The Indianapolis Colts watched a two touchdown lead evaporate as they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 30-27. The Colts had plenty of chances to put the game away, but didn’t make the plays when it counted most.
The Colts had a 20-6 lead Monday night, before the Eagles rattled off a pair of quick touchdowns to tie the game by the end of the third quarter. The Colts retook the lead to being the fourth quarter, but the game suddenly turned not long after.
The game took a turn due to a series of baffling calls by the officials. The Colts were well on their way to taking at least a 10-point lead when a non-call by the referees led to an interception. On third-and-nine, Andrew Luck threw a pass to T.Y. Hilton who was held and pulled to the ground by a defender.
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins intercepted the pass and the Eagles took over. Two plays later, Colts safety LaRon Landry made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage on LeSean McCoy and was flagged for a horse collar tackle, a 15-yard penalty. Replay clearly showed that McCoy was dragged down by his jersey.
A few plays later, the Eagles tied the game at 27.
A baffling couple of plays led to the Colts going three-and-out and the Eagles taking over with just over two minutes left to play. The Eagles easily moved the ball down the field, ran the clock and kicked the game winning field goal as time expired.
The Colts had great production from running backs Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw. Richardson had 21 carries for 79 yards, but fumbled twice losing the ball once. Bradshaw had 13 carries for 70 yards and five receptions for 26 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Luck didn’t do much of the heavy lifting between the 20s but was crucial in the red zone. He was 20-for-34 for 172 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
The Colts struggled to contain Darren Sproles who had seven receptions for a staggering 152 yards. At times the defense was stifling and benefited from Nick Foles‘ inaccuracies. Overall, the Colts gave up 458 yards and were completely burned by the Eagles tempo.
The Colts fall to 0-2 but the schedule gets easier in the coming weeks. Up next, the Colts will be at Jacksonville to face the Jaguars.