Time is not on the Colts’ side. After another loss to a division rival and a season sweep by the Tennesse Titans, time is almost up for the Indianapolis Colts. From the dwindling season to the age of their quarterback, things are progressing rapidly and the Colts need a change.
Head coach Frank Reich did not shy away from criticism during his post-game press conference. “We lost a game today that hurt. We got outplayed, and we got out-coached. And so, there’s no excuses for that. So we deserve all of it. We deserve all the negative stuff,” Reich said after another disappointing loss to a division opponent.
Where things went wrong
After two punts, the Colts finally got the ball moving. With the ball on the Titans’ 28-yard line, quarterback Matt Ryan threw a pick-six on a miscommunication with receiver Paris Cambell. “I didn’t help in that. I didn’t help in that… Got the call in late… He wanted to check out of it because he knew the blitz was coming, and we didn’t have time to check out of it,” Reich said as he took the blame.
Turnovers have plagued this team. With two interceptions on Sunday against the Titans, Ryan now leads the league with 9 interceptions thrown, as well as 11 fumbles. And with the game on the line, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. fumbled, losing all hope of a comeback. Reich and company know how important the turnover margin is in a winning recipe. “We got to play better. We always talk about winning the turnover battle, we got to find a way to win the turnover battle.”
So how does Indianapolis fix the blunders? The answer is simple, yet so complex. In today’s NFL, offense rules all, and Reich knows it. “We got to get a better start on offense. We got to score more points.” The Colts’ offense is 27th in the NFL with only 17.2 points per game. The offensive staff has to come together to find what works and how to get the most out of their players, but they may be running out of options.
Where do the Colts go from here?
When asked about changes the Colts have made thus far and where they go from here after the failure of those changes, Reich simply offered, “Keep grinding it out… We just have to find the endzone more.”
In Tennessee, Ryan was 33 of 43 for only 243 yards. With only 5.5 yards per attempt, it is tough to win games. The Colts’ offense needs a vertical aspect, one seen in Week Six during the victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “You know we had some stuff called to try and get it downfield… We called four or five plays or more, that might have had the potential to go down the field,” said Reich when asked about the offensive performance in the passing game. “We still think there’s shots to be had. We still think there’s ways to make plays down the field, and so we’ll continue to look for those.”
Indianapolis’s offense needs to find its identity and finding ways to push the ball down the field may be their ticket to saving the season.
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Colts ‘Deserve All The Negative Stuff’ As Losses Pile Up