The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Green Bay Packers in a closely fought game 30-27 at the Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.
In the first half, the Colts could not perform well and the Packers were ahead by 21-3, but the Colts bounced back and outperformed the Packers in all departments of the game in the second half. The Colts will play their next game at the MetLife Stadium on Oct. 14.
Andrew Luck, the rookie quarterback and Reggie Wayne, the veteran receiver, connected at crucial moments that included a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 35 seconds remaining.
"I'm sure we were all lying to everybody the whole week, trying to downplay it," Luck said after the game. "I think we all went out there wanting to do it for Chuck more than anything else. To see all the emotions on Mr. Irsay's face, BA's, everyone in there, I think it's one of the greatest athletic moments I've ever been a part of."
Interim coach Bruce Arians and team Owner Jim Irsay sounded pretty emotional. Isray later went to the hospital where Chuck Pagano, the Colts' head coach is undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Irsay said: "We know what kind of man we have down the street, fighting, fighting for his life, and winning the fight. You guys doing this today, Bruce coming in, all you guys pulling together, Reggie being so close to Chuck going back for so long.
"Everyone in here knows how much that this means, and this ball is going right down the street."
While Pagano in his emotional email to the Colts on Friday made it very clear that he didn't want the team to play for him; he simply wanted them to play for themselves and match last season's victory total.
"Focus on being 500 by 4:30pm on Sunday. Nothing else," he wrote. "That has to be our mind set. 60 minutes, all you got, one play at a time! WIN!"
Wayne said: "I've got 12 years of (special) games. But this did mean a lot, just with the whole deal with how the week's been going. You know, I talked to coach Pagano and he wanted us to win so bad.
"Is it a high? Yeah. I don't necessarily have one other than the Super Bowl game. But it's up there."
Pagano was honored by team officials by hanging signs that read (hash) Chuckstrong behind each goal post and wearing lapel pins with orange ribbons against a white background.
Wayne had worn orange gloves instead of the traditional pink ones -- the color for leukemia patients.
"I just wanted to do something, you know, for Chuck," Wayne added. "I had some equipment guys make some calls. If they (NFL officials) fine me, they fine me, I really feel like that would be a terrible thing to do, but if so, so be it, I'll go ahead and take the fine and do it for Chuck."
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