3 Surprises From Colts' Hard-Fought Victory vs. Falcons

With Anthony Gould sidelined once again due to a knee injury, the Colts gave kick return duties to Ashton Dulin and Ameer Abdullah and punt return duties to Josh Downs.

Dulin and Abdullah each had a kick return that placed the Colts near midfield in the second half, taking tons of pressure off the offense's shoulders. Abdullah had another one that went for 40-plus yards, but it was brought back due to a holding penalty.

The two kick returners ended the day with four returns for 139 yards, averaging 34.8 yards per return.

Downs had a shifty punt return in the fourth quarter, where he gained 24 yards to put the Colts on the Falcons' 47-yard line. Despite fumbling a punt against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Downs had the trust of the coaches to make a big play in the fourth against Atlanta.

2. Michael Badgley's Kicking Rollercoaster

After the Colts opened the scoring with a Taylor touchdown from the one-yard line, Michael Badgley missed the following extra point. It was Badgley's second missed extra point of the season after he was signed to fill in for the injured Spencer Shrader.

Badgley drilled his next extra point, but then he missed a 53-yard field goal by leaving it short. With the NFL's new kicking ball rules, it's been rare to see a kick missed short from that range. While it was a fairly chilly day, Badgley had just knocked in two from 50-plus against the Steelers in an outdoor environment the week before.

Nevertheless, Badgley responded by knocking in a 34-yarder to make it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter before his highest-pressure kick: a 44-yarder to tie the game with one minute left.

Badgley stepped up and put it right down the middle, sending the game to overtime and giving the Colts a chance to win the game.

3. Zaire Franklin's Overtime Performance

Zaire Franklin turned up the energy levels in overtime. The veteran linebacker perfectly timed the Falcons' snap after they got a first down through penalties, bulldozing Ryan Neuzil en route to a tackle for loss on Tyler Allgeier.

Two plays later, Franklin was sent in a blitz package, and he made a home run play by bringing down Michael Penix Jr. for a 12-yard loss. The Falcons were forced to punt, which set up the Colts' offense for a simple goal: put points on the board and win.

The offense carried Franklin's momentum to the other side of the ball and got the job done. The captain energized his squad to victory after leading the team in tackles and recording his second sack of the season.