The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) on Sunday, 27-20, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Week 12 victory marked the third win in a row for the Colts, giving them a winning record for the first time since they started the season 2-1. They also scored 27 points, meaning they’ve crossed the 20-point threshold in all but one game this season.
It was a pretty balanced win for the Colts, who wisely relied on the run game when things were falling apart through the air.
Here’s our instant analysis of the home win over the Bucs on Sunday:
What went right
- The Colts controlled the ground game with 155 rushing yards, 146 of which came from Jonathan Taylor (91) and Zack Moss (55).
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. recorded 10 receptions for 107 yards. It was his eighth game with at least eight receptions and his fourth consecutive game reaching that mark.
- The offensive line allowed some pressure but ultimately allowed just three quarterback hits and two sacks.
- The Colts were 3-of-4 (75%) on fourth-down attempts and 3-of-5 (60%) in the red zone. They also converted all three of their goal-to-go drives.
- The defense has now recorded a takeaway in 16 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
- The pass rush collected six sacks and nine quarterback hits. DE Samson Ebukam led the way with 2.0 sacks.
- The defense allowed just 1-of-3 (33%) in the red zone.
What went wrong
- Despite a strong start, QB Gardner Minshew was shaky. He completed 24-of-41 passes for 251 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 66.2 passer rating. He did add a rushing touchdown.
- The Colts were just 2-of-11 (18%) on third-down attempts.
- Bucs RB Rachaad White took 15 carries for 100 rushing yards, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He’s the second running back all season to hit the 100-yard mark against the Colts.
- Indy had no answer for Bucs WR Mike Evans, who recorded six receptions for 70 yards and the only two touchdowns for Tampa Bay.
The Bottom Line
The Bucs may not be one of the better teams in the NFL, but they have prove to be scrappy. The Colts almost blew a 14-point lead, but they made the right adjustments and got some timely turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. They rightfully leaned on Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. while Shane Steichen showed mastery with some fantastic play-calls on fourth down. Defensively, it’s never a bad thing to be stout in the red zone while being opportunistic with turnovers, two aspects this unit has excelled at this season. It may not have been pretty throughout the entire contest, but they are stringing together wins in games they should come out victorious.
