A tale of two halves with the Indianapolis Colts they fall to the Denver Broncos 31-13. The self-inflicted wounds continue to bury this football team. Arguably the two worst plays of the season were the main reason for failure on Sunday. Jonathan Taylor dropped the ball before the goal line on an easy touchdown run. The second was a head-scratching play call and decision from both Shane Steichen and Adonai Mitchell. The playoff chances are nearly gone along with this season, yet again. The chances are now 7% and with an easy schedule coming in, they will need a lot of help from other teams.
Jonathan Taylor Pops The Air Out Of The Balloon
I will give the team some credit before I scold them. Up to this moment, this was the better team. The first half was not great for either team, but the Colts were the better team in the first half. The defense was (arguably) playing their best game of the season, and the offense, while not clicking, was serviceable. I think the fanbase would agree to be up 13-7 heading to halftime on the road, and a game of this magnitude would be a win at that point. The defense was able to force an early turnover as well that pulled the momentum toward the Colts early on.
As the Colts gained momentum, it was one of the leaders that completely flipped the game’s outlook with an unacceptable, boneheaded play. With the opportunity to go up 20-7, Taylor dropped the ball before the goal line on a long 41-yard run. He was nearly untouched on the entire run as well. It was as simple as holding onto the football and he did not do it. The play was called a touchdown and was reversed after replay confirmation.
Inexcusable. Plain and simple. It buried every ounce of momentum this team had and was building. For a captain of this football team to make such an error in that moment is, as stated, inexcusable. I felt he should have been benched immediately and punished for the error. He appeared to be fighting back tears in the postgame comments
Shane Steichen Decision-Making
Even after the inexcusable mistake from Jonathan Taylor, this team still had an opportunity to win this game. That was until a call from Shane Steichen that just made you question another in-game decision. The thought process of putting the game in the hands of a rookie that has been underwhelming all season is truly questionable. This type of trick play has a time and place. When you are up maybe 10 or more points and you want to finish off a team, totally understandable. To take this chance, with a rookie, and down 4 points, on the road? You just cannot convince me this was the right idea.
On top of that, the absolute worst-case scenario happened in the play. If the play is broken, you can throw it away and cut your losses. Instead, he threw it and Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto read the play perfectly. He jumped it and took it back for an easy touchdown to accentuate the implosion of the Colts. As a fan base, we may have been too enamored with the potential of Shane Steichen from his history as a coordinator but right now his luster as a head coach is quickly melting. Decisions like this can have long-term implications and could affect his job status as the end of the season approaches.
Defensive Praise
I have said plenty of negative things in this article but let’s dole out some praise now. This Colts defense was outstanding for most of this game. They created turnovers and held the Broncos to 193 total yards. They never let one player control the game. They held Cortland Sutton in check and forced 3 interceptions through the air with Bo Nix. While the Colts did not win the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball they won it defensively.
Credit to Gus Bradley as he schemed up this game and the defense executed the plan. Sean Payton is one of the great play callers and his preparation is always on point, this defense was the sole reason this team was still in the game by the 4th quarter. I think the momentum and the offense’s inability to score points let the defense down.
The Colts still have an outside chance of making the playoffs but they’re very slim. And to be honest, this team does not deserve a chance at postseason play. The questions heading to the offseason are ever-growing and it continues to build toward a complete reboot for this Colts team. From top to bottom. The last three games will be very interesting to watch for the future of this team if it has not already been decided.
More from The Blue Stable:
