Getty Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman had a message for his quarterback and head coach after losing to the Tennessee Titans.
Every loss in the NFL can be frustrating. But the defeat for the Indianapolis Colts against the Tennessee Titans on October 23 appears to be particularly disheartening for a few reasons.
For one, the 19-10 loss to the Titans dropped the Colts back to .500 at 3-3-1. It was also the fifth straight defeat for Indianapolis against Tennessee, and the Colts are now 1-3-1 against the AFC South this season.
The Indianapolis offense continued to struggle in the loss. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw 2 interceptions and really didn’t take many chances down the field to connect on big plays.
Whether it was his lack of big-play opportunities or a combination of all those frustration, it all came to a bit of a boiling point for Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. after the loss.
“I can do that every single play,” Pittman said to the media when asked if the Colts should have taken shots down the field against the Titans two deep safeties. “But I just run the plays. Whatever is called, I run. They just gotta trust us even though they’re playing zone to go out there and make those big-boy catches.
“Alec’s done it, PC’s [Parris Campbell] done it, I’ve done it. Bit Mike [Strachan] has done it. We can do it.”
“I can do that every single play. But I just run the plays. Whatever is called, I run. They just gotta trust us even though they’re playing zone to go out there and make those big-boy catches. Alec’s done it, PC’s done it, I’ve done it, Big Mike has done it. We can do it.” (more)
Matt Ryan’s Poor Yards Per Attempt Average Against Titans
Ryan had his best game throwing the ball for big gains in the first matchup versus Tennessee on October 2. In that contest, Ryan averaged 9.6 yards per pass, throwing for 356 yards on 37 attempts.
But in Week 7, everything was pretty much underneath for Ryan. He completed 33 of 44 passes, which is a strong 75% completion percentage. But he only threw for 243 yards.
The Titans held Ryan to a season-low 5.5 yards per pass.
Indianapolis’ longest passing play of the day went for 20 yards to rookie receiver Alec Pierce.
Last week, the rookie scored the game-winning touchdown on a 32-yard reception. In Week 4 against the Titans, Pierce caught his longest pass of the season for 44 yards and recorded another reception for 25 yards.
But Tennessee’s two-deep safety look deterred Ryan from throwing anything down field and as a result, only short routes powered the Colts passing game.
Protection Cause for Shorter Passes?
ESPN’s Stephen Holder criticized Ryan for his unwillingness to throw the ball deep in Week 7. But Holder also added that the offensive line is part of the problem.
Some of this is attributed to what is called. BUT, I think there’s another issue here: Matt Ryan has to be willing to take those shots. He checked it down all day (often correctly), but I do think you can play too safe. The other variable: he clearly doesn’t trust the protection.
Tennessee had 3.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hits against Ryan in Week 7. Simply put, Ryan didn’t really have the time to let passing patterns develop deep down the field because Titans defenders closed on the pocket quickly.
That’s been a reoccurring theme all season. Ryan has taken 24 sacks in seven games. He’s on pace to reach 50 sacks this season for the first time in his career.
That pressure may be starting to have an accumulative impact on Ryan. Even when he’s had some time in the pocket, he’s delivered the ball to a short route quickly because of the fear a defender could be closing in soon.
Pierce averaged 12.3 yards per reception, and he led the Colts in yards per catch in the loss at Tennessee.
Campbell had a team-high 10 catches and 70 yards for 7.0 yards per reception. Pittman was also under 10 yards per catch with 6 receptions and 58 yards.
It will be interesting to see if Ryan and/or head coach Frank Reich fulfills Pittman’s request to give the Colts receivers more opportunities to make plays down the field next week. Indianapolis will host the Washington Commanders in Week 8.