For the second straight Sunday, the Colts winded up in a last possession game that went into overtime. Unfortunately, the Colts did not end up getting a possession in overtime to compete for a win and fell to the Rams 23-29. It was a hard fought battle as the Colts fell early in this game 20-0 at the half and at one point were down 23-0.
The resilience in this team is unquestionable. They clawed back, converted two 2-point conversion tries, and tied the game up at 23 while giving themselves a chance to seal the win in regulation. Unfortunately, this hard fought comeback did not yield any reward, but there were several elements to highlight about this performance that can propel this team to get back to winning football.
Resilience and Perseverance
The Colts came into this game as 1-point favorites after a huge upset win against the Ravens the prior weekend. For their first home game since week 1, there was a lot of buzz around what the Colts could do against a Rams team that came off a very lackluster performance in their week 3 matchup. By all accounts, the way the first half ended in this game was a shock.
With four possessions in the first half, the Colts mustered 91 yards, 2 punts, a fumble, and a missed FG. The defense would give up 2 TDs, 2 FGs, and one possession with a missed FG to end the half. This left the Colts at a 20-point deficit which later turned into a 23-point deficit later in the 3rd quarter.
After the Rams went up 23-0, the Colts offense settled down and after they finally got their first TD, it was clear that this team was not giving up and was not done. They knew the assignment and what they needed to do in order to pull off the comeback.
During his postgame interview, Coach Steichen praised his team for their “toughness” and “resilience”. Obviously winning is the goal and Sheichen mentioned that, but although these losses sting, they are encouraging for the long season ahead.
Explosive Plays in the Passing Game
Anthony Richardson did not have an eye-opening passing statistic day as he was 11/25 for 200 yards and 2 TDs. In his first two game appearances, we’ve seen his explosive and elusive presence running the ball, but we really hadn’t seen his ability to throw down the field. Against the Rams, that was put on full display.
All three of those down the field passes were 30+ yard completions and they were either with a clean pocket, a messy pocket, or being forced out of the pocket. On Sunday, Richardson showed that he can make those explosive plays that we have been waiting to see and this is just the beginning.
Next Gen Stats had Richardson leading all QBs on Sunday in average completed air yards (12.6) and average air yards to the sticks (3.2). He was also 10th in longest completed air distance (44.6). What these stats conclude is that Richardson had a heck of a day throwing the football down the field.
Colts Zone Defense Got Exposed
A tale of two halves it was indeed for this Colts defense that just came off a monster game against the Ravens. The Rams did not attempt a punt in that entire first half and their first punt would end up coming in the 4th quarter with 7:29 left on the clock. Now, the defense did only give up 3 points in the second half of regulation, forced an interception, and ended regulation with the Rams punting 3 straight times.
However, lets get into what happened in that first half. On 5 possessions, the Rams went TD, TD, FG, FG, and missed FG. The Colts defense simply could not get off the field and that was due in large part to the holes that the Rams created with their receivers destroying their zone coverage. The Colts also could not get any pressure on Stafford and if a defense cannot get pressure while in zone, the quarterback will have plenty of time to find the holes and complete passes down the field. Veteran QB Matthew Stafford did just that with his talented receivers and it was a clinic for the first 30-minutes.
So, what changed in the first half? Mainly, Matthew Stafford would end up getting injured which limited his mobility in the pocket, and therefore Gus Bradley dialed up more pressure packages and forced Stafford to get rid of the football quickly. The interesting thing about this is that the Colts seem to have success when they bring pressure. Nonetheless, the key with good zone defense is having a good front seven that can disrupt. The Colts front seven was very disruptive going into this game and the Rams offensive line just did a phenomenal job of keeping their quarterback protected. In many cases, Stafford had such a clean pocket that he could sit and survey the field cleanly.
It is definitely a shame as it would’ve been nice what Richardson and the offense could’ve done in overtime.
Anthony Richardson, a Super Star in the Making
Anthony Richardson is the first quarterback in NFL history to have 4 rushing TDs in 3 starts. Through 3 starts, he has 7 TOT TDs, 2 TOT turnovers, 56.9 comp%, and 610 TOT yards.
There is certainly room for improvement as there were several throws that Richardson missed to open receivers, but the ability is there. We have seen what he can do throwing and obviously, we know what he can do as a runner. I’ve said this before and I will continue to say it, the sky is the limit for Richardson and the more he plays, the better he will get.
The Final Down
Sometimes losses like this are tougher than getting blown out. The Colts had a chance at the end of regulation tied at 23 with 1:30 and two timeouts. Richardson and Colts offense couldn’t muster a single yard as they would throw it three straight times for three incompletions. The defense would do their part on the other end, but would come up woefully short in overtime.
It is safe to say that Richardson will have another opportunity like this again this season. We’ve seen him lead his team through adversity and tie the game, but now he needs to lead his team to a victory.
The Colts will play the Tennessee Titans, who are coming off a dominant performance against the Bengals, next Sunday at home (10/8).
The Lucky Colt 
Leave a comment