QB Carson Wentz’s Hero-Ball Mentality Dooms Colts
Fourth-quarter, 1:33 left, tie ballgame.
This is what every quarterback dreams about. The chance to win a big game for your team at the end.
Carson Wentz takes the field at the Indianapolis Colts’ eight-yard line, ready to lead his team to a victory over the division-leading Tennessee Titans. These are the types of drives that franchise quarterbacks make, elevating their team.
This did not happen.
The Titans instead blow up the tight end screen (why is Frank Reich calling a tight end screen backed up to his own goal line?), and instead of killing the playing and throwing it at his tight end or running back’s feet, Wentz pulls it down and tries to make a play.
There’s nothing there, and Wentz throws a left-handed duck that is picked by Titans cornerback Elijah Molden at the two-yard line for the touchdown. Titans take the lead 31-24.
“They had it covered up pretty good, obviously,” Wentz said after the game. “Terrible play. Terrible play. One-on-one back, trying to find a way to just get rid of the ball, next thing you know I’m about to go down. So yeah, one I definitely want back.”
But there’s still a chance at redemption. The Colts recover and drive it down the field thanks to a miraculous catch by Michael Pittman Jr. and a deep pass interference call on the Titans. The Colts tie the game and head into overtime.
Both teams have had the ball and no score occurs. All that’s needed is a field goal to win it. The Colts have the ball at their own 27-yard line.
Wentz and Pittman have had a connection all game (10 catches, 86 yards, two touchdowns). The quarterback has confidence in his WR1 and wants to go back to him.
Wentz locks onto Pittman, who has three Titans’ defenders around him. Jonathan Taylor and Mo Alie-Cox are wide open underneath, but Wentz has already made his decision. He fires a telegraphed ball towards Pittman and it’s intercepted once again, this time by Titans’ safety Kevin Byard who returns it to the 32-yard line.
“Probably tried to do too much,” Wentz admitted. “Tried to force that one there to Pitt. He had a step on the underneath coverage, but Byard came out of the sky and made a heck of a play. I’m sure in hindsight I had the check down probably wide open, but thought I had Pitt. Byard made a great play.”
Five plays later, the Titans kick the game-winning field goal and send the now 3-5 Colts home with their tails between their legs. Gone is the chance at an AFC South title, which the Colts haven’t captured since 2014.
“So mad at myself,” Wentz revealed. “Beating myself up over those ones at the end of the game there for sure.”
Wentz started the game lighting up the Titans’ defense. Wentz drove the Colts right down the field and made great throws on his way to two touchdowns in the Colts’ first two drives to lead 14-0 in the first quarter. It seemed like the Colts had a chance to roll one of the hottest teams in the league.
Then the flaws of this Colts team came out. The lack of a consistent pass rush and soft coverage by the Colts defense allowed Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill and wide receiver A.J. Brown to run wild. Numerous times the Colts got the Titans into third-down situations and couldn’t get off the field.
There were also questionable decisions made by Reich and the Colts’ coaching staff. The tight end screen was already discussed, but why is Jonathan Taylor, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry Sunday and is the Colts’ most dangerous offensive weapon, only touching the ball once in the overtime period? Why is Wentz throwing the ball 51 times and Taylor only getting 19 total touches?
Wentz is not solely responsible for this loss. But Wentz did not elevate his team as a franchise quarterback should in these moments.
Wentz had every opportunity to win the game for the Colts. He HAS to kill the play backed up on his own goal line and live for the next play. Instead, he hesitates, tries to make a play, and it burns them. Throwing into double coverage instead of taking the check down and moving on to the next play was the dagger.
The hero-ball mentality that Wentz possesses, the thought that there’s always a play to be made, has mostly worked out for the Colts this year. That’s all good and fine, until it doesn’t work out, and it didn’t on Sunday.
It’s always going to be a fine line of whether the hero-ball mentality by Wentz helps or hurts the Colts. It was the same way when Andrew Luck was quarterbacking this team. But with the margin of error so small for the Colts, they cannot afford for it to not work out.
If Wentz is to be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Colts, the hero-ball plays must be reined in and the decision-making much improved. Mistakes like what was made today by him simply cannot happen if the Colts want to beat good teams and join the elites of the AFC.
Until then, and until the Colts pass defense wakes up, there’s going to be copious amounts of pain and frustration felt by Colts fans everywhere.
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