INDIANAPOLIS – So, now what?
What’s left for the Indianapolis Colts in the aftermath of their self-implosion act Sunday afternoon in Denver?
“We’re going to keep fight ‘til the end,’’ Shane Steichen said Monday.
The realistic end of the Colts’ playoff hopes was extinguished in the 31-13 loss to the Broncos.
Place the blame at your leisure.
There was:
Jonathan Taylor’s colossal blunder: dropping the football before crossing the goal line on what should have been a 41-yard touchdown and 20-7 lead early in the third quarter.
“It just can’t happen,’’ Taylor said after the game. “That has never happened to me before and it will never happen again.’’
Steichen said players in a position to score have been schooled on how to finish a play.
“We talk about letters and logos, finishing through the end zone,’’ he said.
In a pivotal game that consisted of 131 offensive snaps, none was more backbreaking that Taylor’s.
The double pass – from quarterback Anthony Richardson to rookie wideout AD Mitchell and back to Richardson early in the fourth quarter with the Colts trailing 17-13 but on the move with a second-and-7 at the Denver 40.
Steichen was looking for a spark. The offense had worked on the gadget play with success all week.
They were scorched when Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto stepped in front of the lateral and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown and 24-13 lead.
“I was trying to get a spark going for our guys and obviously it backfired,’’ Steichen said.
Five turnovers and eight penalties: The five giveaways, which were turned into 17 points, were one shy of matching the Indy-era record and the most since five in the 2022 collapse at Dallas.
“You can’t beat yourself in this league,’’ Steichen said.
Since 1984, the Colts are 2-23 when they suffer at least five turnovers.
Indy has 25 giveaways, tied for-3rd most in the league. Consider the company it’s keeping: Tennessee (29 turnovers) is 3-11 as is Cleveland (27). The Raiders (25) took a 2-11 record into Monday night’s meeting with Atlanta.
“We’ve got to take care of the football,’’ Steichen said. “I mean, that’s a big part of it. I think when you lose the turnover battle, you’re going to lose a lot of football games.’’
It could have been so much worse if the defense hadn’t manhandled Bo Nix and the Broncos. It limited Denver to 193 total yards and intercepted Nix three times (Zaire Franklin, Nick Cross, Samuel Womack III).
The last time the Colts lost when their defense allowed 200 yards or fewer: 2007 against the San Diego Chargers.
That brings the discussion back to: What’s next?
The 6-8 Colts saw their playoff odds shrink to 16%, according to the New York Times’ simulator. They almost totally rest winning out – that starts with Sunday’s meeting with Tennessee at Lucas Oil Stadium – and the 8-6 Los Angeles Chargers losing two of their last three.
The Colts are in wishing-and-hoping mode.
“You feel for everybody on the team,’’ Steichen said. “This is the ultimate team thing. I think the motivation going forward is like, “Hey, we’ve got a chance to go play the Tennessee Titans at home and beat them.’
“We all have jobs to do.’’
Left tackle Bernhard Raimann shared his motivation.
“It’s a blessing to play any NFL game,’’ he said. “ . . . every single week is important. Every single game is important.’’
Consolation – whatever that’s worth – can come in the form of beating the Titans, New York Giants and Jacksonville and finishing with a 9-8 record for the second straight season under Steichen.
But the sting will remain of more unfinished business. Remember, the Colts were in position to secure playoff berths in 2021 and ’23 only to suffer late-season collapses.
They last reached the postseason in 2020 and haven’t won the AFC South since 2014.
Owner Jim Irsay should re-evaluate the leadership of his franchise even if it finishes 9-8. His angst probably increases with a loss to three bottom-feeders to close the season.
Pierce update
Alec Pierce is in the NFL’s concussion protocol after suffering head trauma late in the first half. He obviously must clear protocol to play against the Titans.
Stuck with Taylor
Steichen believes in accountability, but he stuck with Taylor after the veteran running back’s game-swinging mistake.
“Just because he’s one of our guys,’’ Steichen said. “He’s our go-to guy in the backfield that we’ve got a lot of faith in and belief in.
“We had that conversation on the sideline. He was our guy, so we went back with him.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.