The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) nearly pulled off a massive comeback but ultimately lost 29-23 in overtime against the Los Angeles Rams (2-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
After going down 23-0 halfway through the third quarter, it appeared this Colts team simply didn’t show up to play. However, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson found his groove to lead the offense, scoring 23 unanswered points to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
However, the Rams would win the toss in overtime, and a hobbled Matthew Stafford led their offense down the field on the first possession and found a wide-open Puka Nacua for a 22-yard touchdown to seal the win.
Here’s our instant analysis from the Colts’ overtime loss against the Rams:
What went right
- QB Anthony Richardson found his groove when the team needed a spark. He started slowly but worked his way to 11-of-25 passing (44%) for 200 yards, two touchdowns and a 98.8 passer rating.
- The offense scored a touchdown on three of their final five drives during regulation.
- DE Dayo Odeyingbo had a breakout game, recording 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
- CB Kenny Moore II collected his first interception of the season.
- The tight ends had some big games, combining for six receptions for 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
- The Colts scored touchdowns on both of their red-zone drives.
What went wrong
- LB E.J. Speed’s unnecessary roughness penalty on the first drive results in a touchdown. It was a penalty that could have been completely avoided.
- Not including Dayo Odeyingbo, the pass rush struggled. Excluding Odeyingbo, the front seven combined for five quarterback hits and 0.5 sack on 40 pass attempts.
- The Colts had no answer for Aaron Donald, who was all over the place generating pressure and stopping the run.
- The secondary had no answer for WR Puka Nacua, who went off for nine receptions for 163 yards and a game-winning touchdown in overtime.
- Coming off his historic performance, K Matt Gay missed his only field-goal attempt from 47 yards.
The Bottom Line
This kind of game is going to happen. With such a young team with an inexperienced quarterback, there are going to be games where they get down big. What’s an impressive silver lining from the loss is the resilience they showed. It doesn’t mean as much because they ultimately lost in overtime, but the fact that they fought back from a 23-point deficit to even force overtime is a testament to what kind of culture is being built. There are issues that need to get cleaned up on both sides of the ball, and getting some healthy starters back will help with that endeavor. But all in all, it was encouraging to see them fight back when game seemed so far out of hand.
