The Indianapolis Colts entered Sunday’s matchup with the Super Bowl-contending Los Angeles Rams with very little margin for error.
Unfortunately, they filled that margin with errors.
During Carson Wentz’s time in the game, Indy benefitted from a few bounces (thank you, Johnny Hekker!) and a couple of spectacular evasions of the defense that justified his acquisition. However, it wasn’t enough to avoid a disastrous ending.
With several chances to put the game “away” in the early going, we instead were left with Jacob Eason with the ball down three, attempting to relieve an injured Wentz.
Emphasis on the “attempting”. So close, yet so far.
The end result was brutal, and the final minutes of the game were so tough to watch they might’ve misled you into putting the loss on Eason’s shoulder and Wentz’s ankle. Instead, the reality of this one was that the Colts could’ve run away and hid in the first half if not for three brutal turns of events.
These 3 sequences were turning points in the Colts’ Week 2 loss to the Rams.
3. Jonathan Taylor at the Goal Line
Everything was all set up for Indianapolis on their opening possession.
Carson Wentz was mobile, working the field like a seasoned general. The Rams’ vaunted defense looked a step slow, perhaps thrown off by getting a poor night’s sleep on Saturday night.
But once Jonathan Taylor got the the goal line, with the chance to deliver an early haymaker, the entire operation ran out of gas — and when they hit fourth down, things fell another level lower.
The first three plays of the sequence were Taylor runs, directly into the pile. The third attempt, where JT28 attempted to vault over the bodies, only to hit the turf short yet again, was particularly embarrassing. Given three shots at the end zone there, the league’s premier young back has to get in. No exceptions.
Instead of taking the points, Frank Reich schemed something up for Wentz…that never developed. Left without an opening or a safety valve, the QB went backwards and spun into a devastating sack.
Turnover on downs, which eventually helped create the late-game dramatics.
2. Khari Willis’ Coverage on Cooper Kupp TD
Did the failure on Indy’s first drive immediately come back to bite them? I don’t know. You tell me. Did you think a safety getting immediately turned around and falling victim to the same thing that crushed the team’s hopes last week was a positive omen?
After squandering all momentum at the goal line on the opening drive, the Colts were picked apart by Matthew Stafford on the ensuing possession, with Khari Willis’ poor coverage delivering the coffin’s nail.
Khari Willis fell down on the Cooper Kupp TD, but honestly, he was in terrible position turn and defend that pass either way IMO. They've played what looks like quarters coverage a lot and that's at least the second touchdown given up in that coverage in two games.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 19, 2021
Cooper Kupp ended this game with one of the most dominant performances you’ll see all year against the Colts’ secondary. As patchwork and underwhelming as they may be, this was still extremely impressive; nine receptions for 163 yards, two TDs, and a “long” of 44 yards is more than enough for us to forgive his five-yard loss on a misbegotten rushing attempt.
Of course, we’re focused on the Kupp completion that ended the Rams’ revenge eight-play, 90-yard, five-minute drive, their first time with the ball. Without facing a single third down, and at one point having converted three consecutive first downs, Matthew Stafford delivered a perfect ball to his most trusted wideout.
On that ball, Willis spun himself around and fell down, stuck in the wrong position and the wrong coverage at the same time.
1. The Shovel Pass
Need we say more?
After everything we just discussed above, the Colts still had a prime chance to take a lead during the second quarter. Following a field goal, Stafford chucked a ball up for grabs that nestled to the chest of Willis, who immediately redeemed himself for the earlier coverage gaffe.
Wentz again had the offense rolling. He was looking spry. The wheels were in motion.
Even after Taylor was stuffed on second-and-goal yet again, it was still easy to foresee either a Wentz strike on third down or a field goal to at least tighten the deficit. Things were back to normal, after all. They’d already shrugged off disaster.
Until, of course, Wentz underhanded a ball into the teeth of the Rams’ goal-line defense. Jack Doyle slid into frame several feet behind the action in a desperate attempt to salvage the play, but it was no use. Our starting quarterback, the man who we’d placed the full focus of our faith in this offseason, had committed another turnover by skittering the football like a frisbee directly into trouble.
Eventually, this game tightened. Down three points with 2:23 remaining, Indianapolis really could’ve used either the trio they sacrificed on this unfortunate play — or all seven, which would’ve also been nice.
The Colts are now 0-2. But they truly didn’t have to be.
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