ATLANTA, Georgia — The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) look to continue their late-season surge in Atlanta on Christmas Eve against the Falcons (6-8), who have lost two straight.
The Colts have won five of their last six games to tie for first place in the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If Indy can better Jacksonville's record in the final three games of the season, they will automatically make the playoffs as AFC South champions. The team could also get a wild card spot, but it is clear these next games are crucial.
Check in here for live score updates from the game: Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET
First Quarter:
- Kickoff - Colts win the coin toss and choose to receive.
- 10:43 - A personal foul at the Falcons' 14-yard line moves the Colts to the 1-yard line.
- 9:24 - Jonathan Taylor runs it in for a 1-yard touchdown. Th extra point is good.
- Score: Colts 7, Falcons 0
- 7:42 - The Falcons answer back with a Kyle Pitts 24-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke. The extra point is good.
- Score: Colts 7, Falcons 7
- 0:00 - The quarter ends with the Falcons on 4th down and inches to go at their own 31-yard line.
Second Quarter:
- 12:06 - Colts punt the ball to Falcons 19-yard line and Alford runs it 8 yards at the Falcons 27-yard line.
- 10:20 - The Colts hold the Falcons to a three-and-out. The Falcons take a timeout.
- 9:45 - The Falcons hold the Colts to a three-and-out and punt to the Falcons 19-yard line.
- 6:46 — Taylor Heinicke scrambles for a gain of 10 yards.
- 6:09 — E.J. Speed breaks up a pass to bring up a Falcons fourth down.
- 6:05 — Younghoe Koo misses a 49-yard field goal as it bounces off the right upright. However, a Colts penalty brings up 4th and inches instead.
- 5:58 — Cordarrelle Patterson runs for a gain of 2 yards and a Falcons first down.
- 3:26 — Heinicke's pass in the end zone is ruled incomplete, bringing up 4th and goal.
- 3:23 — Younghoe Koo makes a 23-yard field goal to give the Falcons the lead.
- Score: Falcons 10, Colts 7
- 3:23 — Bradley Pinion's 65-yard kickoff ends in a touchback.
- 3:18 — Gardner Minshew attempts some trickery on a fake handoff, but overthrows Jonathan Taylor resulting in a near-interception.
- 2:33 — Gardner Minshew is sacked by Kaden Elliss for a loss of 8 yards bringing up fourth down.
- 2:00 — The two-minute warning sounds as the Colts line up to punt.
- 1:46 — Rigoberto Sanchez's punt goes 55 yards and is returned by Atlanta's Dee Alford for a gain of 3 yards.
- 0:20 — Taylor Heinicke leads a substantial drive at the end of the first half, finding Van Jefferson for a 13-yard gain.
- 0:11 — Heinicke stops the clock with a spike.
- 0:10 — In order to avoid a delay of game penalty, the Falcons are forced to call their final timeout right after spiking the football.
- 0:05 — Younghoe Koo kicks his second field goal of the day, knocking through a 47-yard field goal to extend the Falcons' lead before halftime.
- Score: Falcons 13, Colts 7
- 0:03 — Gardner Minshew kneels to end the first half.
- Halftime: Falcons 13, Colts 7
Third Quarter:
- 15:00 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff ends in a touchback.
- 14:55 — Taylor Heinicke fumbles the snap, but recovers it at the Falcons own 21-yard line.
- 14:24 — Heinicke hits Bijan Robinson for a 14-yard gain.
- 12:21 — Cordarrelle Patterson runs for a gain of 11 yards and a Falcons first down.
- 11:13 — Tyler Allgeier breaks free and runs for a gain of 31 yards and a Falcons touchdown. Younghoe Koo's PAT is good.
- Score: Falcons 20, Colts 7
- 11:13 — Pinion's 65-yard kickoff goes into the end zone for a touchback.
- 11:07 — Jonathan Taylor runs for a 2-yard gain.
- 9:53 — Gardner Minshew finds Will Mallory for a 7-yard gain. Mallory fumbles the ball, but recovers it. Atlanta challenges the ruling, but it is upheld after review, burning the Falcons' second timeout early in the third quarter.
- 8:16 — Gardner Minshew keeps the drive alive by finding Kylen Granson for a gain of 15 yards and a first down.
- 7:08 — Minshew can't find anyone open, so he scrambles for a 24-yard gain and a first down.
