Indianapolis Colts lose to Denver Broncos in embarrassing second half

Despite performing fairly well in the first half, the Indianapolis Colts crumbled in the second, and a crucial mistake from Jonathan Taylor may have been the moment that destroyed their chances at winning.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix quickly put an end to their opening drive with an interception from Samuel Womack, his second of the game.

Anthony Richardson threw a successful pass to Josh Downs, but that also had an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Broncos, resulting in a first down for the Colts. Taylor capitalized on that with a 41-yard run for a touchdown, widening their lead even more. That play came under review, as referees questioned if Taylor dropped the football before he broke the plane in the end zone. Ultimately, it was ruled a touchback and Denver got the ball back. Taylor was noticeably upset on the sidelines.

Thankfully, the Indianapolis defense stepped up yet again, forcing a three-and-out and getting the ball back to the Colts' offense quickly.

Taylor tried running, and not only didn't get much, but a holding penalty put the Colts at 2nd and 17. Richardson had nowhere to throw, and under pressure, was forced to run, and on third down, tried to run again. Another holding penalty was called against the Colts, and the offense came off the field as quickly as they came on.

Jaylon Jones stepped up on the first play, breaking up an attempted pass from Nix. And then, for the third time, Nix was picked off -- this time by Nick Cross.

Unfortunately, that was followed up by an immediate turnover from the Colts; Richardson came under pressure yet again, and despite being chased, managed to get a pass right to Michael Pittman, Jr., who caught it... and was then slammed by P.J. Locke, forcing a fumble which was recovered by the Broncos.

The defense, again, was on fire and kept the Broncos from doing anything offensively. The fumble gave the Broncos good enough field position to try a field goal, which narrowed the gap to 13-10.

Taylor got a run on the first play for six yards, but Danny Pinter - who filled in for Ryan Kelly at center - had his second holding penalty of the game, putting the Colts at 1st and 20. Richardson threw to Taylor, who caught it for a gain of four yards.

Pittman couldn't hold onto a pass from Richardson, and on 3rd and 15, more pressure forced Richardson to throw the ball away, leading the Colts to go three-and-out again.

During the punt return, the Colts got yet another penalty for unnecessary roughness. The Broncos returned the favor with a false start penalty. The Colts defense couldn't keep the Broncos to three-and-out this time though, but an end-zone pass from Nix went right through Courtland Sutton's hands, putting the Broncos at 3rd and 11. Another pass intended for Sutton was low, and the Broncos -- still not in field goal range -- had to punt the ball away.

With just over one minute left in the third quarter, the Colts offense needed to regain some of the fire they had in the first quarter.

Taylor ran through the Denver defense for five yards, and then followed that up with another two yards. With that, he officially got another 100-yard game under his belt at the end of the quarter.

Unfortunately, the fourth quarter didn't get off to a good start; Richardson tried to fake a handoff to Taylor, but the Broncos defense wasn't fooled, and sacked Richardson on 3rd and 3, forcing the Colts to punt it away - where disaster waited. Marvin Mims Jr. had an insane punt return, running for an incredible 60 yards and putting the Broncos offense at the Indianapolis 15-yard line.

A pass from Nix to Troy Franklin was dropped on their first play, but the Broncos followed that up with a touchdown pass and a four point lead.

Richardson started the drive with a pass to Kylen Granson that got them a first down, and this is where the Colts needed to see the quarterback that has, in recent weeks, led his offense on game-winning fourth quarter drives. He threw another pass to Drew Ogletree, but it was broken up; a pass interference call against the Broncos gave the Colts another first down.

This time, they handed the ball off to Taylor, who picked up three yards. Again, disaster struck; Richardson threw to Adonai Mitchell, who turned to throw it back to Richardson, only for it to be intercepted by Nik Bonitto, who easily ran it in for a touchdown. The Broncos pulled ahead to an 11-point lead.

The Colts offense came immediately back on the field, and with 12 minutes left, it was do-or-die time if they wanted a prayer of winning. Richardson had a pass to Pittman for a gain of 16 yards for a first down, and followed that up with a deep pass to Mitchell, who couldn't get a hand on it. An illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty gave the Colts a first down anyway, which was desperately needed.

Richardson again tried to get to Mitchell, threading the needle perfectly, but Mitchell just couldn't get his hands on it, and the Colts were facing 3rd and 9. Despite nearly being sacked, Richardson managed to connect with Josh Downs, but it was well short of the first down... and at 4th and 6, Shane Steichen opted to go for it. He threw to Downs again, but Downs couldn't get it, and the Broncos were all over him.

On the first drive back on the field, Kwity Paye oddly seemed to be injured; before the ball was even snapped, Paye crumpled onto the field, though he was ultimately able to walk off on his own. Thankfully, on 3rd and 4, Grover Stewart was able to shut down the play, easily batting down a pass from Nix to force the Broncos into three-and-out.

Incredibly, during the punt return, there was a second touchback, this time against the Broncos, who were trying to keep the ball out of the end zone.

Richardson started the drive with a 16-yard pass to Granson, and on the next play, had to run under pressure. There was another holding penalty, this time from Bernhard Raimann, but luckily, the Colts got the chance to replay first down... albeit at 1st and 20. However, Richardson then threw another interception, and the Colts chances of winning dwindled even more.

The defense stepped up again, forcing another three-and-out, though the Broncos managed to get a field goal, making it a two-touchdown lead... until Chris Lammons handed the Colts another penalty, one which even the analysts seemed puzzled by. Regardless, it offered the Broncos a first down, an opportunity which they unsurprisingly took. It was a smart decision; Nix threw an easy touchdown pass, giving the Broncos a practically-insurmountable lead.

And though in recent games Richardson thrived under these high-stakes situations, he crumpled here. He was throwing poor passes and seemed to be flustered, and was sacked yet again. The Colts still drove down the field, but at this point, it was too little, too late. With only two minutes left, it would be near impossible to mount a comeback, particularly considering how the Colts offense has been playing.

With this loss, the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South title, and the Colts' chances of making the playoff chances are all but destroyed.