The Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1) couldn’t hold on to a late fourth-quarter lead, falling 17-16 to the Washington Commanders (4-4) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was another porous outing from the offensive side of the ball. They have failed to score more than 20 points in all but one of their games this season. Though we saw some good things from quarterback Sam Ehlinger in his first career start, it still wasn’t enough to provide a spark.
The defense did its job for the majority of the game until the last drive when they allowed the Commanders to drive down the field 89 yards with just over two minutes left in the game to take the lead.
Here are the studs and duds from the Week 8 loss:
STUD: DT Grover Stewart
Our player of the game from the loss, Stewart continues to show that he’s an elite one technique in the NFL. Stewart logged seven total tackles (six solo), one tackle for loss and a batted pass. It was another strong outing for the defensive tackle, who made several stops against the run and helped keep the Commanders backfield in check. The three running backs took 17 carries for 45 rushing yards, good for 2.6 yards per carry.
DUD: WR Michael Pittman Jr.
It wasn’t a terrible game from Pittman Jr., but it just felt like he could have had a much bigger day. He had a bad drop on the final drive after the Commanders took the lead in the fourth quarter, one that would have been over 30 yards. He caught seven passes, but averaged just 7.6 yards per reception. Pittman Jr. has led the Colts in receiving yards just once over the last five games. We shouldn’t be worried about Pittman Jr.—he’s still an ascending talent. But this was a game the Colts needed him to step up as a WR1.
STUD: DT DeForest Buckner
Buckner has been rounding into his All-Pro form and recorded another sack on the first drive of the game. Buckner was getting pressure at a very consistent rate throughout the majority of the contest while adding two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. He now has 4.0 sacks over his last four games.
DUD: CB Kenny Moore II
While Moore was coming off of a finger injury he suffered in practice Friday, it’s clear that teams understand they can find chunk plays in the passing game on crossers and drags while Moore is in man coverage. His worst play of the game came when Terry McLaurin beat him on a crosser for 42 yards. Moore missed the tackle in pursuit as well. It’s becoming a theme with Moore getting beaten out of the slot in man coverage on those kinds of routes.
STUD: WR Parris Campbell
Campbell may have only had three touches in the game, but he was extremely explosive and provided the Colts offense with a pair of chunk plays. What was nice to see was the fact that they used him in a variety of roles. He took a jet sweep for 28 yards and added a 38-yard reception on a screen pass. He also drew a 30-yard defensive pass interference penalty that set up the go-ahead touchdown on the next play late in the fourth quarter. It was his second game in a row leading the wide receiver room in total yards.
