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The Indianapolis Colts have earned the reputation as a slow starting team under head coach Frank Reich. Despite their efforts to change that this season, the Colts continue to be slow starters.
Indianapolis has trailed at halftime in each of its first 4 games this season. In 2 of those contests, including in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, the Colts trailed by double digits.
The frustration over the sluggish starts in the first half came to a head for running back Nyheim Hines when he spoke to the media following the 24-17 loss to the Titans on October 2.
“We can’t keep doing that [falling behind early],” Hines said. “And obviously we have a great team and we keep coming back and almost coming back, but that’s not a position you want to be when you’re playing against other professionals who are just as good as us and can execute.”
Overall, Indianapolis’ opponents have outscored the Colts, 65-23, this season.
Colts’ First-Half Giveaways
Indianapolis’ defense hasn’t been stellar at the beginning of games this season. The Colts have allowed 8 first-half touchdowns in their first 4 games. They’ve held an opponent to 10 points or fewer in just 1 first half during the first month of the season.
But some of those touchdowns have come on short fields. That happened twice against Tennessee on October 2.
Quarterback Matt Ryan took a sack on third-and-15 at the 50-yard line on the first drive of the matchup versus the Titans and fumbled on the play. The Colts giveaway gave the Titans the ball at the Indianapolis 32-yard line on their first offensive possession.
Tennessee started another drive at the Colts 28-yard line after a Ryan interception in the second quarter. The Titans turned both of those possessions into touchdowns.
Through 4 games, the Colts own a minus-5 turnover differential in the first half. The Indianapolis defense has yet to force a takeaway in either the first or second quarter this season.
“We need to stop turning the ball over, and we need to get more turnovers, and we need to run the football a little bit better and start faster,” said Reich to the media after the game.
Colts’ Comeback Comes Up Short Versus Titans
As the Colts have done time and again during the Reich era, the team never gave up against the Titans. After falling behind 24-3, Ryan found tight end Mo Alie-Cox for a touchdown just before the 2-minute warning in the second quarter and then again midway through the third.
That brought the Colts to within 1 score of the Titans. But Indianapolis’ final 3 possessions ended with a punt, fumble and missed field goal.
On the first of those drives, Ryan took a sack and fumbled again on second-and-12 at the Titans 36-yard line. The fumble resulted in a 13-yard loss, which pushed the Colts out of field goal range.
The second of those 3 possessions ended with a Jonathan Taylor fumble when the team was again in field-goal range. Then kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 51-yard attempt with 2:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Those are critical mistakes to commit at the end of games. But the margin of error for the Colts was practically zero because they dug such a big hole in the first half.
The Colts will soon be facing the same problem in the standings if things don’t improve quickly. Indianapolis has begun this season 1-2-1, and while that’s better than last year’s 1-3 start, the Colts experienced how small the margin of error is in January after starting last season so slowly.
Indianapolis is already off to a slow start in 2022 too. To turn the season around, the Colts must start to play better at the beginning of games.
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