When it was all said and done, the Indianapolis Colts (3-2) snapped their winning streak with a 32-23 loss at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (4-1).
There were a few studs and duds in the matchup. Most of the takeaways revolved around the second half offense that squandered several chances to get back into the game. Now, the Colts will look to move on from this loss in hopes of entering the Week 7 bye with a 4-2 record.
But before that, here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 5:
The Good
Colts LBs: With Darius Leonard out, the Colts got fantastic play from Bobby Okereke and Anthony Walker Jr. Both came away with interceptions while showing off impressive coverage skills. They were also key in limiting Kareem Hunt to just 3.6 yards per carry.
WR T.Y. Hilton: It wasn’t a dominating breakout game for Hilton, but it was encouraging. On 95% of the offensive snaps, Ghost grabbed six receptions on 10 targets for 69 yards. He looked more like himself on Sunday.
DT Grover Stewart: Probably the most underrated defender for the Colts, Stewart was in the backfield all day. He continues to be a menace against the run and is arguably the biggest reason for the defense’s success in that phase of the game to open the season.
K Rodrigo Blankenship: The undrafted rookie kicker has been wonderful. On Sunday, he converted all three of his field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point attempts for another perfect outing.
The Bad
QB Philip Rivers: The 38-year-old got exposed in the second half. He looked sharp to begin the game, but he wound up throwing two crucial interceptions after halftime—one of which was taken back for a touchdown. Rivers finished with a 60.5 passer rating and has yet to throw for multiple touchdowns in a game.
Offensive Line: Without Anthony Castonzo, the offensive line couldn’t get much going. There were a few drives where they got push in the run game, but pass protection was shoddy at best. Le’Raven Clark struggled while Quenton Nelson hasn’t played like his usual self.
Frank Reich’s challenges: Reich challenged the first play of the game and he appeared to be right. No quarrels about that. But halfway through the second quarter, Odell Beckham Jr. juggled a pass and seemingly came down with the ball. Reich quickly challenged only to lose his third timeout of the half and negated any chance of challenging later in the game.
The Ugly
Situational Football: The struggles continue here for the Colts. They were 4/11 (36%) on third downs and 1/4 (25%) in the red zone. It’s killing the offense.
Costly Turnovers: Rivers wound up throwing two interceptions in the second half and was credited with intentional grounding in his own end zone, which resulted in a safety.
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