5 Things Learned: The Colts are rolled in Cincinnati
On Sunday, the Colts’ four-game winning streak came to an end.
The Colts struggled in all three phases in their Week 14 loss to the Bengals, and their playoff chances suffered as a result.
What did we learn from the Colts’ 34-14 loss, which dropped them to 7-6 on the season?
FIVE THINGS LEARNED
1. Pretender Mistakes
Fortunately for the Colts, this is only one loss in the standings. What you had on Sunday were some “pretender-like mistakes” that this team is incapable of overcoming, especially as the competition in December heats up. You had (surprisingly) two Matt Gay misses (one field goal, one extra point) inside 40 yards. You got off to a bad start in the red zone.
You had a brutal leverage penalty on backup defensive tackle Taven Bryan on a 33-yard field goal attempt (are you going to block that?) and gave the Bengals another opportunity, which they converted for a touchdown. Then you had a special teamer, Ameer Speed, collide with Isaiah McKenzie and fumble the punt. This Colts team isn’t strong enough to overcome mistakes like these, especially now that the competition has risen from the Carolina and New Englands of the world.
With the exception of a 90-second sequence late in the first half on Sunday, the Colts were thoroughly handled by a team coming off a short week. After being tied at halftime, the Colts were outscored 20-0 the rest of the way. And if some of the above mistakes become the norm for the rest of the season, the Colts will be sitting on the bench come playoff time. When you consider everything (playing against a backup quarterback, the Bengals on a short week, and what was at stake in the playoffs), this was probably the worst Colts performance of the season.
2. Pass Defense Doesn’t Meet Challenge
This was always going to be the Colts’ most difficult wide receiver challenge of the season. Cincinnati’s wide receivers are explosive and deep. To offset the pressure on a young cornerback room, the Colts needed to apply some 4-man pressure to backup Jake Browning.
While the Colts’ cornerbacks were exposed, the library’s quiet pass rush did not help the back end. Jake Browning was not sacked once in 24 pass attempts, and the Colts rarely pressured the new quarterback. During their four-game winning streak, the Colts’ pass rush has feasted on inexperienced quarterbacks. Even with the return of Grover Stewart, that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Another failing of the Indianapolis defense against the Bengals was its inability to defend the Cincinnati screen game.
The Bengals made a couple of big screen plays in their win over the Jaguars on Monday. Despite seeing this in the most recent film, the Colts were unable to handle it. The Bengals gained 124 yards on three different screen plays, thanks to back-breaking high percentage throws by Jake Browning that resulted in massive chunk plays. There were breakdowns at every level of the Colts defense as a much more competent offense brought Gus Bradley’s unit back to life.
3. No Colts Run Game
Zack Moss and the Colts’ run game were stymied for the second week in a row. Moss gained 28 yards on 13 carries. Following Jonathan Taylor’s right thumb injury, Moss’ impressive running numbers from earlier this season have decreased with Gardner Minshew starting vs. Anthony Richardson, as we mentioned a few weeks ago.
The Colts’ run game has suffered as a result of their relationship with Minshew over the last two weeks. And Sunday’s performance was especially disappointing given that Cincinnati ranks 31st in the league in run defense. When playing the Bengals, you expect to dominate the trenches.
That was not the case at all. Negative plays for the Colts offense were plentiful all day Sunday, and a Gardner Minshew-led unit isn’t overcoming getting behind the chains on a regular basis. If the Colts’ performance on Sunday was the worst of the season, this specific area (offensive and defensive line) is likely at the top of the list, because the Bengals have not been strong in those areas this season.
4. Matt Gay Proves He’s Human
So Matt Gay is a real person. There was little doubt as to who the best/most consistent Colts player had been this season heading into Sunday. But Matt Gay couldn’t have been further from that on Sunday, missing an extra point and missing a 38-yard field goal in the first half.
Again, Gay has been outstanding this season, providing a weapon that the team has lacked in recent years. But these December misses, in very calm weather considering it was outside, are unfathomable for a player paid as much as Gay is to kick. This offense isn’t powerful enough to compensate for such errors in scoring position.
While both of these misses included a slightly off-target snap, Rigoberto Sanchez’s holds appeared to be very strong. The good news is that Gay will be kicking indoors for the rest of the year, but that doesn’t excuse the misses he had on Sunday, despite the cold temperatures.
5. Playoff Chances Take Hit
The Colts’ four-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday. What stings about the Week 13 loss is that it came against a fellow AFC team, giving the Bengals a potentially crucial head-to-head tiebreaker with both teams now 7-6 on the season. The Colts’ playoff chances differed by around 30% depending on the outcome of Sunday’s game.
The loss reduces the Colts’ playoff chances to around 50% with four games remaining (pending other Week 14 results). The Colts will face a Steelers team that looked terrible on Thursday Night Football and has two of its top pass rushers (T.J. Watt and Alonzo Highsmith) in concussion protocol.
It’s another big one against a Pittsburgh (7-6) team that’s right in the thick of the Wild Card race. The Colts’ margin for error has shrunk slightly as a result of their loss on Sunday. And Saturday’s game against the Steelers is crucial for those playoff hopes.
QUICK HITTERS
-Injury Report: The following Colts were inactive on Sunday: RB-Jonathan Taylor (right thumb), RT-Braden Smith (knee), CB-JuJu Brents (quad), LB-E.J. Speed (knee), DT-Eric Johnson, OL-Jack Anderson, DE-Isaiah Land. The following players got injured and did not return:
-Key Stat: Zack Moss finished Sunday with just 28 rushing yards on 13 carries.
-What’s Next: The Colts (7-6) will return home in Week 14 for a Saturday kickoff against the Steelers (7-5) at 4:30 PM. The Steelers just lost to the Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
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