Frank Reich deserves criticism for Colts’ loss to Bills
By Ryan Stano
Frank Reich’s decision making was a big reason the Colts lost to the Bills.
Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich has escaped criticism for most of his tenure with the team, but perhaps we put that to an end after the team’s crushing loss to the Bills on Saturday.
The Colts are out of the playoffs. They had every chance to beat Buffalo in front of 16,000 opposing fans, but they let it slip away. In the end, they fell 27-24 despite countless opportunities to put pressure on Josh Allen and Co.
Frank Reich has been mostly good for this Colts franchise. His belief in his players and ability to largely put them in the best position to succeed has worked wonders. However, the problem with Reich is that his aggressiveness comes back to bite him in crucial spots in critical games like this.
Thank you, Colts fans, for your support through a challenging, unprecedented season. We have a talented roster and a very bright future ahead.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) January 10, 2021
And that was exactly the case on Saturday. After Nick Sirianni called a terrible third-down toss to Jonathan Taylor when they had the ball at the Buffalo one-yard line, Reich signed off on the decision to go for it on 4th and 3 instead of taking the field goal to go up 13-7.
But before we get there, Taylor is a bruising back and you have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Why would you not run it up the middle for one yard on that third-down play? How do you not overrule that call?
Then came fourth down. Indy called a slow developing pass play that forced Philip Rivers to back pedal 10 yards. Rivers’ throw was just inches out of reach for Michael Pittman Jr. Incomplete. What came next? A 97-yard Bills’ touchdown drive right before the half to make it 14-10 Buffalo. All the momentum was gone and the Colts never sniffed the lead again.
Frank Reich: "This team is close. I'll get emotional real quick thinking about how close I am with these guys. I think we had everybody in the locker room this year we needed to win a world championship. As I sit here today I want everybody back."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) January 10, 2021
That includes Rivers, he says.
We understand the desire to be aggressive. We understand the pressure that comes with playing on the road against one of the best teams in the NFL. But at some point, you have to trust your players a little bit more and go with the conservative choice. Making the score 13-7 hardly seems like a momentum-shifting decision, but it certainly is when you consider the worst-case scenario outcome.
Reich has largely been impervious to criticism since taking over as head coach a few years ago, but perhaps it’s time fans are a little bit more tough on him after we saw this consistent decision-making haunt Indy for a good portion of the 2020 season.
