The Indianapolis Colts (4-5) defeated the Carolina Panthers (1-7) on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium by a score of 27-13.
Ending their three-game losing streak, it was a much-needed performance from the defense, which has been struggling over the last three weeks. The big day was led by cornerback Kenny Moore II, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
The defense showed up big time against an offense they should dominate while the offense struggled mightily in the second half. However, they did enough to keep the Panthers at bay.
Here’s everything we know from the Week 9 win:
Final Score: Colts 27, Panthers 13
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Colts | 0 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Panthers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
The game was over when...
Kenny Moore II recorded his second pick-six of the game, taking an overthrown screen pass for a 66-yard touchdown. This gave the Colts a 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Keys to the game
- The Panthers gave the Colts five first downs via penalty.
- The defense held the Panthers offense to just 275 total yards and 3.9 yards per play.
- Two defensive touchdowns wound up being the difference in the game.
- Matt Gay was perfect on both of his field-goal attempts (26, 57) and all three of his extra points.
3 Stars of the game
- DT DeForest Buckner: It was a massive game for Buckner, who recorded four tackles (all solo), one sack, two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and two batted passes.
- RB Jonathan Taylor: Though he averaged 2.6 yards per carry on the ground, Taylor added five receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown in the passing game.
- CB Kenny Moore II: This was a huge game from Moore, who provided sticky coverage all game long and added two pick-sixes.
Ending the skid
Though it looked a bit shaky at times, the defense hunkered down against an offense they should be dominating. Kenny Moore’s big day was historic while DeForest Buckner led the charge both from the interior and the edge. They held the Bryce Young-led offense to just 3.9 yards per play and allowed them to enter the red zone just two times. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance from the defense after their recent struggles.
Injuries
- CB Julius Brents (quad), LB Zaire Franklin (knee) and RT Braden Smith (hip/wrist) were inactive due to injuries.
- CB Tony Brown (concussion) suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game during the first quarter.
- WR Josh Downs (knee) left the game during the first half and was ruled out to begin the second half.
- TE Drew Ogletree (foot) suffered a foot injury and was ruled out during the fourth quarter
Quick Hits
- CB Kenny Moore II is the first player in Colts history to record two pick-sixes in a single game.
- Three turnovers for the defense is a season-high.
- With Zaire Franklin out, LB Shaquille Leonard led the defense with 10 tackles (seven solo).
- DTs Eric Johnson II and Adetomiwa Adebawore both recorded their first career sacks.
- LB Segun Olubi recorded his first career interception.
- Allowing 275 total yards was a season-best for the Colts defense.
- With eight receptions, WR Michael Pittman Jr. passed T.Y. Hilton (283) for the second-most receptions by a Colts player in their first four seasons.
- LB Shaquille Leonard passed Antoine Bethea (595) for the most tackles by a Colts player in their first six seasons.
What's next?
Colts head coach Shane Steichen will meet with the media Monday for a conference call before the team prepares for the Week 10 matchup against the New England Patriots (2-7) at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
