Luck, Colts score 11 unanswered to hand Seahawks first loss of year
Oct 6, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) drops back to pass during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Luck threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns to hand the Seahawks their first loss of the season as the Colts won 34-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
With the loss, the Seahawks dropped to 4-1 on the season, though they still hold the top spot in the NFC West.
Russell Wilson threw for 210 yards and two touchdown passes but threw a late interception that sealed the victory for the Colts. He rushed for as many yards as Marshawn Lynch, as they both finished the game with 102 on the ground.
The Seahawks had every opportunity to win the hard-fought battle in Indianapolis.
They had 106 more total yards than the Colts (423 to 317), rushed for twice as many yards as the Colts (218 to 109) and narrowly held the ball longer, winning the possession battle 31:22 to 28:38.
But the Colts (4-1) had a raucous crowd behind them and rallied for eleven unanswered points in the fourth quarter to earn the victory.
The Seahawks started the game on a strong note, scoring 12 straight points in the first quarter. Steven Hauschka kicked a 42-yard field goal, Wilson hit Golden Tate for a touchdown and Jermaine Kearse blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety.
The Colts narrowed the Seahawks lead later in the quarter when Andrew Luck threw a 73-yard bomb to T.Y. Hilton which resulted in a touchdown and a 12-7 score.
Hilton finished the game leading all receivers with 140 receiving yards for two touchdown grabs — on just five catches.
In the second quarter, the Colts took the lead. Delano Howell, a Stanford product, returned Hauschka’s blocked field goal attempt for 61 yards to give Indianapolis a 14-12 lead. The block was the first missed field goal attempt by Hauschka this season.
The Seahawks countered when Wilson threw his second touchdown pass of the game, this one to Kearse for a 28-yard score.
With about a minute left in the half, the Colts’ Adam Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal that minimized the Seahawks lead to just two points, and Seattle took a 19-17 lead into halftime.
Oct 6, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (50) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
In the third, Hauschka kicked his second and third field goals of the day to give the Seahawks a 25-17 lead. On the Colts’ next possession, they traveled 80 yards in ten plays, concluding in Hilton catching his second touchdown pass of the game from Luck. Indianapolis’ two-point conversion attempt failed which kept Seattle in the lead, 25-23.
With 40 seconds left in the third, Hauschka kicked his fourth field goal of the day, a 46-yard kick that gave Seattle a 28-23 lead. He finished the day 4-for-5 and is now 12 of 13 on the year.
The Colts took the lead in the fourth, courtesy of Donald Brown’s 3-yard touchdown run. A converted two-point conversion later, the Colts were ahead 31-28.
Vinatieri extended that lead to 34-28 when he made a 49-yard attempt at the two minute warning.
It left Wilson and the Seahawks offense 1:55 to score a touchdown. In his career, Wilson has had six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, but Sunday was not one of them.
The Seahawks gained just 17 yards on their last drive of the game, which concluded in Wilson throwing an interception to Darius Butler that sealed Seattle’s first loss of the year.
Seattle had not lost a regular season game since Nov. 25.
The Seahawks (4-1) will travel back to CenturyLink Field next week to host the Tennessee Titans (3-2) who are coming off a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.