Jake's Takes | Colts vs. 49ers: Soaking Wet Victory

The Indianapolis Colts are now on a roll after an excruciating beginning to their season.

On Sunday night in front of a nationally televised audience, the Colts came into Levi's Stadium, capitalized on their advantages, and left with a 30-18 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

They now stand at 3-4, winners of three of their last four games including two in a row. Here are some of my main thoughts on the Colts' W.

Bless This Mess

The most noticeable part of this matchup was obviously the rain. It appeared to be a downpour for much of the night and was wet from kickoff to the final whistle.

As a result, things were pretty sloppy. There were seven official fumbles and numerous dropped passes. Both quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo had issues gripping the ball and tossed passes they'd love to have back.

On top of the rain causing ball security issues, there were 13 combined penalties in the game, which always takes a little bit of the fun away.

Not Wentz's Prettiest Day, But Got It Done

It didn't seem possible for either quarterback to have a passer rating above 100.0, but Wentz wound up with a 106.2. Particularly early in the game, he had about four balls that should've been intercepted but weren't. He also lost a fumble down inside San Francisco's 10-yard line. Wentz clearly was having issues with the elements. However, it was a tale of two halves.

In the first half, he was 6-of-13 passing (46.2%) for 66 yards and 1 touchdown for a passer rating of 87.3. He also had 2 carries for just 1 yard and another score. In the second half, Wentz was 11-of-13 passing (84.6%) for 84 yards and 1 touchdown for a rating of 109.3. He added 22 yards on 2 carries, including a critical 17-yard run on 2nd-and-15 in the fourth quarter while nursing a two-point lead.

Throughout the game, despite the rain, Wentz continued to be aggressive with the deep passing game, and it led to great results whether they were receptions or the few defensive pass interference calls they drew.

Pittman Successfully Gives Colts Their 'Type'

Ever since Colts general manager Chris Ballard arrived in Indianapolis in 2017, and especially continued when head coach Frank Reich came in 2018, the Colts have focused on size at the wide receiver position. The vast majority of the receivers they acquired have been at least six feet tall and had high-end athletic testing scores.

It hasn't always been successful. Big, traitsy wide receivers often flame out and don't hold onto a roster spot. However, Michael Pittman Jr. is a different breed than what the Colts have brought in because he's actually performing at a high level. Really, he's different from anything the Colts have had at the position in quite some time.

We're used to seeing successful Colts wide receivers win with their speed, hands, or route running, but Pittman (6'4", 223) is actually playing like a big receiver and doing it well. He's fighting off defenders who try to be physical with him, and he's winning in contested-catch situations.

On Sunday, Pittman caught 4 passes for 105 yards (26.3 avg.) and 1 touchdown. Included in those receptions were this 57-yarder early in the game...

Slingin' in the rain.

📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/9ZlfCrwCPJ
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 25, 2021

As well as this deep score late in the game where he high-pointed it and made it his own...

WATCH YA HEAD.

📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/FF5jvDJXxf
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 25, 2021

Defense Steps Up Again

It took the Colts defense a little while to settle in on Sunday but once they did, they smothered the 49ers' offense.

San Francisco scored 12 combined points on their first three drives, gashing the Colts with counter and misdirection runs as well as bootlegs by Garoppolo. The Colts just simply had no answers. However, they settled in, got a little pressure on the backfield, and shut down pass-catchers not named Deebo Samuel.

After their first three drives, San Francisco's next six drives ended in either a punt or turnover. Their final two drives each ended in an interception. In all, the Colts held the 49ers to 280 yards of offense, 1-of-11 on third downs (9%), sacked Garoppolo twice, and had four takeaways.

What were your biggest takeaways from Sunday? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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