Indianapolis Colts Battle Atlanta Falcons in Berlin – NFL Week 10
Guten tag, fussball enthusiasts. Wie gehts? Everything good I trust on this excellent early start to the tenth week coming directly from Germany. Berlin's Olympic Stadium to be precise where at 9:30 AM EST and 2:30 PM GMT the mighty Indianapolis Colts (seven wins and two losses) take on the Atlanta Falcons (3-5). The fifth game played on German soil and the first in the nation’s capital.
Pre-match Highlights
As sparkly jackets go that is an real standout from the Olympic figure skater on the opening flip. A minor slip from Sky Sports there as we hear “which team got the coin flip?” from the presenter with an unfortunately hot mic.
So, the Colts have won the toss and have elected to receive. The Colts' offense will be taking the field soon. Will the QB bounce back after a difficult performance in their last game?
Not to be outdone the singer belting out the Star Spangled Banner has some of the biggest shoulder embellishments you are bound to notice. Loving the sartorial choices today. The game is about to start after a choral number for the national anthem of Germany. Elegant.
Opening Period Gameplay
Scoreless at 13:30 in the first
Here we go! And we have an exciting start after Jonathan Taylor receives a short throw, gains 15 yards on the outside to the right then fumbles … only for his offensive lineman to save his bacon with the ball retrieval. Colts are in Falcons territory already.
Still scoreless at 10:51
And the excitement continues as the Colts go for it on 4th down. The gamble fails to pay off as the wide receiver cannot reel in a quick pass from Jones. On the play before the turnover on downs Jessie Bates put a massive tackle on tight end Mo Alie-Cox. The Falcons have come out fighting on defense as they attempt to end their string of three losses. Following that, Sauce Gardner makes his first appearance!
Touchdown Updates
First score: Colts lead 6-0 at 8:36
Was that a missed touchdown by Kyle Pitts? The tight end drops a clanger, he was very open but the ball just swishes through his hands. That moment reflects the high draft pick's professional journey to date.
So far, so disappointing but it only gets worse for the Atlanta as they cough the ball back to the Indianapolis on the 23-yard mark. Michael Penix Jr is hunted down and fumbles the football.
A nifty 22-yard run from the Colts receiver sets Jonathan Taylor up to easily run for a touchdown on the next snap. The placekicker skews the extra point wide. Mistake.
TOUCHDOWN! Colts 6-7 Falcons 6:07, 1st quarter
Penix Jr puts the fumble behind him by leading Atlanta on a long drive for a score of their own. The wide receiver makes some chunky receptions to put them in the scoring area then the seas part for Tyler Allgeier to saunter on to the goal line through the heart of the field for a 13-yard gain. He completes the drive for a short scoring run of his own. The Falcons take the lead.
Additional Week 10 Matchups
Additionally, the jumbo package starting at 1 PM EST and 6 PM GMT (home teams listed first) is as follows:
(5-4) Carolina Panthers v New Orleans Saints (1-8)
(5-3) Bears v Giants (2-7)
(3-5) Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
(2-7) Miami Dolphins v Buffalo Bills (6-2)
(4-4) Vikings v Ravens (3-5)
(1-7) New York Jets v Browns (2-6)
(6-2) Buccaneers v Patriots (7-2)
An exciting lineup. I’m planting my flag on the Vikings and Ravens playing out the top contest of the day.