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Luck, Colts hand Seahawks first loss

Oct 6, 2013 - 10:15 PM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to another fourth-quarter comeback and helped hand the Seattle Seahawks their first loss, 34-28, in a back-and-forth tussle at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Luck threw for 229 yards with two touchdown passes and guided a 14-play, 86- yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with Donald Brown barreling in for a go-ahead score.

Russell Wilson, taken 74 picks after Luck was selected first overall in the 2012 draft, had a chance to keep the Seahawks from falling into the loss column but was picked off by Darius Butler as time wound down to seal Indianapolis' (4-1) third straight win.

Luck's favorite target was T.Y. Hilton, who hauled in five passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns despite being covered by All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman for a good portion of the Week 5 showdown.

"This is the most resilient team I've ever been around," Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said. "I can't tell you how proud I am of every man in that locker room."

Wilson threw for 210 yards and two scores and added 102 yards on the ground to match Marshawn Lynch's rushing total.

Seattle (4-1), which saw its nine-game regular season winning streak come to an end, continually settled for field goals after moving the ball into Indianapolis territory.

Steven Hauschka kicked four of them and had another blocked and returned for a touchdown by Delano Howell.

"Not closing out drives and taking field goals was a big difference today," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. "The tale of this game comes down to the big plays made or weren't made"

Hauschka's 46-yard kick put the Seahawks ahead, 28-23, in the final minute of the third, but the Colts responded with a lengthy drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and gave them a 31-28 lead.

There were three third-down conversions on the march. The first came on a pass interference penalty on Sherman, the next saw Hilton catch one thrown behind him for a 12-yard gain down to the Seattle 33-yard line, and Reggie Wayne moved the chains with a short 5-yard catch.

Wayne, originally ruled short of the first down marker before the call was reversed on replay, followed with a 19-yard catch down to the 3-yard line, and Brown took it in from there with 8:55 remaining.

Luck and Wayne hooked up again for the two-point conversion, and Jerrell Freeman stopped a scrambling Wilson short of the first down to produce a three-and-out on the ensuing possession.

Adam Vinatieri's 49-yard field goal at the two-minute warning kept it a one- possession game, though Butler cemented the outcome by picking off Wilson on a 4th-and-15 prayer.

The Seahawks were an overaggressive slide away from jumping in front, 17-0, just seven minutes in, but Jeron Johnson was ruled out of bounds in the back of the end zone before he completely secured the ball a blocked punt. Instead of a back-breaking touchdown, Seattle was awarded a safety.

After a three-and-out, the Colts gained their initial first down of the game, then brought the home fans to their feet as Hilton caught a deep pass, juked Earl Thomas along the sideline and went in for a 73-yard touchdown.

The highlights continued in the second quarter, the first coming on a blocked field goal that was caught in the air by Howell and returned 61 yards for a 14-12 Colts lead.

"It didn't feel like we were up," Luck said. "We just kept fighting."

Jermaine Kearse, who was responsible for the aforementioned blocked punt, hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Wilson with 5:57 remaining in the half. Kearse made a leaping catch along the sideline and balanced himself enough to dive across the goal line for a go-ahead score.

Vinatieri made it a closer game at halftime with a 41-yard field goal, and Hauschka answered with kicks of 36 and 41 yards in the third quarter.

Hauschka's second field goal of the half came after Chris Clemons hit Luck from behind and forced a fumble. Luck responded by finding Hilton in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. The failed two-point attempt kept the Seahawks ahead, 25-23, with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.

Hauschka's 42-yard field goal and Golden Tate's 10-yard touchdown catch gave Seattle a 10-0 cushion early on.

Game Notes

Wilson completed just 15-of-31 passes, while Luck connected on 16-of-29 throws ... Indianapolis' Trent Richardson was held to 56 yards on 18 carries ... The Seahawks outgained the Colts by a 423-317 margin ... The Colts went 7-for-12 on third down conversions, compared to Seattle's woeful 2-for-12 success rate.