Getty Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. shared vulgar rant with the media after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 28.
The losses are beginning to pile up for the Indianapolis Colts this season. The frustration level is rising too, especially for veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman entered this season as Indianapolis’ clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. That’s never been in doubt this year.
But Pittman hasn’t posted 100 receiving yards in a game since Week 6 and before Monday night, hadn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1.
The 25-year-old receiver broke that scoreless streak by finding the end zone against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12. But after the 24-17 loss, Pittman was still highly critical of his own play in the defeat.
“Everything about it is frustrating,” Pittman said to the media after the loss. “I think for me, in the first half, I played like absolute dog s***.
“It comes down to me because if I play the way I know I can play, we’re not even down. I just gotta do better.”
Colts’ Struggle in the First Half Against Steelers
In a start that mirrored what the Colts did a few weeks ago against the New England Patriots — just before the firing of Frank Reich — Indianapolis tallied zero yards on offense in the first quarter.
An offense failing to record a yard in the first quarter has happened only three times in the NFL this season, and two of those occasions have been the Colts.
The Colts recorded 0 yards in the first quarter.
This is the second time this has happened to the Colts this season, and only the third time a team was held to 0 yards or fewer in the first quarter. 🤯
As one would expect, Pittman didn’t have a catch in the first quarter. The first target to Pittman on the second play of the game resulted in an interception. The 25-year-old receiver finally recorded his first reception of the night with about 6 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Steelers defense did a great job of creating pressure and zeroing in on Indianapolis’ short routes when quarterback Matt Ryan tried to release the ball quickly.
But when Ryan did have time in the first half, he couldn’t find open receivers either.
Pittman and the Colts receivers generated very little separation against the Steelers defensive backs, which was surprisingly. That was an area that Indianapolis appeared to possess an advantage before the matchup.
Pittman finished the first half with 2 catches for 16 yards.
Pittman Makes Big Plays in Second Half, Colts Come Up Short
Things were immediately better for the Colts offense in the second half. For one, an 89-yard kickoff return gave Indianapolis excellent field position to begin the third quarter. The Colts established Jonathan Taylor and the running game, and then things opened up down the field for Indianapolis.
The Colts tight ends performed particularly well on Monday night, combining for 10 receptions for 112 yards. Rookie Jelani Woods led Indianapolis with 8 catches and 98 receiving yards.
Pittman warmed up in the second half too. He caught a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter. That reception broke a 10-game scoring drought.
Then in the fourth quarter, Pittman hauled in 3 more catches, including a 28-yard reception, which jump started Indianapolis’ final drive from its 7-yard line.
The 28-yard play was tied for Indianapolis’ longest of the night. Besides Woods, Pittman led the Colts with 7 receptions and 61 yards. Pittman also scored the team’s only receiving touchdown.
That score gave Indianapolis a fourth-quarter lead, but despite coming back from a 13-point deficit, the Colts didn’t make enough second-half plays to completely erase a dreadful first half that saw Indianapolis post just 66 yards.
“We just gotta start faster,” Pittman told reporters. “We just had to make changes. We came out in the second half and made that. But unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough plays to win the game.”