Knee-jerk reactions: Colts’ late-game heroics fall short in 29-23 OT loss to Rams

Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams was the tale of two halves, as the Indianapolis Colts came storming back down 20-0 at halftime. The Rams won the coin toss to start the overtime period and marched it right down the field, scoring the game-winning touchdown and dropping the Colts to 2-2 on the season.

COLTS’ DEFENSE HAS ROUGH OUTING AGAINST RAMS’ OFFENSE

The Colts’ defense as a whole struggled mightily against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, surrendering 467 total yards of offense to Matt Stafford and co. Indy’s defensive struggles helped the Rams jump out to an early 20-0 lead going into halftime. On a day where Indy really struggled to create much of a pass rush, with only two sacks of Stafford, the veteran quarterback took advantage of the time he was given, completing 27-of-40 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

Stafford and wide receiver Puka Nacua were in sync all game long, as Nacua’s big season continued with nine receptions on ten targets for 163 receiving yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime. The rookie averaged 18.1 yards per reception and played a major role in Los Angeles’ victory. Tight end Tyler Higbee also made several key plays with five receptions for 64 yards. Indy’s secondary, which is one of the youngest and more inexperienced units in the NFL, certainly showed their youth on Sunday.

With both DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart dealing with injuries, Indianapolis’ run defense was not the same as it had been throughout the first three weeks of the season. In total, the Rams rushed for 164 total yards, 103 of which came from running back Kyren Williams. Williams averaged 4.1 yards per carry to go along with his two rushing touchdowns on the afternoon.

COLTS’ OFFENSE SHOWS SIGNS OF PROGRESSION IN COME-FROM-BEHIND EFFORT

Indianapolis’ offense got off to a really slow start and found themselves trailing 20-0. In the first half, it seemed like the Colts couldn’t get much going, and the few drives that showed some promise offensively turned into three-and-outs or, in one instance, a fumble by rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Indy’s offense as a whole just couldn’t find much of a rhythm early. The second half was a much different story, as Richardson made several impressive plays to help kickstart the comeback for the Colts.

While Richardson didn’t have the most efficient day through the air (11-of-25 passing), the rookie made the most of his attempts and managed to garner 256 total yards of offense to go along with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. If you’re the Colts, you’ve got to really like what you saw from Richardson in big moments Sunday. In the fourth quarter, as Indianapolis trailed by 15 points, the rookie helped lead the Colts back with two massive touchdown drives and converted on a key two-point conversion, which helped send the game into overtime.

Indianapolis also rushed for 133 yards between Richardson and running backs Zack Moss and Trey Sermon. Moss had 70 rushing yards on 18 carries, which included a few big runs in key situations. Overall, while the Colts didn’t have the most productive day offensively, they were able to climb their way back from being in a massive hole and found a way to make serious noise late in the third and fourth quarter. Sunday’s performance helped showcase some of the promising offensive talent the Colts will have to work with in the future.