Thoughts on offensive implosion in loss

DENVER – Seven thoughts, with three more to come, following the Colts’ 31-13 loss to the Broncos at Empower Field that dropped to 6-8:

1. This game should have everything the Colts could want on a day when throwing the ball was difficult: They played like crazy with Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor. They completed the run and tackled reliably. They forced Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix to make a series of rookie mistakes. It seemed like the team was better prepared for the big stage.

And then they threw everything away. Literally.

Jonathan Taylor dropped a walk-in touchdown at the goal line. And then, needing a touchdown for the win in plus territory, Shane Steichen inexplicably chose a one-two pass to Adonai Mitchell, which he threw away for a 50-yard touchdown return for the win and a postseason trip to be put on ice for the Broncos.

Jonathan Taylor fumbles:Did Jonathan Taylor fumble before reaching the end zone? You make the call.

Good teams find ways to win games against good teams and the others find ways to lose them.

This one gave some tough answers about this year’s Colts’ cap.

2. Indianapolis had a clear plan to run the (bleeding) ball in this case. I imagine this came from several different motivations: getting Anthony Richardson confident and into a rhythm, resting a defense that is difficult to attack in these high-altitude conditions, and the impact of the league-leading pass rush of the Broncos by forcing them to play backwards rather than downhill.

Whatever the motivation, it was a good start plan as the Colts took a 10-0 lead while the Broncos had one possession in the first quarter.

Anthony Richardson hits rock bottom against the Broncos

3. But after a smooth start for Richardson, in which he was 2-for-2 for 22 yards and then scored on a 23-yard touchdown run against a keeper, the success didn’t continue.

The Broncos’ pressure began to disorient him from his spots, and although he acrobatically managed to keep some of those plays alive before being thrown away, it disrupted the rhythm of the operation and he was unable to convert them to completion. He had a miscommunication with Josh Downs on a route, missed deep to Michael Pittman Jr. on another third down and threw an interception that he threw over an open head by Alec Pierce.

The pass protection was poor in this game as well, but Richardson and the receivers couldn’t help each other out either. This was a big moment on the road against a great defense, and it got a little big for a very young passing attack.

Richardson finished 17 of 38 for 168 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. After three fairly promising performances from the bench, this was the low point.

Jonathan Taylor fumbles the touchdown

4. Taylor was looking forward to his first 15-yard run in a month. He had seen a playback from the win over the Patriots where he knew they were one block away from a long win.

When a run in the third quarter finally ended so perfectly that he managed an easy 41-yard touchdown, he let go – literally just inches from the goal line. He dropped the ball.

It was a devastating mistake to turn a 13-point lead into a 6-point lead on the road. And there was simply no excuse for it. It’s baffling that players continue to do this when the rule is as clear as it is and the risk is so high that there is literally no reward for it.

Taylor is a great player, as he showed with another 100-yard performance, but it’s no exaggeration to say this was the worst play of his career.

5. The Colts decided to play the same offensive line for the second straight season, knowing that Braden Smith would miss this game and the rest of the season due to the personal matter he was dealing with.

That meant Danny Pinter would be at center rather than fourth-round rookie Tanor Bortolini, who has returned from a concussion. Pinter had a rough day, as the Colts’ interior runs were their weakest on an otherwise great rushing day, drawing three different penalties in the third quarter as the offense scrambled after Taylor’s fumble.

6. Anthony Gould returned to his special teams role and also took over the kicks and punts.

I’m curious to see how much of this was rookie growth and how much of it was Josh Downs saving the shoulder he injured against the Lions that kept him out before the bye week against the Patriots. Or maybe it was both.

But this version of Gould looked more decisive and therefore more explosive, like the player they drafted for some highlight returns at Oregon State. He showed it just before halftime when he evaded the shooter, affected coverage in the middle of the field, put one foot in the ground to accelerate and shook off three defenders for a 36-yard return that At the end of the scoring Colts scored a field goal.

The Colts defense responds to poor performance

7. After a brutal performance in New England, the leaders of the Colts defense demanded that they reset after the bye week and reach a much higher level of play.

And that’s largely what they did in this case.

Bo Nix showed some rookie struggles, making strange decisions from clean pockets and getting greedy with his throws. But the Colts made excellent use of those routes, throwing off three interceptions – one each from Samuel Womack, Zaire Franklin and Nick Cross.

Franklin, in particular, was playing a great game, stopping the run to force that nix bet until he missed the open field tackle on Nate Adkins, giving the Broncos the go-ahead run in the fourth quarter.

But it was a bad play after the opponent started at the 15-yard line and just shows the implosion the offense caused there after the opening drive. Courtland Sutton’s touchdown catch with just under six minutes left is what we call a dam burst.

It’s shocking that you can get such a quality game out of a weak defense at this point and end up with no chance of winning the game.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Thoughts on offensive implosion in loss

Leave a Reply Cancel reply