3 Colts most responsible for fourth-quarter choke vs Ravens

1. Frank Reich

Why would a head coach put a tied game in the hands of his limping and clearing ailing kicker who had already missed on two occasions and force him to kick a field goal to win it at the end of regulation?

Who knows? It was the wrong choice regardless.

And Frank Reich admits it. The head coach owned up to multiple conservative calls and expressed his regret at not going for the big play. In terms of his first mistake, running the ball on third and eight while in the red zone in the final minutes, Reich was clear. “In hindsight, because it didn’t work, do I wish I would’ve called a pass? Probably,” he said to reporters after the game. The setback run led to Blankenship’s first miss and killed their confidence all around.

Reich’s inability to make the big call and go for it against a contending team while they still had the advantage is a fault worthy of pinning some of this loss on. He put his confidence in the least capable player on the field. That kind of call just can’t happen if you want to win the games that count.