The Colts were 0-4 going into last Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Everyone knows that the Colts aren’t a playoff team without Peyton Manning. No one has been arguing that they are, but the way they lost their game Sunday has many people, myself included, more disturbed than I thought I could ever be after watching a Colts game.
Now let me preface the following with a disclaimer. I believe that it’s players that make the difference, not plays. Coaches call plays, but it ultimately comes down to execution by the guys wearing the jerseys. I’ll now follow that statement by saying that the Colts’ coaching staff had a great week of preparation. They had their team ready to play on Sunday, and it showed for exactly 30 minutes. Then halftime came, and Kansas City’s coaches opened up the proverbial “can of whoop ass.”
The Colts jumped out early in the game with a strong looking 17-0 lead. After forfeiting a touchdown to the Chiefs, the Colts put up another one of their own making the score 24-7. No problem right? Wrong. Matt Cassel and the Chiefs set out for a touchdown as the first half was winding, and they were able to cut the Colts’ lead to 10 before the second half.
Then something happened. The Colts, who had been dominating the game in nearly ever facet, stopped fighting. They went from attacking to defending, something that didn’t happen in the Manning era and for good reason. The Colts handed the game over to their defense. Their strategy may have worked had the Colts not given away a touchdown at the end of the first half. Let me explain.
A team that comes out of the locker room in the second half down by 17 points is far more inclined to panic and go pass heavy than a team that trails by just ten points. That’s exactly what happened too. The Chiefs stayed patient and ran the ball, very effectively I might add, in the second half.
The Colts’ defensive line is a machine of destruction… so long as the opposing team is passing. If they’re not, the Colts are left defenseless. I’ve been saying for quite some time that the Colts defensive ends need to mind their gaps better. They rush up field too far on running situations, and that’s what bit them against the Chiefs. Going back to that touchdown at the end of the first half; the Chiefs would have likely been pass heavy in the second half if they would have trailed by 17. If that had been the case, the Colts would have been able to tee off on Cassel, but that’s just not how it played out.
Below is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. This play was a 1st and 10 on the Chiefs second drive of the second half. They hadn’t scored on their first drive of the half, and had their deficit been greater, they may have been passing, but they stuck to the run. On the play, Mathis and Freeney take themselves completely out of relevance by rushing way too far up-field.
As you can see, it’s an inside run. Had it been an outside run, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the Chiefs ran right at the Colts’ vacated gaps, and they ripped off a nice gain. After a good move and more poor gap management by the Colts…
If you’re wondering, the Chiefs player that is at the left edge of the Colts’ midfield logo is the guy with the ball, and he’s still running here. This wasn’t a one time thing either. This happened over and over throughout the second half.
What followed was simply a great comeback by the Kansas City Chiefs. They moved the ball well, and they stopped the Colts in every situation in the second half. It’s no wonder that the Colts are 0-5. They haven’t been able to make adjustments throughout their games as other coaches have made their respective adjustments. The result is that the Colts come in with a good game plan but it’s stale by the later phases of the game.
A lot of teams have blown big leads this year, and the Colts have been no exception. This is a team looking for something to build on, and it’s not quite there. The Chiefs, on the other hand, are gaining momentum and looking to continue to extend their winning streak. They’ve got a chance to do very good things. The Colts are sunk.
