Jake's Takes | Colts Squander Opportunity for Statement Win vs. Eagles

The Indianapolis Colts had control for most of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles but ultimately squandered the lead late in the fourth quarter, losing 17-16.

The Indianapolis Colts faced a tough test at home Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, and they nearly passed.

The Eagles (9-1) came into Lucas Oil Stadium determined to bounce back from their first loss of the season. Meanwhile, the Colts (4-6-1) were in the second week of the Jeff Saturday era and coming off a big win.

Although the home team was in control of the game much of the way throughout, they collapsed with about two minutes to go as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored the go-ahead, 7-yard touchdown run. Defending Hurts on the ground was an area the Colts' defense struggled with throughout the game and it would ultimately do them in.

When all was said and done, the Colts made too many mistakes (including a missed 50-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter) against a really good team and fell by a single point, 17-16.

Here are my main takeaways from the day.

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—Perception of Jeff Saturday's squad has likely shifted dramatically. When the Colts fired Frank Reich two weeks ago and hired Saturday as the interim, the team was the subject of mockery, as Saturday was an outside hire with no equity in the locker room, and the extent of his coaching experience ended at the high school level. Many (myself included) doubted the Colts' ability to win another game or two for the rest of the season, and now Saturday is 1-1 and nearly 2-0 after going toe-to-toe with arguably the NFL's best squad.

Beating the lowly Las Vegas Raiders last week was one thing, but nearly winning against the previously 8-1 Eagles, who only just last week suffered their first loss, should give the Colts some credit. Saturday has shown early on that he can lead a team.

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—Offense starts hot and then quickly peters out. The Colts got the opening kickoff and proceeded to march 75 yards downfield in 10 plays for a touchdown; their first opening-drive points of the season and their first since last Christmas. Running back Jonathan Taylor touched the ball 7 times on the drive, picking up 49 yards and the score. The Colts utilized backup running back Deon Jackson at fullback in the I-formation, and quarterback Matt Ryan also had his second quarterback sneak in as many weeks to pick up a first down, which are wrinkles we hadn't really been seeing much of this year.

After that drive, the Colts punted on three consecutive drives before the next one finally yielded a field goal. They appeared to abandon some of the things that were working well for a long stretch, such as Taylor's effective running and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. over the middle.

In the end, the Colts did not do enough to win the game and scored on only four of their 11 drives, but their offense showed that is can still be more than what it currently is.

Something the Colts did do well is take advantage of some of Philly's mistakes. The Eagles struggled to play clean football, turning the ball over twice — which the Colts turned into two field goals — and totaling 7 penalties that cost them 55 yards.

In a game that was decided by 1 point, mistakes like both teams made play a critical role.

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—Young O-linemen going through growing pains. The Colts have a pair of young starters on the offensive line in rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann and second-year player, right guard Will Fries. They probably are the right men for the job but are showing their inexperience. Raimann was dinged for an ineligible man downfield penalty that wiped out a quality pass play as well as a holding call. He also gave up two sacks late in the game, one each on the Colts' final two drives. That included one on Philly's 5-yard line which forced the Colts to kick a field goal and the other one on the Colts' final third down of the game. Fries had two false start penalties as well as a holding call. Before the ensuing play following Raimann's last sack, Fries false-started on fourth down. Saturday gave both players a vote of confidence following the game, acknowledging that sometimes you just have to deal with those young-player mistakes.

© Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

—Michael Pittman Jr. over the middle of the field is easy money. The Colts' third-year stud receiver performs quite well when thrown the ball over the middle of the field, especially when hit in stride with room to run. He had 6 catches for a team-high 75 yards on Sunday, much of which was picked up on receptions either over the middle or in stride. Those throws are an especially quality approach when facing a pair of effective cornerbacks like Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

—Yannick Ngakoue has his best game as a Colt. The Colts traded for Ngakoue this offseason in a move that they hoped would give them a top pass-rusher. So far, Ngakoue had quietly amassed 5.0 sacks on the season and has been frustratingly inconsistent. However, on Sunday against the Eagles, he had his most impressive showing, finishing with 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 quarterback hit. He pressured Hurts several times, and his sack-fumble on him was recovered by the Colts and turned into a field goal on the following drive.

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