Jake's Takes | Colts Suffer Bad Home Loss to Raiders
The Indianapolis Colts needed a win at home on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders to officially punch their ticket to the postseason, but they failed to come with their A-game as they fell to the visitors, 23-20.
On paper, the Colts (9-7) did enough things right against Las Vegas (9-7) in order to come away with a win, but a glaring issue on the offensive side of the ball (which we'll get to shortly) doomed them.
Here are some of my main observations from Sunday.
—The Raiders came prepared. Las Vegas looked better against the Colts early in the game on both sides of the ball than many opponents have this season. The Colts have developed multi-score leads in many of their games this season due in large part to quick starts offensively and defensively, but their first four drives resulted in three points while the Raiders scored 10 points on their first three drives before the Colts ever got on the board. The Raiders turned the opening series into a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Josh Jacobs. The Colts then went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, failing to gain even a yard. Although the Colts' defense intercepted a Derek Carr pass on the next series, the offense only lasted five plays before punting again. The Raiders' Hunter Renfrow got a huge, 41-yard return on the play. They held all of the momentum early in the game, to say the least.
—Carson Wentz looked like a guy who didn't practice all week. Colts quarterback Carson Wentz landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, which cost him the week of practice. He was cleared in time for Sunday but he looked like a guy who wasn't ready to play against the Raiders. The Colts had more sacks (2 to 1) and takeaways (2 to 0) defensively, more rushing yards offensively (122 to 85), fewer penalties (6 to 3), and still lost the game. On the day, Wentz was 16-of-27 passing (59.3%) for 148 yards (5.5 YPA) with 1 touchdown and a passer rating of 86.6. He struggled to identify pre-snap blitzes and then the pressure he received during plays. Wentz had some poor throws on third downs that ended drives. Most notably, he missed a wide-open T.Y. Hilton early in the fourth quarter on a third down that likely would've netted the Colts a huge gain, if not a long touchdown. The Raiders then scored and reclaimed the lead on the next drive. Wentz also attempted another one of his patented left-handed passes, which we can all recall have gone *poorly* this season. Boiling it down, it appeared that if the Colts would have received middle-of-the-road quarterback play and picked up a few more third downs (3-of-11 [27.3%]) then they would have come out on top.
—Jonathan Taylor stamps his place in franchise history. Colts Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor had already produced one of the most prolific offensive seasons in franchise history before Sunday's game began, but he officially etched his place in the record books by day's end. With 108 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, Taylor broke Edgerrin James' single-season franchise rushing record (1,709 yards in 2000) as well as tied Lenny Moore (20 in 1964) for the most total touchdowns in a single season in franchise history. Taylor (22) also became the youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns from scrimmage in a single season. He now has 317 carries for 1,734 yards (5.5 avg.) and 18 touchdowns to go with 37 receptions for 342 yards (9.2 avg.) and another 2 touchdowns on the season with one game remaining. Stay tuned for "Crunching Numbers" to see all that Taylor and his teammates accomplished on Sunday.
—Colts appear to have a good swing tackle in Matt Pryor. The Colts were without left tackle Eric Fisher on Sunday, who is nursing injuries to a knee, shoulder, and toe. That thrust Matt Pryor into the starting lineup, and he responded nicely, performing adequately in the run game and in pass protection. His day wasn't spotless, allowing some pressure in a couple of spots, but he played how you'd hope a backup could play. Pryor was also a breath of fresh air earlier in the season when replacing Julién Davenport at right tackle, who was filling in for the injured Braden Smith. The Colts appear to have a swing tackle in Pryor that they can trust to perform at an acceptable level in a pinch.
—Darius Leonard continues to earn consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. I'll get to the praise on Colts linebacker Darius Leonard but I'll also acknowledge that he missed a sack of Carr on a 24-yard play for the Raiders on 3rd-and-10 late in the game that helped Las Vegas win the game... It took the Colts' defense a couple of drives to get settled in but once they did, Leonard and the front seven turned up the heat against the Raiders' offense. Leonard finished the game with 7 tackles as well as a beautifully-read interception where he cut the path of the ball. He also forced yet another fumble (his career-high 7th of the year) but the play was too close to the sideline for anyone to pounce on it and create a turnover. Leonard is more of a dark horse candidate for this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year award but you'd be hard-pressed to find another defender who creates turnovers in the fashion he does.
—If this was T.Y. Hilton's last game at Lucas Oil Stadium, he made it a memorable one. Hilton has become one of the most accomplished receivers in franchise history over the last 10 years, but the 32-year-old becomes a free agent after the season. He's considered retirement and nearly took a deal with a different team in the most recent offseason so it's quite realistic that he may not be a Colt when the 2022 season begins. If Sunday was his last game at Lucas Oil Stadium, then he went out entertaining fans and making an impact with his 45-yard touchdown catch in the second half.
What were your biggest takeaways from Sunday? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
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