Colts' Ineptitude Continues in Blowout Loss to Giants
For the sixth time this season, the Indianapolis Colts have lost a game by multiple scores.
On Sunday, they checked in for their final road game of the 2022 campaign and left with a lopsided, 38-10 loss to the New York Giants (9-6-1).
Perhaps the most unfortunate part of Sunday's lifeless thrashing at the hands of yet another team that used the Colts (4-11-1) to punch their ticket to the postseason was that it wasn't surprising in the least. After all, they have lost nine of their last 10 games.
For fans and media members alike who have observed the Colts for a while, this is one of the worst squads we can remember. There's losing and then there's failing to even compete. This Colts team embodies the latter.
Sunday was the Colts' fifth game this season scoring 10 or fewer points, and they've been outscored 151-68 in their last four games alone. They have also had two games where they failed to convert a single third down, only bettering that slightly against the Giants by converting 3-of-12.
Everyone on both sides of the ball shares the blame for the Colts' latest blunder. Led by a star performance from quarterback Daniel Jones, the Giants outpaced the Colts in offensive yardage, 394 to 252, and had 26 first downs compared to just 14 for the Colts. Jones was responsible for 268 yards of offense and 4 touchdowns while taking no sacks or turnovers.
Let's also not forget about the Colts' 7 penalties, which cost them 60 yards and stalled their own drives while extending them for the Giants.
Colts quarterback Nick Foles had an abysmal performance before being knocked out with a rib injury and was replaced by Sam Ehlinger. While Ehlinger did fare better than his predecessor, their combined 124 net passing yards was the Colts' third-lowest total of the season.
A normally reliable Colts defense entered the game hamstrung by the absence of cornerbacks Kenny Moore II and Isaiah Rodgers Sr., who were then joined by Brandon Facyson when a concussion ended his day prematurely. The Colts also entered the game without their lead pass rusher, Yannick Ngakoue, and his 9.5 sacks, as he was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve over the weekend.
It wasn't just the players who laid an egg, however. For example, interim head coach Jeff Saturday made the curious decision early in the game to kick a field goal from New York's 5-yard line on 4th-and-1 after burning a timeout beforehand, showing a lack of aggression (albeit an understanding of his offense's inability to put the ball in the end zone). And if you guessed that the Colts strolled out their same predictable early-down run package, well then you guessed correctly.
The Colts are almost done with one of their roughest seasons in recent memory as they have one game left at home next Sunday against the Houston Texans.
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