After winning 4 games in a row for the first time since 2018, the Colts looked to extend their streak and move up in the playoff bracket. Unfortunately, all streaks must end, and for the Colts, that end came in an abysmal 14-34 loss. It’s hard to pinpoint a loss like this on one thing as there were deficiencies in all faces. Needless to say, this was the epitome of a “team loss”.
The good news that does come from this weekend is that the Colts still sit in the #7 wild card spot as division records are playing a big part in how tiebreakers are being decided. Without getting too ahead of the game, lets still focus on what went wrong against the Bengals. As mentioned, it was a combination of deficiencies on offense, defense, and special teams, but the biggest deficiency was the lack of discipline that created crucial penalties.
Two big penalties really put the Colts in bad situations that either created points or nullified points.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty Against DT Taven Bryan
The call on the field was an “Unsportsmanlike penalty”, but the official penalty call was “leverage” for 15 yards and an automatic 1st down. The significance of this call is that it came on a 4th down-field goal attempt. The Colts defense would not be able to step up on a new set of downs and the Bengals went on to score a TD instead of settling for a FG. That penalty alone was a 4-point swing.
Holding Penalty against LG Quenton Nelson
Now, two penalties in the grand scheme of things is not much of an argument for why a team lost. However, it was not just those two huge penalties, but also the huge deficiencies in the offensive line, particularly with protecting the edge rushers.
Across the line, the Colts struggled to protect Minshew and if a quarterback cannot sit back and throw the ball, it is extremely difficult to get into a rhythm. The issue is that on most occasions, the Colts were able to move the ball, but the penalties and negative plays continually made things hard for this offense to score.
To add more insult to this injury, this offensive line could not create lanes for Zack Moss to run the ball effectively at all. Moss would finish the day with 13 carries for 28 yards and Indy as a whole would finish the day with 46 rushing yards. In a Shane Steichen offense that relies on running the football, having less than 50 is a recipe for how to lose a football game.
On top of the penalties and poor offensive line play, the special teams was also an issue on Sunday. Pro Bowl kicker Matt Gay missed a chip shot 38-yard FG and an extra point. Now, the Colts made up for the extra point with a 2-point conversion, but the FG was huge as it nullified a promising 55-yard offensive possession. To make matters worse, that missed FG would’ve been the Colts first points of the game and the next Bengals drive was the Taven Bryan penalty drive.
The Final Down
It’s easy to overreact and look at this Colts team as a fraud in this playoff hunt, but the penalties and lack of discipline on the offensive line seemed very out of character on Sunday. The Colts had played 13 games up until this point and it is safe to say that was the most undisciplined this team (as a whole unit) has ever looked this year. If Shane Steichen is the man we all believe he is and if this young team is a gritty and focused and they had been leading up to this game, then they will bounce back next week and continue to make a push for the playoffs. There is still a lot of football to be played and the Colts still control their path to the playoffs.
Next up – The Pittsburgh Steelers come to Indy on Saturday @ 4pm. There will be huge playoff implications in this one!
The Lucky Colt 
Leave a comment