There has been a consistent theme in the majority of the games that the Indianapolis Colts have lost this season. Which is their inability to finish the games when they had a chance to close out their opponent.
After looking like they were going to handle business with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the defending champs took over in the second half and had control of the outcome after they took the lead. The Colts’ offense and defense failed to find any consistency throughout the game.
Frank Reich’s unit started off slow then got hot in the second quarter but followed that up with a third-quarter that featured back-to-back turnovers that changed the game. The offense did respond when they were down 31-24 to tie up the game but it was their mistakes that helped lead to the loss. Matt Eberflus’ defense got off to a great start in the first half.
They forced three three-and-outs and two turnovers that helped Indianapolis head to halftime with the 24-14 lead. After the Tom Brady interception, the defense let up three straight touchdown drives that gave up the lead. The unit held up at times but completely fell apart on the final drive of the game when the Bucs marched down the field with ease to take the 38-31 lead.
There are no moral victories in this loss, this is one that the Colts should’ve won, here are my top five takeaways from the game:
1
Losing the turnover battle cost the game
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
You can nitpick on the reasons why the Colts lost on both sides of the ball but this really came down to losing the turnover battle. Indianapolis was able to strike first when Darius Leonard peanut punched a ball out on Tampa’s second drive of the game.
Zach Pascal’s fumble hurt because it gave the Bucs a great field advantage to get their first touchdown. Isaiah Rodgers showed off his tracking ability to pick off Tom Brady to give the Colts a lead on the turnover battle for the first half. Then it was in the third quarter when that changed.
Shaq Barrett was able to end the first drive of the second half when he beat Eric Fisher to strip-sack Carson Wentz which ended a positive drive. On the following drive, Wentz took a deep shot to Michael Pittman Jr. but this time it didn’t work in their favor. Antoine Winfield Jr. made an amazing play and showed off his ball hawk skills to get the interception.
The fourth turnover of the game for Indianapolis was brutal. The defense forced a three-and-out but Nyheim Hines muffed the fair catch and the Bucs were able to recover the ball. This happened at the beginning of the fourth quarter. To cap things off, Tampa was able to intercept the failed Wentz hail mary attempt to end the game.
For a team that has played clean football for the majority of the season, their ugly side showed up at the worst time today and it was a major reason why they didn’t get the win.
2
Up-and-down day for Carson Wentz
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
The first quarter was very quiet for the Colts’ offense. Wentz and company went three-and-out on their first three drives of the game and the Pascal fumble happened on the fourth drive to close out their fourth quarter. Wentz went on to light up the scoreboard in the second half.
On his first pass of the quarter, he hit Ashton Dulin in stride for a 62-yard touchdown that gave Indianapolis a 10-7 lead. He followed that up with a nine-play drive that he connected with Jack Doyle for a 15-yard score. His most impressive drive came in the final two minutes of the first half. He was able to utilize the clock, take what was given to him, and showed up in third-and-long situations to keep his unit on the field.
He finished it with a four-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton to give Indianapolis the momentum heading into halftime. His two third-quarter turnovers weren’t entirely his fault. Eric Fisher got beat by his man and there wasn’t enough room in the pocket for Wentz to step up to avoid Shaq Barrett. The deep shots to Pittman Jr. worked in the past but Winfield Jr. just made a great play. I don’t blame him for going for it but a better throw would have given Pittman Jr. a shot to come down with it.
It was a mixed bag from the quarterback, he would show up in third-down moments but his missed throws could’ve resulted in first downs or not in turnovers. His last interception wasn’t pretty either. He failed to get it across the goalline and Pittman Jr. didn’t even have a chance to get his hands on it. Wentz ended his day 27/44 for 306 yards three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had three rushes for 21 yards.
There are some plays that he can take with him into next week but there are some throws he is going to wish he could take back from this game.
3
No answer for Leonard Fournette
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
This was one of the worst performances by the rushing defense in quite some time by the Colts defense. The Bucs averaged 5.3 YPC as a team but it was Fournette who had the defense’s number today. The defense had no answer for him in the red zone, three of his four touchdowns came inside the five-yard line.
After Indianapolis tied up the game 31-31, Fournette came out and helped punch the defense right in the mouth to go down to score the go-ahead touchdown. It started with an 11-yard run on a first-and-15 before the two-minute warning. He would go on to get a 13-yard reception and 8-yard run to help get Tampa in field goal position. In a play that was meant to help milk the clock and kick the game-winning field goal, Fournette took a handoff to the outside and ran all the way up the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown.
It was the most disappointing drive by the Matt Eberflus defense, their strength is defending the run, and they had nothing for it when it mattered. Fournette ended the game with 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also had seven receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown. Most would expect it was Tom Brady that helped beat the Colts, but today it was Leonard Fournette.
4
"Quiet" day for Jonathan Taylor
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
The Tampa defense did what most people thought they would do, which was to sell out to help slow down the hottest running back in the NFL entering the week. Todd Bowles had his unit playing with five players up front for the majority of the game to help close up the rushing lanes for Taylor.
He ended the first half with eight rushing attempts for 25 yards. Which was ok at that time because the passing attack was on fire during the second quarter. A wart on Frank Reich’s playcalling came during the turnover happy third quarter when he failed to give Taylor a rushing attempt. It was the final scoring drive by the Colts when he finally broke through the defense and did his part to help tie up the game. He had three different 10+ yard runs and was able to cap it off with a rushing touchdown.
He did get to the 20 touchmark but it felt like he should have had at least five more. Taylor ended his day with 97 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. While he would never admit it and doesn’t care because his team lost, but Taylor fell three yards short of having the longest streak of having at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown.
The young running back will look to get back to a new streak next week against the Houston Texans.
5
Pass defense struggles against another duo
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout the season there has been a number of quarterback and receiver tandems that have carved up the Colts’ defense. You can add this game to the long list because it wasn’t only Leonard Fournette that they couldn’t stop. It was the Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski show that was once again a thorn to the organization.
Despite knowing that Brady was going to target his favorite target in third-down situations, the quarterback was able to squeeze the ball into his tight end’s hands to help pick up first downs throughout the afternoon. Gronk did do Gronk things when he broke through some tackles to pick up a first on a third-and-eight after the Wentz fumble. That play kept the drive alive and it ended in a touchdown. Brady finished 25/34 for 226 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
It was Gronkowski who was responsible for over 50% of Brady’s passing yards, he grabbed seven receptions for 123 yards. He had a long of 32 yards. These two players have once again found a way to put daggers into the Colts’ hearts. It’s not the same but the defense will have to see if they can avoid letting that type of connection happen next week against Tyrod Taylor and Brandin Cooks.
