The Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1) failed to finish yet another game, this time resulting in a 17-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Though the Colts had several chances to put the game away, mostly thanks to the defensive play for the majority of the contest, they still failed to pull off the upset. They entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, but penalties and missed opportunities squandered a chance at an upset.
Here’s the instant analysis from the Week 11 loss at home:
What went right
- The defense was strong again, allowing 17 points to one of the top scoring offenses in the NFL. It’s the fifth game in a row the defense has allowed 20 points or less. The Colts are 1-4 in that span.
- While Jalen Hurts made his due on the ground, the front seven did well against the Eagles running backs. Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott combined for just 55 rushing yards on 17 carries (3.2 average).
- The offense was poor again, but there was some encouragement from the start. They scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season. In fact, they were the first points they scored on an opening drive this season.
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. continued to prove he’s an alpha. He led the way with six receptions for 75 yards despite being lined up against Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
- DE Yannick Ngakoue had his best game of the season, registering 1.5 sacks, one quarterback hit and several run stops. His solo sack forced a fumble.
What went wrong
- The offense continues to struggle in the worst way. Despite their opening-drive touchdown, the offense failed to score more than 17 points for the sixth time in the last eight games.
- The typically solid fourth-quarter defense allowed two touchdowns over the final 13 minutes.
- The offense gained 75 yards on 10 plays during the opening drive. After that, they gained just 209 yards on the ensuing 52 plays, averaging just 4.0 yards per play.
- The defense forced two turnovers, but the Colts wound up getting just two field goals from them.
- After taking seven carries for 49 rushing yards on the opening drive, RB Jonathan Taylor had 15 carries for 35 rushing yards.
- Rookie LT Bernhard Raimann certainly went through some growing pains, allowing a handful of pressures and committing some costly penalties. Growing pains will happen, and they’re somewhat necessary. But they hurt the Colts badly Sunday.
The Bottom Line
This is just a team that has a poor offense and fails to finish games. When a team has that combination, it’s difficult to win football games, let alone upset one of the best teams in the entire league. They did have this game won, though. Had they taken advantage of their opportunities and avoided costly mistakes, maybe this game ends differently, and we’re talking about a team poised for a potential wild-card spot. Instead, they failed to finish yet again mostly because of their anemic offense, and it’s becoming more unlikely we’ll see them play in a meaningful game down the stretch.
