Colts 20, Giants 12: Giants struggle in the red zone

In a preseason game Sunday night where the defense struggled and the offense constantly failed in the red zone the New York Giants fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 20-12.

David Wilson got things going early with a 20-yard run. Eli Manning's first throw of the night was an attempt to Victor Cruz which the Colts were flagged for pass interference. The Giants failed at getting the first down on fourth-and-one inside the Colts' 10-yard line starting their redzone struggles early in the game.

The Giants defense started off strong on their first drive of the game knocking the Colts back to 3rd and 11 and making them lose another yard forcing them to punt. Jayron Hosley returned the punt for 11 yards and the offense was back on the field quickly.

Manning then found Hakeem Nicks for a 20-yard pass bringing the Giants inside the Colts' 15-yard line. The Giants failed once again to score a touchdown in the red zone and Josh Brown kicked the 25-yard field goal giving the Giants an early 3-0 lead.

The Colts quickly responded with a few good throws from Andrew Luck, however, even though his last throw wasn't very good, Aaron Ross failed to collect the interception as it slipped in the air and Reggie Wayne caught it for the touchdown.  After the extra point Indianapolis gained a 7-3 lead.

On the next drive Manning threw a pick on a pass that was intended for Hakeem Nicks.  Defensive end Justin Tuck responded by batting down a pass at the end of the quarter forcing the Colts to take the field goal giving them a 10-3 lead.

On the defense's next series Jayron Hosley gave up an 18-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton giving the Colts another chance to score.  Hilton would beat Hosley again for an 18-yard touchdown making the score 17-3 in favor of Indianapolis.  The Giants haven't forced a three and out since the Colts' first drive at this point.

The Giants finally had a nice drive and went for it on fourth-and-one with Brown gaining 8 yards for the first down. The Giants, however, continue to struggle in the red zone and settle for another field goal making the score 17-6.

Toward the end of the first half coach Tom Coughlin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and the Giants were penalized 15 yards. Josh Brown ended the half with a 45-yard field goal, making the score 17-9 in favor of Indianapolis.

In the second half each team could only muster a field goal as the reserves took to the field.

Injury Notex:

David Baas (knee) and Victor Cruz (foot) both left the game earlier than planned with injuries.  Both had x-rays that were negative and everyone in Giant-land breathed a sigh of relief. Justin Tuck also injured a hamstring.

Players to note:

Justin Pugh
The first round draft pick got some playing time. He played with great enthusiasm and some good hits.

Justin Trattou
He's is fighting for a roster spot and is showing that he could indeed get it.  Trattou batted down a few passes and made some good plays

Reuben Randle
It took a while for some passes to go his way, but he made really good grabs.

Michael Cox
Had a good kickoff return and late in the game had two catches for 48 yards/

Josh Brown
4-for-4 in field goals. As our own Dennis Esser said on Twitter:

If the #Giants Red-Zone Offense is going to look like this all year, Josh Brown is going to the best #FantasyFootball Kicker in the league.

— Dennis M. Esser (@coachesser) August 19, 2013

You can follow Kelsey O'Donnell on Twitter @KelsODonnell