The Indianapolis Colts came close to securing another victory but they were ultimately let down by some of their most consistent players.
For the majority of Sunday’s game, it seemed like the Indianapolis Colts were well on their way to their second-straight win under interim head coach Jeff Saturday. Leading on the scoreboard up until the final minute of the game, Indianapolis suffered a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now the Colts are 4-6-1 and the uphill battle for the rest of the season only gets steeper.
While Sunday’s loss to Philly is Indy’s sixth loss of the season, this game was especially disappointing because it seemed like Indianapolis had the victory in the bag against a quality opponent. Unfortunately, the Colts were let down by some of their most promising players down the stretch of the game. Let’s take a look at the disappointing moments that led to Indy’s blown lead and Week 11 loss.
3. Indy’s offense was an anchor against Eagles
All season, the Colts have been extremely underwhelming on offense. However, after the recent coaching shakeups, it seemed like the offensive unit was turning the corner. Indianapolis scored 25 in a win a week ago and they opened Sunday’s game with a touchdown drive. That was Indy’s first opening-drive score since the Week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals last season.
This fast start gave everyone the illusion that Sunday would be a productive day for the Colts offensively. However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Indy followed that opening drive up with three straight punts. They would eventually go on to add a couple of field goals but overall, it was a slow day and they allowed the Eagles to stay in the game.
Indianapolis finished with 314 total yards, two turnovers, and allowed four sacks. The offense’s inability to get rolling put a lot of pressure on the defense and left the door open for the Eagles. Unfortunately for the Colts, Philadelphia was able to squeeze through the door and steal a win right from Indy. The offense has to do a better job of playing complementary football moving forward.
2. Colts had untimely mistakes
Even with the slow offensive performance, it still seemed like the defense was going to pull the game out for Indianapolis. However, too many untimely mistakes made that task impossible for Indy. There were two key moments that had they gone a different way, the Colts would be celebrating a victory right now instead of sulking in defeat.
The first moment came with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Indianapolis was leading 13-3 and had the opportunity to tack on three more points to this late-game lead. However, Chase McLaughlin missed a 50-yard field goal wide right. As evidenced by the final score of 17-16, an additional three points would’ve been huge for the Colts.
This is tough for Indianapolis and McLaughlin because he has been pretty solid since coming on this year for Indy. Even on Sunday, Chase made his lone extra point and was three-of-four on field goals, including a 51-yard kick. However, it’s the missed 50-yard field goal that everyone will remember.
He wasn’t the only player to make a costly mistake. A drive after the missed field goal, Jonathan Taylor converted a 3rd-and-1 and as he was driving his legs to gain more yards, he fumbled the ball and gave it to Philadelphia. The turnover didn’t lead to points for the Eagles because Indy’s defense took the ball right back three players later. However, the fumble did prevent the Colts from adding more points and draining more time off the clock in the fourth quarter.
1. Colts’ defense didn’t come through in the clutch
The Indianapolis defense was great for about 98% of the game, however, they definitely share some of the blame for this blown-lead loss. After all, in order to blow a lead, it usually means the opposing team has to score on the defense. Indy’s defense has to answer for not coming through in the clutch.
Looking at the game’s stats, it’s obvious Indy had a great day on defense, especially against a quality offense. They limited Philadelphia to just 17 points and 284 total yards. Indy also took the ball away once and sacked Jalen Hurts three times. However, when the game was on the line, they didn’t come through, and that’s a problem.
When Philadelphia got the ball with 4:37 remaining in the game, down by six points, the Colts’ defense had the opportunity to seal another victory. However, the Eagles drove 75 yards in 11 plays and three minutes and 17 seconds to score the game-winning touchdown. It was a drive that needed two third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion. Philly got all of them.
It’ll be easy to give the defense the benefit of the doubt. They played great for the majority of the game and if the offense performed better, Indy’s defense wouldn’t have even been in the position to blow the game. That’s true, the offense did leave them out to dry. However, it doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, the defense had a chance to close the game out and they didn’t come through.
If a kicker makes his kicks all game and misses the game-winning kick, he gets no mercy. If a quarterback has been on target throughout the game but sails a pass to a wide-open receiver with the game on the line, he’d be criticized. It’s no different for the defensive unit. They were great for almost all of the game. Unfortunately, the moment they needed to be the greatest, they didn’t come through. That’s why this disheartening loss is on the defense as well.
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