Sunday morning started poorly for Colts fans as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network announced rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson might have played his last snaps for the team this season as the team is mulling the option of a season-ending shoulder surgery.
The day quickly got worse as the Colts were dismantled in the first three quarters of their 37-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gardner Minshew, the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, led the offense on a 16-play, 65-yard drive resulting in a Matt Gay 28-yard field goal to start the game. Minshew completed nine of his 11 attempts on the drive as the team showed promise in their first drive since Richardson was placed on the injured reserve.
This promise subsided quickly as Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars down the field on a drive capped by a Travis Etienne 2-yard score. The Jaguars piled it on with a Josh Allen strip sack on the next play recovered by Angelo Blackson. Within the span of 16 seconds Travis Etienne scored again and 3-0 had turned to 14-3 in three plays.
An interception in Jacksonville territory led to a 65-yard drive where Lawrence found Christian Kirk for a 29-yard touchdown. This touchdown added to the team’s tally of 17 points off turnovers. The Jaguars forced two more interceptions, both errant passes from Minshew who seemed out of sorts on multiple snaps on Sunday.
Juju Brents intercepted Lawrence early in the fourth quarter which set up the Colts in plus territory down 31-13. A fourth-down interception by Minshew significantly hindered the team’s chances of coming back.
The decision by Colts head coach Shane Steichen going for it on fourth down was perplexing for a coach that had yet to have his “rookie moment” that a young head coach typically has. A field goal would have put the Colts within two scores with more than 11 minutes remaining in the game. The team was able to get a quick three-and-out and Zack Moss touchdown in the span of 3:52.
All-pro returner Jamal Agnew stole any remaining hope the Colts had left with a 53-yard kickoff return into plus territory. The defense held strong once again, forcing a Brandon McManus field goal.
The defense was inserted into multiple tough circumstances Sunday with Jacksonville starting multiple drives in Colts territory including drives beginning at the Colts’ 37, 22, 39 and 19-yard lines. Pressure on Lawrence resulted in three sacks for Gus Bradley’s defense and Zaire Franklin continued his dominance with 14 total tackles.
The Colts established the run game early and often last week, resulting in 193 yards and both of the teams’ scores on the ground. This week, Steichen completely went away from the ground game, only handing the ball off 15 times for 44 yards to Moss and Jonathan Taylor.
The team has continually been hindered with slow starts so far this season, only scoring 24 first-quarter points while giving up 38 in the first slot.
With the news reported Sunday morning, the team now stares down a treacherous path if Sunday is a sign of things to come. Teams who have committed four or more turnovers this season are now 0-7 including the Colts’ effort Sunday.
One continued positive of this season has been the breakout of Michael Pittman Jr. who pulled down nine of his 14 targets for 109 yards. The team has also seen progression from rookie Josh Downs who caught his first career touchdown Sunday.
Alec Pierce also delivered a highlight play to extend the Colts drive on this fourth-down catch.
The Colts return home to Lucas Oil Stadium to take on the 3-2 Cleveland Browns who took down the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Steichen and the Colts have a long week of preparation ahead of them as the Browns are the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season.
