The Indianapolis Colts entered Week 14 riding high. They had won their last four games, were in possession of a playoff spot, and people were starting to believe that they could make a serious push for the postseason. Unfortunately, on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
The Colts have played some rough football this year but Sunday’s game was the ugliest by far. Not only did Indy lose 34-14, every unit performed poorly. The offense only had one touchdown and it came on a fourth down. Gardner Minshew completed 26-of-39 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and Zack Moss only had 28 rushing yards on 13 carries.
The defense gave 34 points, 385 total yards (274 passing, 111 rushing), and didn’t record a single sack. The highlight of the day for the defense, and the Colts as a whole, was Ronnie Harrison Jr.’s pick six in the first half.
Indy’s special teams also performed poorly, with Matt Gay missing a field goal and an extra point, and a punt return mishap leading to a turnover. Oh yea, the Colts had nine penalties for 66 yards as well, with many coming in costly moments that dramatically influenced the game. It just wasn’t Indianapolis’ day, as the team dropped to 7-6.
Colts fall to 7-6 after ugly loss to Bengals
As bad as things were on Sunday, Indianapolis is still above .500 and the playoffs are will within reach. Additionally, Indy’s final four games of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, and Houston Texans isn’t really a schedule to be afraid of. However, everything depends on how Indy performs.
If the Colts play like they did on Sunday, they may not win another game. But, if Indianapolis can regroup and find the team that won four in a row— the team that was running ball well, getting after quarterbacks, and completing big passes —Indy will get back to its winning ways. We’ll have to wait until the Week 15 game against Pittsburgh to see which Colts team we get.