Good, bad and ugly from Colts disappointing loss to Giants

If you’re up for it, let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly from the Colts’ performance against the Giants.

At least for Week 17, the help that the Indianapolis Colts needed to keep their playoff hopes did arrive, with Cincinnati defeating Denver on Saturday.

The problem, however, and in fitting fashion given how this season has gone, was that the Colts were ultimately eliminated from playoff contention by their own undoing.

Against the then two-win New York Giants, the Colts surrendered 45 points to what was, on paper, the worst offense in football.

Unfortunately, this loss isn’t uncharted waters for the Colts under GM Chris Ballard and was reminiscent of one from just a few seasons ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the final game of that season.

So if you’re up for it, with the dust having settled–somewhat–let’s take a look back at the Colts’ performance with the good, bad, and ugly of it all.

The Good

The passing game: Arguably the best performance of the season from the Colts’ passing game. Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman would combine for 15 receptions, 231 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Flacco’s performance provided the Colts’ offense with stability in the short to intermediate passing game, leading to catch and run opportunities, an area that Anthony Richardson has struggled with.

Jonathan Taylor and the run game: It was tough sledding at times for Taylor, which has been the case previously without Richardson and the threat of him running the ball. However, the Colts did stick with the run game even when trailing by multiple scores and it paid off for the offense. Taylor finished the game with 125 rushing yards and two scores. Again, behind a strong running game, the Colts’ offense was very efficient on third downs.

Run defense: The Colts were able to bottle up the Giants running game. Tyrone Tracy totaled 59 yards on 20 carries and 40 of those yards came on just one run. As a team, the Giants averaged just 2.7 yards per attempt. Oftentimes, limiting an opponent’s run game–especially for an offense that has struggled as much as the Giants have–is a precursor for defensive success. But not for the Colts.

The Bad

Kick coverage unit: In recent weeks, the Colts kick coverage units had been leaking some oil but that quickly turned into a full blown breakdown at the start of the third quarter with the Giants returning the kickoff for a touchdown. With the Colts scoring before halftime, that play was a huge momentum shift in the Giants’ favor.

Too many big plays and missed tackles: This was a fitting way to get knocked out of playoff contention for the Colts. Two of the biggest issues all season for this defense–giving up explosive plays and missed tackles–was ultimately their undoing in New York. By my count, the Giants generated eight plays of at least 19 yard, most of which came through the air, and PFF counted 13 missed tackles by the Colts’ defense–one week after having 18 against the Titans. As we saw, big plays lead to points.

Missed opportunities on offense: The offense put up 33 points behind three separate 100 yard performance. However, there were still costly missed opportunities in this game as well. Flacco threw an interception on the opening possession with the Colts on the cusp of putting up some points. A third down sack in the red zone forced them to kick a field goal and a failed fourth down attempt by Taylor–who tried to jump over the pile for some reason–turned the ball over in Giants’ territory. Matt Gay also missed a 54 yard field goal attempt.

The Ugly

This can’t happen: We can pick apart all of the issues that we saw from the Colts’ on-field performance on Sunday, but unfortunately, the issues that this team faces going forward go well beyond that. In a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive and against a two-win Giants team that was in the midst of a 10 game losing streak and featured an offense averaging 14 points per game–that was the performance the Colts put out there? That’s a problem that begins with what is taking place off the field in the week leading up to the game.