- 5:47 — Gardner Minshew is sacked by Calais Campbell for a loss of 10 yards.
- 5:03 — Minshew finds Josh Downs for a gain of 11 yards, but it is not enough for a first down.
- 4:23 — Matt Gay hits a 33-yard field goal for the Colts' first score since the first quarter.
- Score: Falcons 20, Colts 10
- 4:23 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff goes into the end zone for a touchback.
- 3:40 — Taylor Heinicke hits Jonnu Smith for a gain of 15 yards.
- 1:06 — Taylor Heinicke hits Drake London for a gain of 16 yards.
- 0:29 — Tyler Allgeier runs for a gain of 11 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
- 15:00 — Tyler Allgeier starts the final quarter with a 1 yard run.
- 14:15 — Taylor Heinicke overthrows Van Jefferson in the end zone to bring up 4th down.
- 14:06 — Younghoe Koo kicks his third field goal of the game, knocking through a 41-yard kick to extend Atlanta's lead.
- Score: Falcons 23, Colts 10
- 14:06 — Pinion's 65-yard kickoff goes into the end zone for a touchback.
- 14:01 — Gardner Minshew finds Kylen Granson for a 12-yard gain.
- 12:11 — Minshew finds Granson again, this time for an 11-yard gain.
- 11:46 — Gardner Minshew passes short and finds Alec Pierce for a gain of 7.
- 10:44 — Trey Sermon is stuffed on 3rd & 4 for a loss of 1 yard.
- 10:02 — Shane Steichen decides to go for it on 4th & 5. Gardner Minshew scrambles after the pocket collapses, but manages to buy some time. He's able to get a pass off to D.J. Montgomery, but the pass is a little too high and falls incomplete after avoiding an interception. The Colts turn the ball over.
- 8:33 — The Colts are able to hold the Falcons to a three-and-out. Pinion's punt goes 39 yards and falls out of bounds. The Colts will take over at their own 16-yard line.
- 8:27 — Gardner Minshew is able to buy time as the pocket collapses around him, but is tripped up by Atlanta's Zach Harrison.
- 8:03 — Gardner Minshew overthrows a deep pass to Alec Pierce.
- 7:56 — On 3rd & 10, Minshew launches a deep pass to Alec Pierce again, but he throws it into double coverage. The pass is intercepted by Jessie Bates as the Colts turn the ball over in heartbreaking fashion.
- 7:52 — The Falcons take over at midfield. Allgeier runs up the middle for 4 yards.
- 7:10 — Bijan Robinson breaks free of the Colts' defensive line and runs for a gain of 26 yards.
- 5:56 — The Falcons begin to run out the clock. Tyler Allgeier runs for a gain of 4 yards.
- 5:55 — Indianapolis calls its first timeout of the half.
- 5:49 — Bijan Robinson is stuffed for a loss of 3 yards. The Colts take their second timeout.
- 5:46 — Younghoe Koo extends Atlanta's lead with a 35-yard field goal, his fourth of the game.
- Score: Falcons 26, Colts 10
- 5:42 — The Colts take over in their own territory as time continues to run out.
- 5:32 — Two incomplete passes and sack bring up 4th & 19. Shane Steichen decides to go for it again.
- 4:49 — Gardner Minshew launches a deep pass to D.J. Montgomery, but Montgomery is tripped up and the pass falls incomplete. The Colts turn the ball over with less than five minutes remaining and only one timeout left.
- 3:55 — The Colts take their final timeout as Atlanta lines up for 1st and Goal.
- 3:09 — Bijan Robinson takes a direct snap and makes it to the Colts' 3-yard line before being tackled by JuJu Brents.
- 2:27 — Grover Stewart makes a big play to stop Cordarrelle Patterson for a loss of 4 yards.
- 2:00 — The two-minute warning sounds as the Colts stare defeat in the face.
- 1:57 — Younghoe Koo's fifth field goal of the game is a 25 yarder that extends the Falcons lead to 19.
- Score: Falcons 29, Colts 10
- 1:50 — Gardner Minshew dumps it off to Tyler Goodson for a gain of 15 yards.
- 1:21 — Out of the shotgun, Minshew finds Josh Downs for a gain of 6 yards.
- 0:58 — Minshew throws short to Will Mallory for a gain of 7 yards.
- 0:33 — Minshew finds Alec Pierce for a gain of 16 yards.
