Final
Coverage: CBS
1:00 PM ET, October 21, 2012
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Top Performers
Passing: B. Weeden (CLE) - 264 YDS, 2 TD
Rushing: V. Ballard (IND) - 20 CAR, 84 YDS
Receiving: R. Wayne (IND) - 6 REC, 73 YDS

Sunday Blitz: Browns-Colts Recap
VIDEO PLAYLIST 
- Sunday Blitz: Browns-Colts Recap
Sunday Blitz: Browns-Colts Recap
Prim Siripipat and Cris Carter break down the Colts' 17-13 win over the BrownsTags: NFL, Sunday Blitz, recap, Prim Siripipat, Cris Carter, Colts, Browns
Though Andrew Luck has shown flashes of brilliance in his first season, he knows he needs to be more consistent from week to week.
Brandon Weeden's rookie year has been marked by growing pains, but the fellow first-round pick helped his team to its first win with an impressive effort last weekend.
Luck looks to regroup from what may have been his worst game, while Weeden tries to take another step in the right direction as the Indianapolis Colts host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
After leading the Colts (2-3) to a thrilling 30-27 come-from-behind win over Green Bay in Week 5, Luck's lack of experience was on display last Sunday in a 35-9 loss to the New York Jets. He went 22 of 44 for 280 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, also losing a fumble.
Indianapolis is 0-3 when Luck completes less than 52 percent of his passes.
"I think it's imperative to be critical of yourself to realize when the blame is on you and figure out why I made the mistake and how I can avoid doing it next time, how can I rectify it," he said.
"It's learning how to be consistent, and that's something I've struggled with ... As a team, we have to learn to come out and consistently be good."
The Browns (1-5) had been consistently bad before snapping a team record-tying 11-game losing streak with a 34-24 win over Cincinnati last Sunday. Weeden threw for 231 yards and found Josh Gordon for a 71-yard touchdown and Benjamin Watson for a three-yard scoring strike.
"We're scoring a lot points, our defense is playing well, offensively we're starting to click and mesh," said Weeden, who's been picked off a league-high 10 times. " ... We've got a long ways to go, but we're on the right track."
Weeden outshined Luck in the Fiesta Bowl last season as Oklahoma State defeated Stanford 41-38 in overtime. Weeden, though, could be in for a tough test against an Indianapolis team that's giving up 200.0 yards per game through the air, third fewest in the league.
While the Colts have been tough against the pass, they haven't been able to stop anyone on the ground. Surrendering 159.0 rushing yards per contest, Indianapolis gave up a season-worst 252 last weekend.
"We're going to have to stop the run. Once you get blood in the water, everybody is (going to try to capitalize) -- whether it's a blitz on defense that the offense doesn't pick up, you're going to see it over and over until you put the fire out," interim coach Bruce Arians told the team's official website.
"It's more fundamentals than anything else, fundamentals and mental errors. Defensively, we just have to fit in the right gaps and tackle."
Indianapolis may have Pro Bowl linebacker Robert Mathis back Sunday after he missed one game due to a knee injury, and that could help his team contain Browns rookie Trent Richardson. The bruising back suffered a rib cartilage injury against the Bengals, but practiced this week and appears ready to play Sunday.
Cleveland will now try to win two in a row for the first time since Sept. 18 and 25, 2011, but the club has dropped 10 straight on the road. Their last victory away from home was that Sept. 18 game, 27-19 over Indianapolis that snapped a five-game losing streak in the series.
The Browns lost a team-record 11 straight on the road Dec. 7, 1974-Sept. 26, 1976.
"This is about trying to build a consistent winner," coach Pat Shurmur said. "It's our first win in a long time. We've been building up to it. I've sat here and said I think we're getting better. It's easy for folks to roll their eyes until you win a game.
"Now that we've won one, I want our players to get greedy with that feeling and go out and try to win against the Colts."
More from ESPN.com
DE Freeney, Chargers agree to contract
The San Diego Chargers made a move to bolster their pass rush Saturday, agreeing on a two-year deal with defensive end Dwight Freeney, league sources told ESPN's Ed Werder.
Source: Gronkowski may need back surgery
In addition to a fourth surgery on his broken forearm, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski might need back surgery, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Browns agree to deal with veteran QB Hoyer
Former New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Brian Hoyer agreed to a two-year deal with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.
Coach: Chargers would tweak D for Freeney
First-year San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy seemed impressed with free-agent defensive end Dwight Freeney during his San Diego visit, and he said the team will certainly design their defensive scheme to accommodate him if they sign him.
ESPN Local
Pass rusher Freeney agrees two-year deal with Chargers
Injured Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney smiles as he drives a golf cart before practice at the Miami Dolphins training facility in Davie, Florida February 6, 2010. (Reuters) - Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney, a seven-time Pro Bowl sele
Chargers, Freeney agree to 2-year deal
FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Dwight Freeney follows the action during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. The San Diego Chargers have agreed to a
Freeney headed to San Diego
The San Diego Chargers have added veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Freeney's deal is for two years. Freeney spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and has 107 1/2 career sacks in 163 games.
SPONSORED HEADLINES
Scouting Report
Browns-Colts: What to watch
After watching film of both teams, Scouts Inc. breaks down key elements of the Week 7 Browns-Colts matchup.
• Cleveland needs to be balanced on offense: The Browns are going with a relatively controlled passing attack under offensive coordinator Brad Childress and rookie QB Brandon Weeden. Weeden is not challenging secondaries with many downfield throws and needs a strong, effective ground game to force opponents to honor the play-action fakes. Look for a heavy dose of rookie Trent Richardson, especially between the tackles, along with a lot of one- or three-step drops where Weeden gets the ball out quickly to his receivers running quick slants and crossing patterns.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
CLE | IND | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 1-6 | 3-3 |
| Avg Points | 21.0 | 19.5 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 25.7 | 26.3 |
| Home Record | 1-2 | 3-1 |
| Road Record | 0-4 | 0-2 |
| Division Record | 1-2 | 0-1 |
| Conference Record | 1-4 | 1-2 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
Rushing Leaders
| Cleveland | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Richardson | 267 | 950 | 3.6 | 11 | |
| M. Hardesty | 65 | 271 | 4.2 | 1 | |
| Indianapolis | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| V. Ballard | 211 | 814 | 3.9 | 2 | |
| D. Brown | 108 | 417 | 3.9 | 1 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | CLE | |
| IND | ||
| Yards Passing | CLE | |
| IND | ||
| Yards Rushing | CLE | |
| IND | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | CLE | |
| IND | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | CLE | |
| IND | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | CLE | |
| IND |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Indianapolis leads 5-1 | |
|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2011 | CLE 27, @IND 19 |
| Nov 30, 2008 | CLE 6, IND 10 |
| Sep 25, 2005 | CLE 6, @IND 13 |
| Sep 7, 2003 | CLE 6, IND 9 |
| Dec 15, 2002 | CLE 23, IND 28 |
Research Notes
Week 6 marked the first game for Brandon Weeden with multiple completions on passes thrown more than 20 yards downfield this season. Andrew Luck has multiple completions on such throws in four of his five games this season. [+]Passing More Than 20 Yards Downfield - This Season
Close [X] | ||||||||||||||||||
ESPN Stats & Information | ||||||||||||||||||


