Colts vs. 49ers | Week 7 | Crunching Numbers
The Indianapolis Colts (3-4) came into Levi's Stadium and throttled the San Francisco 49ers (2-4) to the tune of a 30-18 victory on Sunday Night Football.
Both teams had times where they struggled to work through the constant rain, which led to quite a sloppy game, but the Colts were able to better adjust on both sides of the ball and had an overall well-called game by the coaching staff.
The Colts got plenty of standout performances both offensively and defensively, reaching some team and individual milestones. Let's dig into some of the achievements reached.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: QB Carson Wentz | 150 yards
Rushing: RB Jonathan Taylor | 107 yards
Receiving: WR Michael Pittman Jr. | 105 yards
Tackles: LB Darius Leonard | 7
Sacks: DT DeForest Buckner, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad | 1.0
Takeaways: CB Xavier Rhodes, S Khari Willis | 1 interception; CB Anthony Chesley, DE Kwity Paye | 1 fumble recovery
Kicking: K Michael Badgley | 1-of- field goals (100.0%), 3-of-3 extra points (100.0%)
Punting: P Rigoberto Sanchez | 6 punts, 45.5-yard average, 2 inside 20
Returns: Zach Pascal | 1 kickoff return, 14.0-yard avg.; Nyheim Hines | 1 punt return, 5.0-yard avg.
OFFENSE
The Colts had both a 100-yard rusher (Jonathan Taylor) and receiver (Michael Pittman Jr.) in the same game for the first time since Week 2 of 2020 when Taylor and Mo Alie-Cox achieved the feat.
Quarterback Carson Wentz went 17-of-26 passing (65.4%) for 150 yards (5.8 YPA) and 2 touchdowns for a passer rating of 106.2. He also carried the ball 4 times for 23 yards (5.8 avg.) and 1 touchdown. He fumbled twice and lost one.
- He now has multiple touchdown passes and zero interceptions in four consecutive games, which ties Peyton Manning (2006-07) for the longest streak in franchise history. Wentz also has the NFL’s longest active streak and the longest since Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers both had four consecutive such games through Weeks 1-4 of 2020.
- Wentz had a 57-yard completion to Pittman in the first quarter, which gives him at least one completion of 50-plus yards in three consecutive games for the first time in Wentz's career.
Running back Jonathan Taylor had 18 carries for 107 yards (5.9 avg.) and 1 touchdown as well as 3 receptions (3 targets) for 3 yards (1.0 avg.). He also fumbled twice, losing one.
- He passed Dominic Rhodes (five) and tied Curtis Dickey, Randy McMillan, and Lenny Moore (six) for the eighth-most 100-yard games in franchise history. For reference on how impressive that is, Taylor has played in just 22 career games with the Colts compared to 143 for Moore, 89 for Rhodes, 88 for McMillan, and 70 for Dickey.
- Taylor is the first Colt with two consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Jonathan Williams in Weeks 11 and 12 of 2019.
- It was Taylor's fourth consecutive game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, making him the first Colts player to reach that mark since Joseph Addai in 2007.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had 4 receptions (4 targets) for 105 yards (26.3 avg.) and 1 touchdown.
- Pittman has already set a new single-season career-high in receiving yards (508) after just seven games. It's also the most receiving yards by a Colts player through the first seven games of a season since T.Y. Hilton (512) in 2017.
DEFENSE
The Colts forced four turnovers against the 49ers, giving them eight consecutive games with a takeaway dating back to 2020, which is the third-longest active streak in the NFL.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter Rigoberto Sanchez had six punts for an avg. of 45.5, net avg. of 38.7., with 2 landing inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
- His 79-yard punt in the second quarter (with some assistance from 49ers return man Brandon Aiyuk) is the longest punt in franchise history.
Who impressed you Sunday for the Colts? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
