Getty Head coach Jeff Saturday and the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-16, in Week 11.
The Indianapolis Colts defense played well again in Week 11 against one of the better offenses in the NFL. But when one’s offense averages under 16 points per game, there’s little margin for error on defense.
And Indianapolis’ defense wasn’t perfect.
Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner would probably be the first to say that fact. When speaking to reporters after the 17-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he accepted blame for allowing the game-winning touchdown with 1:20 remaining in regulation.
“Finally, I got a 1-on-1 pass rush. The guy drops back a little bit and I take it up the B (gap),” Buckner told the media after Week 11. “As soon as I hit the (spin) move, I knew.
“Everyone and their mama knew it was a draw except for me.”
Eagles signal caller Jalen Hurts practically walked to the goal line on the quarterback draw. Philadelphia added the extra point and then shut down the Colts offense in the final 1:20 to seal the victory.
Buckner Second-Guesses Critical Play vs. Eagles
The Colts defense held the Eagles to three points through three quarters, but they couldn’t keep them quiet all afternoon. The Eagles scored their first touchdown with 13:31 left in the fourth quarter, and then were threatening to at least tie the game with another trip to the end zone during the final minute of regulation.
Even still, the Colts were seemingly in a good position to hold on to their six-point lead with 1:20 left, as the Eagles faced third-and-goal from the 7-yard line.
But Philadelphia turned to its best player — quarterback Jalen Hurts — and called a quarterback draw. The play worked and had Buckner second-guessing himself after the game.
“Looking back, I should have been stab rushing,” Buckner said. “Maybe I could have fallen back inside and made a play.
“Maybe we have a chance on fourth down. That’s the way I look at the play. I have to be better.”
Yannick Ngakoue Credits Eagles for Game-Winning QB Draw
Colts edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue shared a similar sentiment as his teammate about the defense needing to come up with a big stop.
But he also credited the Eagles, sharing that the formation Philadelphia used helped disguise what was coming on third-and-goal.
“Yeah, it was something we did not really see like that,” Ngakoue said during his postgame interview. “Alerting for the quarterback draw was really an empty (set). And then they had a running back right there. So, it was a good play call by the offensive coordinator, but we still have to make those plays.”
It was an unfortunately loss particularly for Ngakoue, who had his best game of the season. He played 58 defensive snaps, which was 1 shy of a season high and recorded 1.5 sacks. Ngakoue caused a fumble on one of those sacks, which led to a takeaway.
The 27-year-old edge rusher has 6.5 sacks through 11 games this season. He’s just 1.5 sacks shy of recording his seventh straight 8.0-sack campaign to begin his career. That’s a pretty big deal with Ngakoue expected be looking for a contract this offseason in free agency.
The veteran staying in Indianapolis isn’t out of the question, but his breakout game with the Colts in Week 11 might be forgotten with it coming in a loss.
Despite failing to stop Hurts’ draw, Buckner still had a pretty solid performance in Week 11 as well. Buckner led all Colts defensive linemen with 5 tackles, including 3 solos.