Turnovers have killed the Colts all year long, and last night was no different. They committed three of them last night in a loss to the Patriots, and all three were costly.
The Colts have had an issue with turnover the last few years. They haven’t been able to keep themselves from giving up the ball, especially in crucial spots. Last night was no different, as they gave New England the ball back on three occasions.
The first interception was horrible. It was right before the end of the half, and it allowed the Patriots to get a field goal before halftime. The second turnover was a fumble from Jordan Wilkins that took away all momentum the team had from getting a turnover themselves. The final turnover essentially ended all chance the Colts had of coming back to win.
All of these turnovers, and all of the ones the Colts have committed prior to this game, have been killers. Even though the Colts have played one more game than the rest of the league, they lead the league in giveaways with 9. That’s a lot of giveaways!
Giving the ball to the other team 9 times means that the Colts have given up a chance to score. It also means that the other team gets a chance to score. You can’t afford to give up the ball that many times in the NFL and expect to win games.
Luckily for the Colts, the defense has done a decent job of forcing turnovers themselves. They have had 8 takeaways, which leaves the team with a -1 turnover margin. That’s in the middle of the league. But you still can’t keep giving the ball to the other team.
The team now have 10 days to rest and recuperate. During that time, Frank Reich needs to coach his team to keep the ball away from the other team. They have to curb this issue, or fans will see more games like last night happen.