The Indianapolis Colts tasted defeat for the first time in the 2025 season by the score of 27-20 at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. This was a game most said would prove if the Colts were for real or not. In spite of the loss, it's safe to say this team is for real. The Rams have a stout defense, which was matched by the potent Colts offense.
Conversely, Indianapolis has a defense that can get after opposing quarterbacks, and Los Angeles can put points on the board in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for the Colts, this was exactly the scenario near the end of the game as the Rams scored on a one-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to take the lead for good.
However, there are two plays that most Colts fans will talk about the most, and both involve second-year wideout Adonai Mitchell. The first play came in the third quarter as Mitchell caught a Daniel Jones pass deep in Rams territory and looked to have scored a 76-yard touchdown.
Week 4 was a rough game for underachieving Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell
The celebration was short-lived as replays showed Mitchell lost control of the ball at the two-yard line, and he was unable to corral it before it went through the back of the end zone. Ruled a touchback, and LA ball, this took a sure six points off the board for Indianapolis. AD Mitchell was shaken.
Colts players tried to get his attention as he came to the sidelines. Zaier Franklin and Quentin Nelson both attempted to talk to the young wide receiver. One can only imagine the words of encouragement they were sharing as true leaders of this team. Mitchell was unable to look anyone in the eye as he came off the field.
As the Colts huddled up before the first play of their next drive, AD was pacing in circles behind the huddle. Clearly trying to put the play out of his mind, his eyes told the tale. This is the kind of play veterans will tell the young guys you have to put out of your mind and move on. Mitchell was having a hard time doing so.
In the fourth quarter, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor took the ball on a handoff and raced 53 yards for a touchdown that would have put Indy on top 27-20. A penalty flag was thrown on the play, and Mitchell was called for offensive holding, a ten-yard penalty wiping the touchdown off the board. Two plays. Two touchdowns were wiped off the board.
Now, the look on AD's face was one of complete despair. He knew he had made two mistakes in a close game that ended in a loss. Mitchell was taking personal responsibility for those mistakes. And that's truly all they were, just mistakes. His only true fault here is being human.
There's no doubt many, many Colts fans were up in arms at these two scores being wiped away. Those same fans were likely angry that this team suffered its first loss of the season. But let's not forget these were mistakes made in a game. The sun will rise tomorrow, and life will move forward.
While Adonai Mitchell is a football player, first and foremost, he is a human being. As such, he will replay those two plays over and over in his head, wishing he could do things differently. We all make mistakes as we are all human. AD has worked hard to become a professional football player and get paid to play a game he loves.
As fans, we would do well to remember the man under the uniform is no different from us when it comes to making mistakes. This is just one game in a seventeen-game season. At the end of this season, we will all likely have forgotten what happened against the Rams.
Life will have moved on. Games will have been won and lost. Adonai Mitchell will undoubtedly have more opportunities to show he can be one of the game's top wide receivers. And the next time one of us makes a mistake, let's hope someone remembers that we are human beings too.