Colts lose tough game after poor passing effort

The passing game was non-existent and the defense got burned on man-to-man coverage. It was a disappointing effort from the Colts after playing their most complete game on Sunday.

T.Y. Hilton played in this game. No really he did. I know it was hard to find him, because he was only there when he had two straight drops on third down plays in the fourth quarter. Those drops about summed up a 20-17 loss in Houston that hurts the Colts’ playoff chances greatly.

It was an extremely poor effort from the passing game in this one. Jacoby Brissett only threw for 129 yards on 16 completions. They couldn’t push the ball down the field at all. Receivers couldn’t get open, as there were only four catches by receivers for the Colts in this game.

The running game was working again tonight, as Jonathan Williams ran for 104 yards. The team in general ran for 175. It wasn’t enough, as the Colts still needed a passing game and couldn’t find one when they needed it. The play calling was extremely questionable.

The defense got burned on three deep shots on man-to-man coverage in this one. One of them resulted in a DeAndre Hopkins touchdown catch. It was baffling that the Colts didn’t just stay in zone coverage all game. Deshaun Watson has issues identifying zone coverages quickly.

Those big mistakes on defense ended up costing the team. But overall, this loss falls on the coaching staff and the lack of effort through the air. Frank Reich did not do a good job getting his pass-catchers prepared in this one. They didn’t run enough crossing routes to get open in space.

This loss hurts. There’s no other way to put it. It drops the Colts down to 6-5 with five games left to play. The mini-bye week will help get them healthier. But they need some help down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.