For at least a week, the Indianapolis Colts were riding high. Call it a honeymoon stage of sorts.
Interim coach Jeff Saturday and the franchise — after turning off the unwritten laws of climbingup the training ranks in Saturday’s workingwith — beat the Raiders on the roadway to end a three-game winning losing streak.
After a troubled season, including the shooting of Frank Reich, the Colts saw a factor for hope. Something to construct on. The offensive line looked the finest it had all season. Jonathan Taylor looked like himself. Matt Ryan, reinserted as the beginning quarterback, led a game-winning drive. And putting it all together was Saturday, who — inspiteof his absence of training experience — brought indisputable juice and management in a attempting time.
“I’m not sure there’s a storybook ending any muchbetter for the veryfirst videogame,” Saturday stated in Las Vegas.
But the fairytale is over.
In its location? The truth that hasactually specified the 2022 Colts.
Like it has most of the season, the offense caved in on itself in Indianapolis’ 17-16 house loss Sunday to the Eagles. The Colts blew a 10-point lead in the 2nd half to fall to 4-6-1 on the season. They have simply an 18% possibility of making the playoffs and a 2% possibility of winning the AFC South, according to FiveThirtyEight.
“A lot of needto’ve, would’ve, might’ves, best?” center Ryan Kelly stated postgame. “But the NFL is not like that.”
After the Eagles took a 17-16 lead, the Colts had the ball with 1: 20 left and a timeout. It was a fantastic chance for Ryan, a shown clutch gamer, to put together a game-winning drive. He didn’t even have a possibility, . On third-and-9 from the Colts’ 40, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham bulldozed his method through novice left dealwith Bernhard Raimann. Ryan was sacked for a seven-yard loss.
The desperation fourth-down effort that takenplace was made more hard by right guard Will Fries, called for a incorrect start. That turned a fourth-and-16 into a fourth-and-21, which ended the videogame (running back Deon Jackson might choice up simply 5 backyards priorto getting pressed out of bounds).
Those 2 minutes — the sack and charge — highlighted a videogame in which the Colts’ pricey offending line, a week after its finest efficiency of the season, wentback to being the group’s Achilles’ heel.
Raimann and Fries, unverified beginners, accounted for 5 of the 8 charges versus the Eagles, costing 35 backyards in drives that might’ve provided the Colts a cushion. Ryan was likewise sacked 4 times in the 2nd half after not being sacked assoonas inthepast halftime.
The most expensive one? Late in the 4th quarter.
On a third-and-goal from the Eagles’ 5, with the Colts knocking on the door for a goal, Ryan was sacked for a 14-yard loss. Hassan Reddick beat Raimann off the edge.
That sack expense Indianapolis 4 points, leading to a field objective that offered it simply a six-point lead. The Eagles marched downfield their takingplace ownership for a goal (and PAT) that provided them the consent rating.
It wasn’t simply the pass security that was an concern. Taylor didn’t have the hurrying lanes to run. After 8 brings for 49 backyards and a goal in the veryfirst quarter, he balanced simply 2.5 lawns per bring on his 14 hurrying tries the rest of the videogame.
Sunday was a suggestion of the unfortunate state of the Colts’ offensive line, accounting for a league-high 19.5% of the group’s cap area.
Through 11 videogames, there’s no proof that the system can discover consistency.
“I idea the effort was outstanding. Those people were pressing and battling and doing their outright finest, however onceagain, it’s the information that matter,” Saturday stated of the offensive line. “Just going back and training those fine information, making sure we comprehend it and then perform it.”
The Colts defense hasactually done its part. It’s been a steadying force amidst a frustrating season.
Sure, Jalen Hurts had his method late in the videogame. But the Eagles, a top-three scoring group gettingin the videogame, were held to a season-low 17 points.
DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart lead a stout run defense. Inside linebacker Zaire Franklin, takingpleasurein a Pro Bowl-caliber breakout season, leads the NFL in integrated dealswith through Sunday (109). Stephon Gilmore has tested he’s still a fantastic cornerback. Defensive backs Rodney McLeod Jr., Kenny Moore and Isaiah Rodgers haveactually made prompt plays in the secondary too.
“Listen, hats off to (defensive organizer) Gus (Bradley) and the entire defense,” Saturday stated. “Those people played lights out. To hold Philly to 17 points the method that they did, I mean that to me, is a winning efficiency by those people.
“They played lights out. Did a truly great task, had a terrific strategy, they carriedout and to leading it all off, we had 3 of the people who were ill throughout the entire week who essentially couldn’t practice. Not just did they conquered the healthproblem, however the method they played male, I informed Gus I idea they had a heck of a efficiency, they provided us plenty of chances to win.”
Opportunities — that went uncapitalized.
The defense doesn’t have real assistance. The offense has dissatisfied all season. Through quarterback modifications, offensive-line fine-tunes and training changes, the offense discovers a method to come back to the underperforming system it’s been consideringthat September.
This is the truth Saturday dealswith.
The method the Colts’ season hasactually gone, there’s no quite storybook ending.
Ben Arthur is the AFC South pressreporter for FOX Sports. He formerly worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat author for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for 3 seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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