- 0:04 — Tyler Goodson runs for a gain of 15, but the clock runs out and the game ends.
- FINAL: Falcons 29, Colts 10
Associated Press pregame look:
COLTS PLAYERS TO WATCH: Running backs. While it’s unclear who will play this week, the Colts know Gardner Minshew plays far better when he has a strong ground game. It looks as if Jonathan Taylor is ready to go after missing three games with a right thumb injury. But Zack Moss has a right arm injury and could sit out. If neither plays, former practice squad players Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson will see if they can replicate what they did last week — a combined 28 carries for 157 yards.
FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Taylor Heinicke will make his third start of the season after Desmond Ridder was benched for the second time. Heinicke has completed 41 of 74 passes for 498 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The 30-year-old Heinicke will be asked to provide stability after Ridder threw 10 touchdown passes with 10 interceptions and 11 fumbles, including a game-turning late pick in last week's loss to Carolina.
KEY MATCHUP: Falcons RB Bijan Robinson vs. Colts run defense. Robinson, the rookie starter, had a crucial fumble last week and was held to only seven carries for 11 yards. The Falcons can be expected to lean heavily on Robinson, with support from Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, and take pressure off Heinicke by emphasizing their running game. Despite last week's poor game on a rainy field, Robinson has rushed for 801 yards, the most by any rookie in the league this season. He has rushed for four touchdowns and has 1,124 yards from scrimmage.
KEY INJURIES: WR Michael Pittman Jr. is questionable after he cleared the concussion protocol. Pittman, Indy’s leading receiver, got hurt on a big hit that resulted a season-ending suspension for Steelers S Damontae Kazee. ... RT Braden Smith has missed the past two games with a knee injury. ... Falcons RT Kaleb McGary (knee) and DT David Onyemata (ankle) did not practice Wednesday after missing last week's game. Guard Chris Lindstrom (ankle) and LB Bud Dupree (knee) could return this week.
SERIES NOTES: The Colts are 8-1 all time in Atlanta. ... The Colts won the first 10 games of the series and also the past two. ... The Falcons' most recent win in the series was a 31-7 decision on Nov. 6, 2011, at Indianapolis. The Colts beat the Falcons in their most-recent trip to Atlanta, 24-21 in 2015 at the Georgia Dome. This will be the Colts' first regular-season game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017. ... Longtime Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played the final season of his career in Indianapolis before moving to the broadcast booth this season.
STATS AND STUFF: Indy has won five of its past six, climbing from the AFC South basement into a three-way tie atop the division with Jacksonville and Houston. ... The Falcons have lost back-to-back games to fall out of the NFC South lead. ... Indy’s only loss at Atlanta was a 28-21 defeat in 1998, during Peyton Manning’s rookie season. ... The Colts are one of four teams to score 20 or more points 12 times this season. ... Minshew has matched his career high with six wins this season. ... WR Josh Downs needs seven receptions to tie Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison (64) for second most by a rookie in Colts history. ... Pittman fell four catches short of breaking Harrison’s streak for consecutive games of eight or more receptions (six). ... Indy needs one sack to break the single-season franchise record (46 in 1989). ... The Colts and Denver are tied for the most strip-sacks this season (10). ... K Matt Gay is 10 of 15 on field goals over the past five games and has missed at least one kick in four of those contests. ... Colts punt returner Isaiah McKenzie was suspended for the final three regular-season games on Tuesday. Downs replaced McKenzie, who was inactive, last week. ... Atlanta's defense held Carolina without a touchdown last week. The Falcons' three games without allowing a touchdown this season are a high mark since 2006. ... WR Drake London has 130 catches in his first two seasons, three behind Julio Jones' 133 in 2011-12, the most by a Falcons player in his first two seasons. ... Heinicke has produced 36 touchdowns, including 34 passing, in 27 career starts. ... LB Kaden Elliss has a career-high 100 tackles and has matched his high with seven tackles for losses. ... S Jessie Bates has matched his career high with 111 tackles and has a career-high five interceptions.
FANTASY TIP: In Atlanta's most recent home game two weeks ago, London had career highs with 10 catches for 172 yards against Tampa Bay. London should have enough familiarity with Heinicke to continue to flourish at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He also had nine catches for 125 yards against Washington on Oct. 15 in another big home game and has averaged six catches for 88.8 yards in games played in Atlanta this season.
