The Indianapolis Colts blew the biggest lead in NFL history on Saturday as they fell to the Minnesota Vikings 39-36 in a Week 15 matchup.
Prior to Week 15, the last time the Indianapolis Colts were on the field was in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, Indy had given up 33 points in the fourth quarter and lost 54-19. It was embarrassing. To make matters worse, it was on Sunday Night Football, so the entire NFL world witnessed the embarrassment. It was a new low in a season with many low points for the Colts, and everyone foolishly assumed it couldn’t get worse. It didn’t take long for Indianapolis to prove everyone wrong.
After a Week 14 bye, Indianapolis jumped right back into a nationally televised game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Colts started the first half on fire, jumping out to a 33-0 lead. Everything was clicking for Indy. There was a blocked punt for a touchdown, a pick-six, Indy forced a fumble, everything. Indianapolis was just flat-out dominating the Vikings. This led to social media clowning Minnesota. Everyone was calling Minnesota frauds, and the Vikings became the butt of the league’s jokes. Well, the Colts must’ve been jealous because they quickly reclaimed that spot.
With a 33-point lead at the half, in what should’ve been an easy upset victory, turned into the Colts blowing the largest lead in NFL history. Being outscored 39-3 in the second half, Indy allowed the Vikings to climb back into the game and steal it.
Another Minneapolis miracle: Vikings erased a 33-0 halftime deficit vs. the Colts to finish off the single largest comeback in NFL history. It surpassed the 32-point comeback that former Bills QB and Colts HC Frank Reich led in a 1993 wild-card playoff game vs the Houston Oilers.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2022
Colts blow the largest lead in NFL history
There’s no point in even trying to find a singular person or select group of people to blame. When a game is lost in this fashion, everyone is at fault. The defense that allowed 39 points in a half, the offense that only got a field goal after halftime, and all the coaches and coordinators. This is a franchise-defining loss that mandates change. It may not be immediate since Indy has already shuffled so much around, but a reset is necessary for the team this offseason.
Coincidentally, the previous record for the largest comeback in NFL history was 32 points, held by the 1993 Buffalo Bills. In a Wild Card playoff game, they were led to a comeback victory by none other than Frank Reich, Indy’s recently fired head coach. Now, Reich’s former team was on the other side of history.
The Colts haven’t done much good this season but there is one thing Indy has done impressively: reach new lows. Just when it seems like the season can’t get any worse or Indy can’t figure out a more embarrassing way to lose, the team creates the wrong kind of history. We can’t even confidently say this is rock bottom because Indy has three games left, including a primetime Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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