The Indianapolis Colts dropped their Week 15 game to the Denver Broncos in what was a very rough performance from the offense.
With the game having just wrapped up, let’s dive into our instant takeaways from what we saw.
– What an absolutely brutal second-half collapse by the offense. When the game was on the line, when it mattered most, when plays needed to be made, when the Colts’ best players needed to step up, the offense collapsed. From the coaching to the play calls to the execution on the field. The Colts fell apart.
– The Colts’ defense did just about all they could in this one. They forced turnovers, held the Denver offense to under 4.0 yards per play, and often held up even when in disadvantageous situations. However, with almost no help from the offense and special teams, that’s a lot to overcome over 60 minutes.
– At least by PFF’s metrics, the Colts didn’t generate steady pressure on Box Nix, even with the success they had, but their ability to limit the Denver offense started with their play against the run. It was tough sledding for Denver, which put the offense in long down-and-distance situations.
– What a rough third quarter that was for the Colts. Jonathan Taylor had the costly fumble that took a touchdown off the board, then Michael Pittman fumbled, and the Colts’ offensive line was penalized three times, putting the offense behind the sticks. Perhaps the most painful aspect of it was that it was Taylor and Pittman–the Colts’ star players–who were responsible for the giveaways.
– The offense was struggling mightily, so I’m guessing Shane Steichen wanted to catch the Broncos’ defense off guard and provide a spark with that trick play, but it never stood a chance. I know Mitchell had a pass attempt earlier in the season, but it’s interesting–is that the right word?–that Steichen chose to have him make the decision on whether to throw the ball or run, when all season the Colts haven’t put him on the field for more than 10-12 snaps per game, oftentimes as the team’s fourth wide receiver.
– Although the Broncos offense was struggling, punt return man Marvin Mims put them in good field position on a few occasions.
– As they should, the Colts leaned into the run game. This is a very stingy Broncos’ run defense, and things certainly didn’t always come easy for the Colts. It was tough sledding at times and Denver was also daring the Colts to throw the ball but Taylor did find some success towards the tackles and Anthony Richardson provided a spark as well. With that said, with no passing game whatsoever, the Colts weren’t able to move the ball consistently because any running play that went nowhere put the offense in predictable passing situations, which it isn’t good enough to overcome.
– The entire passing game operation looked disjointed. Richardson was off-target–and threw two interceptions–he was frequently under pressure, the offensive line was penalized on numerous occasions, and there were some drops and a lack of steady separation by the pass catchers.
– As I mentioned, the offensive line really struggled, particularly in pass protection. There were penalties and by PFF’s initial metrics, Richardson was under duress on 50% of his dropbacks. It’s tough to operate when under steady pressure. The offensive issues we saw falls on everyone.
– We might have forgotten, but the offense started really well. They drove down the field and scored on the opening possession, then had a long drive that ended in a field goal following a Zaire Franklin interception–and on both possessions, there were key third downs converted. But once the Colts got away from that opening script, things collapsed.
(This article was updated to provide additional information.)
