Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
After the first two weeks of the season, many people were starting to question the Indianapolis Colts. They were sitting at 1-1, but could have easily been 0-2, with two home losses. They were 10-point underdogs heading into their week three matchup with the San Francisco 49ers and no one was giving them much of a chance to pull off the upset. But not only did the Colts come of out Candlestick Park with a win, they came out with resounding win over the defending NFC champions.
Some people will try to make this about how bad the 49ers looked, and granted, they looked terrible for most of the contest. However, I will argue that this game was much more about the Colts. This game, win or lose, was going to be a turning point in their season. Many people were calling their 2012 campaign a fluke and saying that they caught lightning in a bottle. It seemed like that might be the case after the way they performed in the first two weeks, but then they went out and pulled off the trade of year to bring in Trent Richardson.
Although Richardson wasn’t much of a factor in the team’s week three victory, the move to bring him in lit a fire under the Colts. It was a message from management to the team that they could do it again in 2013 and take it to the next level at the same time. On top of that, it looks like the trade put new life into Ahmad Bradshaw. He ran like a man possessed in the second half against San Francisco, and the combo of him and Richardson should be deadly moving forward.
Related: Why the Colts Should Stick With the Run
But of course, you can’t mention this statement win without speaking to the greatness of Andrew Luck. His six-yard bootleg touchdown run in the fourth quarter capped off this amazing win for Indy. Luck wasn’t spectacular through the air, as he only amassed 164 yards, but he took what the defense gave him all game and didn’t force the issue. He controlled the contest and when the time was right, he stabbed the 49ers in the heart.
When you talk about season-changing wins, this Indy victory is the epitome of that. They went into the 49ers’ own house and punched them right in the mouth. Now, they’ll head into a week four matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a very good chance to start their season 3-1.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter and Google
