The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) fought all the way back from a large deficit but ultimately fell, 29-23, to the Los Angeles Rams (2-2) in overtime on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Despite being down 23-0 halfway through the third quarter, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson led an emphatic comeback to tie the game late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, a miscommunication in the secondary led to a Rams in overtime.
Here’s everything we know from the Week 4 loss:
Final Score: Rams 29, Colts 23
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | Final | |
Rams | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
Colts | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 23 |
The game was over when...
On a third down in overtime, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with a wide-open Puka Nacua for a 22-yard touchdown, sealing the road victory for Los Angeles Rams.
Keys to the game
- The Colts offense was just 3-of-10 (30%) on third-down attempts but they were 2-of-2 in the red zone.
- Indy had no answer for WR Puka Nacua, who went off for nine receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown—the game-winner.
- Outside of one player, the pass rush struggled mightily for the majority of the game.
- With two starters out on the starting offensive line, the unit struggled against Rams DT Aaron Donald, who had a sack, two quarterback hits and multiple pressures.
- The Colts scored three touchdowns on their six second-half drives to help close the gap.
3 Stars of the game
- QB Anthony Richardson: It was a rough first half for the rookie but he finished with a strong second half. He completed 11-of-25 passes (44%) for 200 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 98.8 passer rating. He added 10 carries for 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
- DE Dayo Odeyingbo: The pass rush struggled, but Odeyingbo was stellar. He had 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, one pass defensed and a forced fumble.
- TE Andrew Ogletree: He was quiet until the final offensive drive, but he exploded for three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown to help set up the game-tying two-point conversion.
A major comeback thwarted
The end result wasn’t great and going down 23 unanswered points is never a good thing. But the fact that they fought their way back from halfway through the third quarter on shows what kind of culture is being built. If it weren’t for a shoddy pass rush and Puka Nacua carving up the soft spots in the zone, the Colts should have come away with a comeback win. It’s not the exact result the Colts are looking for, but this team is young. The fact that they’re willing to fight down three possessions is a nice silver lining in the loss.
Injuries
- C Ryan Kelly (concussion) and LT Bernhard Raimann (concussion) were inactive due to their injuries.
- LB Zaire Franklin (back) left late in the third quarter but returned in the fourth quarter.
- CB Dallis Flowers (ankle) suffered an ankle injury during overtime and didn’t return.
Quick Hits
- Rookie Blake Freeland made his first career start at left tackle.
- Anthony Richardson’s rushing touchdown makes him the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to have four rushing touchdowns in his first three games and the first quarterback to have a rushing touchdown in each of his first three games.
- Rams scored touchdowns on their first two drives of 75 and 94 yards.
- Dealing with groin and back injuries, DT DeForest Buckner was limited to third and fourth downs.
- This was the first time Colts have had consecutive overtime games since 2003 (h/t Hayden Clark).
- TE Andrew Ogletree was the leading receiver with 48 yards.
- The Colts are now in a four-way tie with the rest of the division as all teams are now 2-2.
What's next?
Colts head coach Shane Steichen will meet with the media Monday for a conference call before the team prepares for the Week 5 matchup against the Tennessee Titans (2-2).