NFL: Colts, Saints kick off season
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The NFL Season has kicked off as the Indianapolis Colts hosted the New Orleans Saints Thursday night. Peyton Manning and the Colts took their first step to defending their Super Bowl Championship by beating the New Orleans Saints by a score of 41-10.
At the half the scored was knotted at 10-10, but Indianapolis showed off their offensive weapons in the second half. Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns, passed for 288 yards and had zero interceptions. Reggie Wayne caught seven passes, two for touchdowns, for 115 yards, while Marvin Harrison had four receptions, one for a touchdown, for 83 yards. The Colts were also efficient running the ball as Joseph Addai carried the ball 23 times for 118 yards.
Manning commented on how the Colts pulled it together. "A lot of young guys played good tonight," said Manning. "It's only one game and there's a long way to go, but we played really well tonight."
The New Orleans Saints, also expected to compete for the Super Bowl led by Drew Brees were not as successful in their opening game. Brees passed for 192 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The Saints' rushing duo Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister combined for 76 yards and zero touchdowns.
The Colts next face the Titans in Tennessee on 9/16 @ 1pm EDT as the Saints travel to Tampa Bay on 9/16 @ 1pm EST.
Sources
[edit]- AP. "Colts ride 31-point 2nd half past Saints in opener" — ESPN, September 7, 2007
- The Associated Press. "Commissioner says NFL can put off-field troubles behind" — ESPN, September 6, 2007
- James Alder. "Bush Wins 2005 Heisman" — About.com, December 11, 2005
- Nfl. "2006 NFL Team Stats" — NFL.com, 2006