Stampede Blue
Much needed win, but issues still evident
The Colts were rolling out an offensive line comprised of a left tackle that had missed the past six games, a center that has not played at center since 2021, a right guard they picked up from the street this week, a right tackle making his first start at the position in the NFL, and of course Quenton Nelson. They were also playing away at Foxborough in front of a crowd that does not particularly like the Colts, and also against a solid defense. The offense struggled to move the ball, and they had two turnovers, but when it mattered the most, they delivered. And they did so despite several individual mistakes, including drops and questionable flags.
Since his return from the benching, Steichen has been much more aggressive in using Richardson as a runner, which makes all the sense in the world. If AR was drafted solely on his ability as a passer, and he is not going to be allowed to run, as was the case in the first couple of weeks, then he needs at least two more seasons, but if he is given the chance to use his legs and massive frame, then he can make things happen right now and try and find some consistency as he develops his short accuracy and touch.
And finally, big thumbs up in my opinion for having the guts to go for two. The defense could not stop the Pats’ offense, and I really like when head-coaches trust their players to get the win in regular time. It took a lot of cojones for Steichen to call that, with all that has transpired this season, the fact that a loss would basically end the season, and perhaps even his tenure as the Colts’ head-coach, and how bad the locker room mood would have been going into the bye-week.
Taking the bend don’t break approach to it’s absolute limits, the Colts’ defense allowed over 400 yards of offense, to a team that lacks even average talent on every offensive position. This was a complete disaster, from start to finish, and erased all the emergence the unit had been enjoying in recent weeks. Such a stinker was really close to ruining all hope the Colts still had to make the playoffs.
Now the question is, how much of it was the fault of Gus Bradley and how much was it the Colts’ defensive players being allergic to tackling. For once I think some of the blame has to be on Gus for failing to adjust mid-game to what the Patriots were doing. There was no attempt to try and make rookie quarterback Drake Maye uncomfortable, and he finished the game with an 80% percent completion percentage. One also has to take into account the luck the Colts had in Pats’ kicker missing a chip-shot, and the deflection landing straight in the hands of Julian Blackmon for the...
