The Indianapolis Colts defense played well enough to win on Sunday in Minnesota. Unfortunately, as has been the case for much of the season, the offense made too many key mistakes and failed to make enough plays to secure a victory. It was reminiscent of a similar loss they suffered in Week 15 last season against the Seattle Seahawks.
If there was a silver lining, it was that the Colts, in a very challenging situation, played a tough game against one of the league’s undefeated teams. On paper, this looked like a complete mismatch. But Shane Steichen had his troops ready, and they hung in there until the final minutes, when another inexplicable Daniel Jones decision eventually proved their downfall.
Of course, in the NFL, moral victories get coaches fired, and Steichen, despite the effort, did nothing to help his cause. After the general manager who hired him was fired last week, the coach knows he only has a few chances to turn things around for the Colts' season, and likely for his own job. Despite a couple of positive developments on Sunday, this was just one more chance wasted.
6 takeaways from the Indianapolis Colts Week 7 loss to Minnesota
We'll let others discuss Daniel Jones' failure, and move on to other things.
Second half futility
The Colts scored on their first drive. It was the fourth time in seven games they have done that. It was the third time they took their opening drive for a touchdown. That was their only touchdown of the game. Indy once again lost the second half. They were up 10-6 at halftime and were outscored 10-0 in the second half.
Steichen has shown time and time again that when he has time to prepare – to script out an opening sequence of plays – there are few who are better. But after that, his club seems incapable of responding and adjusting to in-game developments.
Seth McGowan is for real
The Colts finally seem to have a reserve running back they trust enough to have on the field at big moments. Seth McGowan is not about to take Jonathan Taylor’s spot, but he is getting more chances and showing more production every week.
He is a hard runner who gets tough yards. He does not have anything approaching JT’s long speed, and so he is not likely to break big runs, but he can be on the field without the running game grinding to a halt.
Expect McGowan to shoulder an even bigger load in the weeks to come. And it is possible that his quality performance could make an eventual JT trade a reality.
The special teams again come up small
Last week, the Colts lost a game because of two terrible plays by the punting team. Things got off to a rocky start on Sunday when the kickoff coverage unit allowed a 46-yard return by Myles Price. However, with Ashton Dulin back this week, the punt coverage was much better.
Still, they committed multiple penalties on returns that put the offense in a very difficult position against an aggressive defense. And of course, Spencer Shrader finally missed. That kick may have mattered on the Colts' final drive. Bottom line, on a day when yards and points were at a premium, the Colts special teams were simply not good enough to help the team win.
The ghost of Chris Ballard?
Jaylahn Tuimoloau had his best game as a pro. Before he got hurt, Justin Walley was balling. So was Cam Taylor-Britt. And Keenan Allen looked more like his old self. All of these players have been seen as blown moves by former GM Chris Ballard. Had they played this well all season, Ballard might still have a job.
Adetowima Adebawore was the best player the Colts had on the field on Sunday. That is another player Ballard took in the middle of the draft several years back who has failed to make much of an impression for much of his career.
If he maintains the level of play he showed in Week 7, he will go down as another middle-round gem from the Ballard years. Unfortunately, none of these players have proven they can sustain this level. That will be something to watch in the second half of the season.
What happened to … ?
Tanor Bortolini? He was an emerging star last season. This year, his play has been mediocre at best. At worst… we saw that on Sunday when two crucial holding penalties did major damage to the Colts' chances on offense. Despite their struggles in pass protection, the line didn’t perform too badly against a very tough defense. But the center faltered at key moments.
Linebackers continue to be a problem
No CJ Allen. No Bryce Boettcher. Austin Ajiake was invisible. Rookies Caden Curry and George Gumbs are not linebackers, and trying to have them play those roles is a mistake. Akeem Davis-Gaither remains the only starting-caliber linebacker on the club, and he is a middle-of-the-road player.
It was so bad that Germaine Pratt played a lot this week. The recently signed veteran looked out of place and overmatched throughout the game. At this point, with no magic answers to be found, it is time to simply put Allen and Boettcher on the field and let them sink or swim. There is really nothing left to lose.
And remember, I am saying that after a game in which the Colts defense was far from the biggest problem.
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