Field Level Media
21 Sep 2020, 01:49 GMT+10
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown and the Indianapolis Colts intercepted Kirk Cousins three times en route to an easy 28-11 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Philip Rivers completed 19 of 25 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Indianapolis (1-1). The touchdown throw was the 399th of Rivers career and he is one shy of becoming the sixth player in NFL history to reach at least 400 scoring passes.
Zach Pascal had a touchdown reception, Mo Alie-Cox posted a career-best performance of five receptions for 111 yards and Rodrigo Blankenship kicked four field goals for the Colts. Khari Willis, T.J. Carrie and Kenny Moore II had the interceptions and DeForest Buckner recorded a safety.
Cousins was just 11-of-26 passing for 113 yards in addition to the interceptions for the Vikings (0-2). Dalvin Cook rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries but Minnesota totaled just 175 yards and 12 first downs.
Indianapolis had 354 yards, 24 first downs and controlled the ball for 38 minutes, 25 seconds.
Approximately 2,500 fans attended the contest at Lucas Oil Stadium in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The Colts decided on the figure after dissecting NFL and Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
Minnesota received a 21-yard field goal from Dan Bailey after moving 75 yards on 13 plays on the opening drive and then repeatedly sputtered on offense.
Indianapolis controlled possession for the remainder of the contest with short passes and runs by Taylor, who carried 26 times and became the first Colts rookie to top 100 rushing yards in a game since Vick Ballard had 105 against the Houston Texans on Dec. 16, 2012.
The Colts moved ahead to stay on Taylor's 5-yard run with 11:45 left in the second quarter. The defense got in the act for the team's next two points as Denico Autry pressured Cousins in the end zone and Buckner finished him off for the sack and safety to make it 9-3 with 4:54 remaining in the half.
Blankenship booted field goals of 28 and 38 yards later in the half to give Indianapolis a 15-3 advantage. He added a 38-yard field goal with 9:27 left in the third quarter to increase his team's lead to 15.
The Vikings had just 17 yards in the third quarter, and Cousins was 0-for-3 passing with an interception in the stanza.
The Colts remained in control in the final period as Rivers tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Pascal and Blankenship kicked a 44-yard field goal to make it 28-3.
Cook scored on a 3-yard run and added a two-point conversion run with 5:20 left as the Vikings trimmed their deficit to 17.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of San Jose Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Jose Sun.
More Information(Photo credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images) Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins exited Friday night's game against the...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images) Embattled quarterback Jake Retzlaff announced Friday that he is withdrawing from BYU,...
(Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images) Carlos Santana belted a go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning and Daniel...
(Photo credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images) The San Jose Sharks signed free agent forward Jeff Skinner to a one-year deal worth $3 million,...
(Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images) New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon was named to the American League All-Star team...
(Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images) The Los Angels Dodgers claimed right-hander Nick Nastrini off waivers from the Miami...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...