The ups and downs of the 2012 season continue for the young Indianapolis Colts. In a game they should have won, the team lost a disappointing game at home against a division rival. Indianapolis jumped out to an early lead and appeared to have control of the game before letting Jacksonville slowly chip their way back into it. Jacksonville scored 19 of their 22 points in the second half and won 22-17 in the upset.
This game was difficult for Colt fans to watch everywhere. Even with the great play once again by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, the team didn't do enough to get the win. Luck again didn't look like a rookie in just his third career NFL game. Luck threw for 313 yards and threw two touchdowns in the game. He also evaded the rush by scrambling for 50 yards on four rushes.
The two big concerns for fans coming out of this game has to be the play of the defense and the conservative approach of the coaching staff. The defense was gashed by Maurice Jones-Drew throughout and made it look easy for a bad Jaguar offense. The one play touchdown that won the game for Jacksonville proved to fans everywhere that this defense still has a long way to go.
Indianapolis remains a young team and will struggle at times this season. For all the bad there is equal good. Fans are going to have to live with the up and down play this season and hope that the young players on the roster develop as the season goes on. This is great timing for a bye week as the team has several players injured and needs time to rest and get back on track.
As a fan of the team, I'm still excited about the future. Luck is already playing great football and there are glimpses of great play out of this team. There are a few holes left on the roster and there are many young players who need to grow into their role. In a game where many expected Indianapolis to equal their win total from 2011, the team didn't quite play well enough and fans will have to wait another week. Either way, this team is headed in the right direction and fans have reason to be optimistic about the future.
Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. He runs a blog about the team at www.coltsfansonline.com.
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