Losing this game is sickening for Colts fans.  We won the game in every way but on the scoreboard and we let it slip away.  Against what seems to be conventional wisdom on this board, the blunt of the blame should not be placed on the defense's shoulders.  Bad offensive play calling, bad passes, an imbalanced attack and squandered opportunities on offense really took the air out of our balloon in this game.  The defense allowed a lot of running yards but only 16 points in the game, 3 FGs and 1 TD.  However, we allowed too many 3rd down conversions which I will cover and we simply HAVE TO learn how to substitute fresh players in during the game when our D is on the field for the amount of time they were in this game.

Peyton Manning - Peyton is not yet back to his true form.  His accuracy is off, throwing the ball into the ground, behind receivers on crossing patterns, short on deep passes or long and about 1/3 he hits right on target.  I don't know the exact reason for this, some blame can be on feeling pressure but there's something still not right with Peyton and it has been hurting us a lot this year.

Receivers - We have had a problem dropping passes so far this year.  Reggie more than anyone else has been dropping too many passes.  Something needs to be fixed here because if Manning is struggling with accuracy we have to make catches when they are on target.  We've been inconsistent in that effort and it's cost us points.

Offensive Line - How much do you love Jeff Saturday?  This guy is a Hall of Famer in my opinion, the difference he makes on the line is astounding and I truly believe that when Lilja returns we'll have one of the strongest interior offensive lines in the league.  They played much better in this game allowing Peyton to look down the field more often and, had he taken better advantage of those opportunities, would have been seen as heroes in the game.

Anthony Gonzalez/Dallas Clark - These two have played their hearts out this year.  I love Gonzo and Clark and how tough they play.  Its unfortunate they were not targeted more after the first quarter.

Mike Hart - Why do we not give this kid a chance to make a play?  Rhodes and Addai both played really well but I still just don't get it.

Tim Jennings - Tim Jennings made great special teams plays and good tackles with the ball in front of him on the ground.  However, we have Tim Jennings in the game to be a "cover corner," that is his MO.  Somehow, however, he is targeted TIME AND TIME AGAIN on 3rd down and long and gives up a yard more than is needed for the opposing offense to get a first down.  I AM TIRED OF SEEING HIM PLAY WITH A CUSHION SO LARGE THAT IT INVITES OPPONENTS TO HAVE A FREE FIRST DOWN, COMPLIMENTS OF TIM JENNINGS.  Either Jennings truly is a cover corner and starts playing tight like a cover corner is supposed to or it is time for him to allow someone else to have a shot.  How about Hughes or Ratliff?  I'm done watching it.

Defensive Substitutions - WHERE ARE THEY?  Last I checked most of us feel confident in our depth at most positions on the field, on offense and defense.  Outside of DT, which is still an unkown to this point, we have good back-up LBs, Corners and safeties.  Additionally, we have two guys who I am unsure have played a down this year in Curtis Johnson and Marcus Howard who have real promise and can give our DEs a bit of a break.  WHY DO WE NOT DO SO?  Curtis Johnson has shown the kind of tenacity I see as being extremely valuable when other guys are tired.  Jordan Senn showed real competence against the run at LB and Philip Wheeler/Buster Davis must not be slouches or I don't see how a good player like Kyle Shotwell can get cut and Minnesota, the best run defense in the league, can snatch him up so quickly.  In Bullitt and Giordano we have solid Safety depth and they got into the game but it seems like they're the only ones we trust to give guys a breather.  Dante Hughes has shown real ability in his short career with the Colts but gets few opportunities to give Jennings or another CB a breather.  I just don't get why we let a light defense which is known for its speed get beat up by a much larger and more physical offense for 20 minutes without giving guys a breather.  It's absurd and has to change.

Offensive play calling - HAS BEEN HORRIBLE.  "We've not been able to establish the run."  That was our mantra coming into this game which explained why our offense struggled to get things going and be as explosive as we've seen it in the past.  In this game, we did establish the run, early and we were successful with it.  It opened up the offense and spread out the defense to allow Peyton and Co. more opportunities to go deep and make big offensive plays.  However, after Manning overthrows, underthrows, or simply misses his receivers... after we don't have the ball for more than 12 min. we abandon the running game with only one short run to the left (4 yards) and then two straight passing plays... the last of which is underthrown and picked.  The defense is forced back on the field tired and still holds the Jags to a FG.  The offense comes back on the field and Peyton "works his magic" which is great... it was a beautiful drive.  But that drive doesn't "forgive all" as some on this board seem to believe.  The offense sucked, Peyton tried to bail us out and did a great job on that series but the offense's putrid performance for much of the game forced the defense's back against the wall.  The defense gets a crappy PI call against them (BOGUS) and the Jags sneak out with a LONG 51 yard FG to win it.

The defense does not deserve any rewards for a GREAT DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE... however, they did their job really well considering the circumstances.  If the Colts offense can't outscore their opponents 16 points, we'll be in trouble.  Oh and it was interesting to note that when we brought some bulk inside on the DL we stopped yielding long runs up the gut... thought I'd mention that.