The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Colts decision not to add depth cost them
INDIANAPOLIS — The seeds of the Colts’ overtime loss to the Rams were planted months ago.
Or, more accurately, weren't planted. Faced with a transitional season, the Colts decided to roll with young, inexperienced players at cornerback and the offensive line, and those decisions played key roles in a 29-23 overtime loss to the Rams.
Ultimately, the weak spots might end up being the reason the Colts cannot take advantage of the surprising poise and play they’re getting from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in Shane Steichen’s first season as head coach.
Richardson nearly brought Indianapolis back from a 23-0 deficit Sunday. If the Colts had more experience in the secondary or behind the starting offensive line, he might have pulled off the comeback — or faced a much smaller deficit than the one he ran down.
Los Angeles built that lead by taking advantage of the Indianapolis weaknesses.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 14 of 18 passes for 185 yards in the first half, directed two touchdown drives and put Los Angeles in scoring position on seven of its first eight offensive series, taking advantage of an Indianapolis secondary starting rookie JuJu Brents at one cornerback and Dallis Flowers, an undrafted free agent in his second season, at the other.
Indianapolis had been able to overcome its lack of experience in the secondary the previous two weeks by relying on the play of a defensive line that racked up 12 sacks, tied for second-most in the league over three weeks.
“Phenomenal,” defensive backs coach Ron Milus said of the Colts defensive line. “When we look at it, it jumps off the screen, the way our guys have been able to be disruptive, not just in the run game, but in the pass game. … We’ve got to be able, at our level, to match what they’re doing.”
But Stafford is the kind of quarterback who knows how to neutralize the impact of a good rush, especially on a day when the Colts’ best pass rusher, DeForest Buckner, was on a pitch count due to injuries.
“He knows everything that’s going on,” said Kenny Moore II, the only experienced Indianapolis cornerback, after picking off Stafford at a key moment in the second half. “He feels the checks, he feels the pressure that’s about to happen. He has accelerated vision.”
The Rams quarterback spent most of the day getting the ball out of his hands before the rush could get home or dancing away from pressure.
“It’s tough, staying consistent in your rushes and keep on attacking when you’re not necessarily getting home on time,” Colts defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo said.
Indianapolis tried to counter Stafford’s quick-strike approach by disguising its coverages, specifically with the way strong safety Julian Blackmon was deployed.
“Disguise, we were trying to do everything that I could. Our coaches were trying to put me in positions to kind of hold, so he had to pat-pat on the ball,” Blackmon said. “He’s been in this league for a long time, he knows what he wants to do, he’ll slide protection so he has more time to throw the ball.”
Another way to make Stafford hold the ball long enough for the pass rush to get home is to cover Rams receivers well enough to make him extend the play.
The young Indianapolis secondary instead found itself chasing open Rams receivers for most of the first half.
“It’s just savvy coaching, savvy quarterback,” Brents said. “They don’t allow you to get up there and press guys, challenge guys, what we like to do. They just get you in tough situations with your leverage.”
A secondary with more experience, more established players might be less vulnerable to the tricks of Stafford and Rams head coach Sean McVay.
Less likely to make a mistake in a key moment.
After making enough plays to allow Richardson to pull off a 23-point comeback, the Colts couldn’t stop the Rams in overtime. On the game-winning play, Brents made a mistake that allowed Los Angeles rookie Puka Nacua to get wide open for a 22-yard touchdown.
Los Angeles bunched three receivers to the right side, and at the snap Nacua ran a deep in, while tight end Tyler Higbee ran a quick out. Brents, the rookie, stayed with Higbee, who was already covered by Moore, leaving Nacua wide open.
“Bad communication,” Brents said. “I have to be better on that play, have to execute better. Take the high cut, be better on the in and outs.”
Indianapolis thought Rams receiver Tutu Atwell should have been flagged for a false start on the play.
But even if Atwell wasn’t flagged, the Colts have to be able to cover, and much as they like Brents — the second-round pick and Indianapolis native has impressed the coaching staff — there are going to be mistakes like that from young cornerbacks. Indianapolis is almost always playing two cornerbacks with little experience, and could be playing two rookies after Flowers went down with an injury late in Sunday’s game.
Rookie Jaylon Jones replaced Flowers, and the team’s other option, Darrell Baker Jr., is another former undrafted free agent in his second season, a player who struggled so much in the first two weeks that the Colts made him inactive against Baltimore and Los Angeles.
Milus does not have a more experienced option at his disposal, a decision made by Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard, who said there would be growing pains.
On Sunday, those growing pains allowed Stafford to hit Nacua nine times for 163 yards, throw for 319 yards overall and drive 75 yards in eight plays for a touchdown in overtime, keeping Richardson off the field entirely.
“We’re a secondary on the come,” Milus said earlier in the week. “We’re young, and we’re going to get better. I’m not making any excuses. We’ve just got to go out and do it.”
The Colts faced the same problem at left tackle on Sunday.
Indianapolis lost starting left tackle Bernhard Raimann to a concussion in practice last week, and the Colts started rookie Blake Freeland, a fourth-round pick, in his place, on Sunday, after not adding a more experienced player at the tackle position this offseason.
Richardson was sacked only twice on Sunday, but Freeland struggled mightily, contributing to the ugly Indianapolis start offensively and forcing Richardson to abandon plays early, using his feet to escape the pocket.
When the Colts decided not to add experience at either spot this offseason, they knew there would be growing pains like the ones that hurt Indianapolis on Sunday.
But the franchise is in a transitional year, the team’s thinking went, and with a rookie quarterback, it did not make sense to throw resources at experienced players, the kind who might not have a long-term ceiling but could help in a pinch.
Four games into Richardson’s rookie season, though, the No. 4 pick in the draft has given the Colts better play than almost anybody expected, putting them in position on Sunday to get off to a 3-1 start, the kind that could spark Indianapolis to a surprising playoff berth, no matter Richardson’s inexperience.
Maybe the Colts can still pull off that kind of season.
But if there are growing pains going on around Richardson, it’s going to be tough to make every chance count.
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