Colts Rout Lions, Tie For First

The slow-starting Indianapolis Colts dominated at Detroit as Nyheim Hines punctuated a pair of TD receptions with backflips.

The Indianapolis Colts needed one quarter to wake up after a bye week.

After they did, by Sunday’s end, they were tied for first place in the AFC South Division.

After allowing a blocked punt and subsequent touchdown pass early, the Colts scored three second-quarter touchdowns to seize control in Sunday’s 41-21 road win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Running back Nyheim Hines caught touchdown passes of 22 and 29 yards, which sandwiched a Philip Rivers 7-yard scoring pass to tight end Jack Doyle, as the Colts took a 20-7 lead. Hines celebrated each of his end-zone visits with acrobatic backflips.

The Colts improve to 5-2 for a second consecutive season, and as a result of Tennessee’s loss at Cincinnati, are tied with the Titans for the division lead.

A Colts defense that hounded Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had five sacks, including linebacker Darius Leonard’s strip-sack in the third quarter that resulted in the team’s first fumble recovery of the season. The turnover set up a Jordan Wilkins 1-yard TD run and 2-point conversion run.

Nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II returned an interception 29 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. The Colts lead the NFL with 11 interceptions and three pick-six returns.

Tyquan Lewis and Denico Autry each had two sacks.

Colts tight end Trey Burton added a 2-yard TD run. Wilkins finished with a career-high 89 yards rushing. It’s the second consecutive game Rivers has thrown three TD passes.

Both teams lost their best receivers in the first half as the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton exited with a groin injury and the Lions’ Kenny Golladay sat down with a hip injury.

The Lions (3-4) took the early 7-0 lead on a Stafford 25-yard TD pass to Marvin Jones. He hit Jones on a 4-yard scoring pass in the final quarter.

The Colts return to Lucas Oil Stadium for three of the next four games, but it could be the toughest stretch of the season against Baltimore, at the Titans on a Thursday night, Green Bay, and then the Titans again.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)