It’s Only One Colts Loss, But …
Cheer up, Indianapolis Colts fans, there’s always next week.
You’re forgiven if the first reaction to that insight is to roll the eyes. Maybe shake the head. And finish that off with a heavy sigh.
If you’re a Colts fan who is trying to spin Sunday’s 27-20 loss at Jacksonville into some sort of positive, save that for another week, when perhaps the team can win at home against the Minnesota Vikings.
Yeah, I said “perhaps.”
Because after Sunday, when the Colts didn’t punt, outgained the Jags by more than 200 yards, and still found a way to lose, well, we’re reminded anything can happen in the NFL. But nothing has changed about when the Colts open seasons with a loss (last win 2013) and lose at Jacksonville (last win 2014).
Another lesson that players should be keenly aware of is to not talk too loud before a game. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton did on Friday. He said the Jaguars couldn’t cover him. He said he was going to have fun. He said this Colts team was going to be different. He said he couldn’t wait.
When the Colts were trying to rally to a tying touchdown late, the last two Philip Rivers passes were to Hilton. And he dropped them both.
Then the team leader misspoke again.
“I lost the game. Two drops. Never should’ve happened,” Hilton said.
Mr. Hilton was mistaken, of course, not about the drops - he had another near the sideline earlier — but the fact he tried to take the blame for a team that made mistakes in all three phrases, including head coaching.
“It’s just one game,” he said. “We came out strong, we came out firm. It’s just the tide turned and I lost the game.”
The Colts led 7-0 and, according to Rivers, it should have been 14-0 if he threw a strike to tight end Jack Doyle, who had inside position on a slant pass that could have scored. Rivers settled for a shorter pass for 6 yards. The drive stalled and the game turned two plays later, when the Colts were unable to convert a fourth-and-1 inside rush with running back Nyheim Hines getting stuffed.
Head coach Frank Reich had every reason to be confident in his offensive line to create enough room to gain the first down. The mistake appeared to be going with Hines, a third-down specialist who excels with speed and is better suited for catching passes in open spaces and making guys miss.
Then again, the Colts had two other situations where they needed one yard and were stuffed on both of those inside rushes, too. And rookie Jonathan Taylor had those carries, so on this day, it didn’t matter if the Colts went with speed or power. The O-line didn’t play like last year, when the Colts were seventh in rushing. This game’s output was just 88 yards on 22 carries.
What could be of greater concern is Rivers throwing two awful interceptions to wide receivers who weren’t open. Hilton was double-covered on the first pick, so what Rivers saw or was thinking is anyone’s guess. The second intended for Parris Campbell was well off the mark as the 17th-year quarterback somehow thought the second-year wide receiver would be able to anticipate the throw to a spot and get in front of the defender.
Rivers passed for 363 yards, more than twice as much as Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew’s 173 yards, but what stands out for the 38-year-old passer are the two interceptions. Minshew had more touchdown passes (three) than incompletions (one). He hit on 19-of-20 passes. He took four sacks, because the 2019 sixth-round pick accepted his fate at times and didn’t try to force a pass for fear of committing a turnover. Perhaps Rivers has forgotten how to do that. Minshew is 24, but his ability to be smart under pressure, while Rivers wasn’t in a couple of key situations, factored into this outcome.
Making matters worse is Reich trying to take the blame on the first pick, blaming himself for putting the team in the wrong formation. That bolsters a theory that taking a risk on Rivers for $25 million was Reich selling general manager Chris Ballard on the offseason move. And when Rivers screws up at times — even the quarterback reiterated he’s the one throwing the ball on the pick — Reich will be a Rivers apologist to a fault.
Rivers’ critics point to how he had 20 interceptions last season. Despite what some contend was a desperate quarterback taking shots when behind, that wasn’t always the case with the L.A. Chargers.
After beating the Colts in the opener, the Chargers were down a field goal late at Detroit in Week 2, and in field-goal position. On third-and-long, everyone in the stadium should be expecting a dump-off throw underneath to improve the potential game-tying kick position. But Rivers, the gunslinger, took a deep shot into double coverage and was intercepted. Game over. That’s the bad Rivers the Colts can’t afford to see. Not for $25 million.
That brings us to a defense led by All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard, who sounded off with enthusiasm on Thursday about how nobody brings more juice to a game than him. “The Maniac” led the Colts with nine total tackles, but he didn’t make any impact plays. Neither did anyone else, really, except for Denico Autry having two sacks, Justin Houston another, and safety Khari Willis getting one on a blitz. Leonard candidly admitted to mistakes on some plays.
What makes Leonard special is how he’s able to impact a game in so many ways. He can rush the passer, intercept passes, and force fumbles. And with All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner anchoring that D-line, “The Maniac” was supposed to be freed up to wreak havoc. That didn’t happen.
So a defense that talked a lot about coming up with 40 turnovers and becoming one of the NFL’s best this season didn’t have a single takeaway.
That’s mostly because when Minshew threw, his guys were usually wide open. All three touchdown passes looked like easy pitch-and-catches.
DJ Chark Jr. beat a double team when cornerback T.J. Carrie froze while starting at the quarterback and Willis didn’t get over in time.
Cornerback Xavier Rhodes was lost in - I don't know, was that man or zone coverage? - and nowhere near Keelan Cole on that TD pass. Cole couldn’t have been more open.
And rookie Laviska Shenault Jr. made safety Malik Hooker look silly on a stop-and-go route over the middle. Hooker couldn’t catch up after freezing when Shenault stopped for a moment.
So the Colts secondary, just like last year, has issues.
For those optimists still wanting to read positives, how about this?
If running back Marlon Mack has a torn Achilles, his Colts career is probably finished because he’s in a contract year, and it's uncertain when he will be able to play. His contract value just took a huge hit.
That means Taylor will share the workload with Hines. And Taylor looks like a promising player, talented enough to shine, providing the O-line does its job better. Taylor showed most of his power and speed as a pass-catcher. And he showed enough to make Ballard look smart for drafting him in the second round when some questioned the pick. So, as much as Mack could have helped, the running back position has been simplified.
The future of Rivers and Rhodes could also be simplified if they keep making mistakes that turned them into offseason free agents. Rhodes did little to instill confidence that his $3 million prove-it deal will pay off. And if Rivers keeps throwing unnecessary interceptions, the Colts won’t pay him $25 million again and he can go coach his sons in high school in Alabama.
Sorry, optimists, but this Colts loss was inexcusable.
So much was made of the Colts offseason moves, that Ballard had added the necessary pieces to make the playoffs, something this team hasn’t done in four of the past five years.
One ugly game into the season, all that hype qualifies as just talk. The Colts were eight-point favorites because oddsmakers, like many fans and media, bought what this team was selling.
It’s only one game, but until we see differently, not much has changed.
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(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
