The Indianapolis Colts fought and clawed their way back after putting themselves in a big hole during the wild-card loss against the Buffalo Bills and wound up making a bit of unfortunate history on the way.
The Colts became the first team in NFL history to lose a playoff game despite totaling over 450 yards of offense without committing a turnover.
The Colts are the first team to lose in playoff history with 450+ total yards (season-high 472 yards) and 0 turnovers. Teams were previously 11-0 hitting those benchmarks, according to @EliasSports
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) January 9, 2021
Given how much offense the Colts were able to create, this likely is an indication of their red-zone trips. The Colts were just 2-of-5 in the red zone on Saturday while nine of their 10 drives wound up in Buffalo territory.
Five of those offensive drives that made it into Bills territory ended without any points being scored. One of the crucial drives came late in the third quarter. The Colts chewed the clock and methodically moved down the field for a drive that lasted seven minutes and 33 seconds. All that just for rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to miss an easy field-goal attempt.
But the Colts had way too many self-inflicted wounds. From constant drops in the receiving game, failing to convert some fourth-down attempts and the missed field-goal attempt from 33 yards, it was a perfect storm that led to the Colts making some history.
Now, the Colts will be looking at this game wondering what could have been. Given their offensive output, they know they should have won this game.