Stampede Blue
Indianapolis (5-7) had 98 yards of offense negated due to costly penalties. There was a dropped pass at the goal line by backup tight end Drew Ogletree and a 40-plus-yard incompletion because backup receiver Ashton Dulin forgot to get both of his feet in bounds after making an improbable catch.
The Indianapolis Colts never reached the end zone in Sunday’s 24-6 loss to the Detroit Lions, who extended their win streak to a league-high nine straight games.
Who expected to win this game? With three rookies starting on the offensive line, miscues were emanate and inevitable. Indianapolis (5-7) had 98 yards of offense negated due to costly penalties. There was a dropped pass at the goal line by backup tight end Drew Ogletree and a 40-plus-yard incompletion because backup receiver Ashton Dulin forgot to get both of his feet in bounds after making an improbable catch.
It took the Colts just three plays to enter Lions territory on the opening drive. Colts second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson showcased his bell cow skill set after taking a keeper up the middle to set up at midfield, then ran the same play five plays later for a 17-yard gain to breach the red zone. The offense got as close as the four-yard line before stalling out and setting up Matt Gay for a 27-yard field goal to give the Colts their only lead.
Detroit (10-1) retaliated on the final play of the opening frame as quarterback Jared Goff escaped the pocket and delivered a throw on the run to receiver Tim Patrick for 27 yards. Facing third-and-8, Goff went under center and fed running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a 17-yard run to reach the red zone. Following an awful unnecessary roughness penalty on cornerback Jaylon Jones, which gifted the Lions first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Gibbs bounced left to score his tenth touchdown this season. The Lions extended their streak to 25 consecutive games with a rushing TD, including the playoffs, which is an NFL record.
Richardson completed three consecutive passes on the Colts third drive, connecting with receiver Alec Pierce up the sideline for an explosive 40-yard gain. The Colts stalled out once again inside the red zone as tight end Drew Ogletree dropped what should have been a sure touchdown at the goal line. Gay chipped in a 29-yard FG to cut the deficit to 7-6 midway through the second quarter. Richardson completed 11-of-28 passes for 172 passing yards and led the Colts with 61 rushing yards on 10 carries. Indianapolis failed to finish a single drive inside the blue turf, punted six times and went just 3-for-12 on third down.
Indianapolis’ defense played their tails off against Detroit’s juggernaut offense. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner bull-rushed past Lions guard Kevin Zeitler and sacked Goff to halt the Lions first possession. Linebacker Grant Stuard stuffed Montgomery on fourth down inside the red zone to terminate the Lions first drive of the second half. Rookie pass rusher Laiatu Latu strip-sacked Goff for his...
