The Indianapolis Colts came up short in Week 12 against the Detroit Lions, and are now 5-7 on the season.
With the game having just wrapped up, let’s dive into my instant takeaways from the Colts’ performance.
– Obviously, not the outcome the Colts wanted, and the stats don’t reflect it, but I thought there was more good from Anthony Richardson. He was often on time, in rhythm, again displayed good command of the offense, and was able to push the ball down the field. With the team falling behind early in the second half, it forced the Colts to get more pass-heavy, which isn’t conducive for the offense, and he also dealt with quite a bit of pressure, along with there being penalties that wiped out several positive plays.
– It was tough sledding in the run game for Jonathan Taylor, particularly running between the tackles didn’t come easy, but I again liked the commitment to the run as well as the variety of running plays, from designed runs for Richardson to getting Josh Downs involved and attacking the edges.
– Getting pressure on Jared Goff is a must but you can see why that’s so difficult. The Lions’ usage of misdirection, play-action, and screens makes that even more difficult as those concepts take away the pass rush’s bite.
– Goff and the Lions’ offense was so good over the middle of the field. Overall, from play to play, it’s tough to get a beat on what this Detroit offense is going to do. They mix have such a balanced offense and mix things up so well.
– It was down performance from the Colts’ offensive line. There were a number of throws where Ricahrdson had a defender in his lap, along wit the unit being called for a number of penalties.
– Way too many penalties. Against a team of the Lions’ caliber, a clean game is a requirement, and the Colts had too many penalties that wiped out positive plays.
– Not surprisingly, the Colts early red zone woes carried weight as well. They moved the ball well in the first half between the 20 yard lines, but had to settle for field goals on their first two red zone possessions. On the first trip to the red area, a penalty inside the five yard line put the Colts behind the sticks, then on the second possession, Drew Ogletree dropped a touchdown. Similarly to the penalties, you can’t have those kind of miscues against Detroit.
Overall, against the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, the Colts were able to hold the Lions to nearly 10 points below their season average. However, Detroit picked up at least three 3rd-and-7 conversions to move the chains–two of which came in the red zone and ended in touchdowns, and then scored on a 3rd-and-goal as well. While the Colts limited the Lions’ scoring production compared to what they normally put up, for many of the reasons mentioned, we saw why this offense is a well-oiled machine as they put up nearly 400 total yards and controlled the game.
– Speaking of third downs, as they’ve done all season, the Lions were efficient on third downs and efficient in the red zone. That in itself is a tough task for just about any team to overcome. For many of the reasons mentioned in this article, we saw why this Lions’ offense is such a well-oiled machine.
– Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t run wild, averaging a combined 4.4 yards per carry, but the Lions moved the ball efficiently and leaned into the run game, rushing the ball 33 times for 137 yards. This contributed to the massive time of possession difference, with the Lions holding the ball for 14 more minutes than the Colts and running 72 plays to the Colts 49.
(This article was update to provide additional information.)
