swinging wildly trying to get a piece of a spin move or hopping on the back of a shoulder dip that got the edge.
As the nickel corner and injury fill-in for Nnamdi Asomugha, Chris Johnson (-0.4) gets picked on often. Heading into this game, he was the sure bet to be Manning's target du jour and his tendency to be late in locating the ball meant lots of mini QB-WR games were to be played at his expense. It turned out to be an eventful afternoon. Johnson surrendered a 7-yard touchdown catch on a back-shoulder play at the goal line, but outside of that, he didn't allow another reception in seven targets and picked off a tipped ball in the fourth quarter. His penalty grade held him down overall, but his coverage grade (+2.5) was tops for the Raiders.
Advertised as an elite run-stopper when signed this offseason, defensive tackle John Henderson (+5.7) has not disappointed. Trent Cole, Kyle Williams, and Aubrayo Franklin are the only defensive linemen that have higher run D grades than Big John, despite him missing eight weeks with a foot injury. Due to Richard Seymour‘s absence, he played more snaps than he had in any other game this season (39).
Rookie report
Receiver Jacoby Ford (-0.8) returned a kickoff for a TD for the third time this season and added a pair of catches. … Middle linebacker Rolando McClain (-1.5) had his first negative grade in two months. … Defensive tackle Lamarr Houston (-1.1) also ended a positive game streak at five games.
Blair White (+2.0) caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown from his receiver spot. … Linebacker Pat Angerer (-1.3) collected his fifth negative grade in the last six games. … Fellow ‘backer Kavell Conner finished with a +0.9 in 15 snaps. … Cornelius Brown (+0.7) came in for nickel corner duty and earned a +0.6 pass-coverage grade in 38 snaps in coverage. … Left tackle Jeff Linkenbach, left end Jerry Hughes, and defensive tackle Ricardo Matthews all played sparingly.
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