The Indianapolis Colts saw their season slip away as the fourth-down pass from Gardner Minshew to Tyler Goodson hit the turf on what would have been a first down.
Facing a fourth-and-one at the Texans 15-yard line with 1:03 remaining in the game, head coach Shane Steichen dialed up a quick pass to the flat against a blitzing Texans defense.
The play call worked perfectly. Goodson was wide open to the flat with plenty of room for more to gain. The execution was far from perfect.
Minshew’s throw was just behind Goodson enough to force the running back to flip his body instead of working upfield. The pass still hit Goodson square in the hands—a ball he should have caught.
Instead, the ball fell to the turf, and the Colts watched their season end on a quick pass to the flat.
“The play we had up, we had to look for it. It was man-to-man coverage and just it didn’t work out,” Steichen said. “Felt good about (Tyler) Goodson in that situation. He’s a pass catcher for us in the backfield and it is what it is.”
Part of the several questions about the play surround the personnel. With the season on the line, why not trust Jonathan Taylor, the running back the team paid $42 million just a few months ago?
Steichen didn’t give much in the way of an answer about the personnel usage. Instead, he continued to back the mindset of making the correct call.
“Yeah, they were in a man-to-man defense. Felt good about the call,” Steichen said. “Yeah, I had full confidence in that play in that situation, and I went with my gut, and I saw the look and that’s what we went with.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow for Colts fans. They watched the season slip away on a play that should have been made.
And a lot of the offseason will be wondering what if…?
