Anatomy of Colts’ collapse: How breakdowns, penalties, time led to wrong side of history

INDIANAPOLIS — The loss, the way in which it occurred, like a dam bursting open on the seams, caught with defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

Though his protection had been frolicked to dry, the way in which the Indianapolis protection has so typically been pressured to attempt to carry the load of the Colts’ anemic offense this season.

Bradley’s job isn’t to fret in regards to the offense. Honest or not, his protection hadn’t been capable of decelerate the avalanche the offense unleashed on it within the fourth quarter towards Dallas, and it caught with Bradley and the remainder of the Colts’ defensive teaching employees.

That they had a bye week to suppose it over. Earlier than Minnesota, earlier than the Vikings pulled off the largest comeback in NFL historical past on Saturday, Indianapolis obtained outscored 33-0 within the fourth quarter in Dallas, and although his protection had been handed brief fields by the offense’s turnovers time and time once more, Bradley believed his protection ought to have finished extra to maintain it from getting out of hand.

“Let’s discuss in regards to the Dallas sport,” Bradley mentioned Tuesday. “There have been 14 performs on the finish of the sport that we actually took a tough have a look at, and felt like, (from a) ball-ready, we’re prepared, we’re down, Cobra demeanor, everyone’s on the identical web page (standpoint). It felt like we weren’t fairly prepared at occasions, and so they quick-snapped us a few occasions. We simply weren’t able to play ball.”

When Bradley and his employees turned their consideration to tape of the Vikings, they noticed the potential for one more outburst.

“They had been a tempo crew, too, in order that was a giant emphasis with our guys,” Bradley mentioned. “Tempo, effort, fundamentals, tackling and getting the ball had been actually our keys going into the Minnesota sport.”

The Indianapolis protection dominated for a half.

What occurred after halftime in Minneapolis goes into the NFL’s document guide.

And as arduous because it was in Saturday’s locker room to make sense of the comeback, Bradley has a greater grasp on it now.

How did the Colts blow the largest lead in NFL historical past?

Earlier than Bradley takes blame for the failed stops and breaks down the protection’s errors, it’s vital to acknowledge the offense’s position within the greatest NFL collapse of all-time.

As a result of Bradley wasn’t about to move the buck.

A Colts protection that dominated Minnesota within the first half didn’t fully capitulate within the second half and extra time. The Indianapolis protection obtained stops after halftime.

The Colts pressured a three-and-out on the primary collection of the second half. Rodney Thomas II picked off Kirk Cousins within the purple zone within the fourth quarter. The protection took full benefit of the present given to Indianapolis when the referees blew the whistle early on Chandon Sullivan’s fumble restoration for a landing, stopping Cousins chilly to keep up the lead. The Indianapolis protection even obtained a cease on the primary collection of extra time, giving the Colts offense an opportunity it didn’t need to win the sport.

The Indianapolis offense couldn’t make the most of any of it.

As an alternative, the Colts offense saved sending the protection again on the market.

“We couldn’t put collectively or maintain a drive to place it away or end it,” interim coach Jeff Saturday mentioned.

Indianapolis didn’t have a drive within the second half that took longer than three minutes, 29 seconds.

Six drives, not together with the knee the Colts took on the finish of the fourth quarter, took lower than two and a half minutes.

Two drives took lower than a minute.

“It’s a line you stroll,” Colts play caller Parks Frazier mentioned. “You’re taking your probabilities on while you wish to be slightly bit extra aggressive, and then you definitely take your probabilities on, ‘Hey, let’s milk some clock proper right here.’ Even in occasions while you milk the clock, it’s not that you just’re conceding to a punt. You’re nonetheless attempting to get first downs.”  

The Colts offense didn’t get sufficient of any of it.

And the protection saved getting despatched again onto the sector, going through an unimaginable 61 performs within the second half and extra time, so many performs that the seven sacks and three takeaways the Colts protection posted ended up getting overwhelmed by all of the offensive performs the Vikings ran.

The move rush is meant to shut video games.

Arduous to do this when the quarterback retains getting probabilities.

“Sacks are an excellent barometer to take a look at, however I feel there have been 54 passes within the sport; how a lot did you have an effect on him on the opposite performs?” Bradley mentioned. “There have been occasions, the pressures that we ran on the finish, we didn’t hit him, however we affected him. We had some performs like that, however when he has that many alternatives with that talent set, we’ve obtained to do an excellent job of affecting him, making him hitch and permitting the push to get there. We’re at all times going to ask for extra.”

Colts had new issues vs. Vikings

When Bradley seems on the Minnesota sport, he sees a unique downside than the lapses that killed the Colts towards Dallas.

Gamers like DeForest Buckner, Zaire Franklin and Isaiah Rodgers had been proper.

The hassle was there. The execution was not.

“What harm us was the explosive performs,” Bradley mentioned. “An explosive play is 20 yards, an explosive run is 10, these weren’t, like, 21-yard explosive performs. These had been 60-yard explosive performs.”

There have been two.

The primary, a 63-yard move to Ok.J. Osborn that lastly obtained the Vikings offense on observe, was a blown protection.

“We had a miscommunication,” Bradley mentioned. “The Mike linebacker (Franklin) didn’t run with it, and he was large open.”

The second was a complete breakdown, a play that paradoxically occurred partly as a result of the Colts move rush saved coming after Cousins. Indianapolis had 4 sacks within the second half and extra time, yet one more than the Colts had posted within the first-half shutout.

“The collection earlier than, for those who have a look at it, first, second, third down, we had stress on the quarterback,” Bradley mentioned. “Lots of occasions, when groups see a number of stress, they attempt to examine to screens to gradual it down. They got here out the primary play, ran a jailbreak display, and we had been in a zone protection and misfit it.”

The Colts broke down on each ends of Dalvin Prepare dinner’s 64-yard landing.

To begin with, on the level of assault, Indianapolis allowed a lane to open.

On the opposite aspect of the sector, the Colts did a nasty job of masking for his or her teammates’ errors.

“With that being mentioned, our bottom pursuit took some unhealthy angles,” Bradley mentioned.  “So certainly one of our keys to victory was tackling, and good fundamentals, we didn’t use good fundamentals and tackling on that play. Even when we misfit it, it ought to have been eight, 9 yards.”

‘These issues should be eradicated’

The 2 massive performs, and the offense’s incapability to play complementary soccer, gave the Vikings the time they wanted to finish the comeback.

Two massive performs isn’t sufficient to beat a 33-0 deficit.

Indianapolis additionally gave up drives of eight, six and 5 performs, drives prolonged by back-breaking penalties. The Colts protection was flagged six occasions for 78 yards within the second half and extra time, and though not each penalty led to a rating — Stephon Gilmore’s pointless roughness and Buckner’s roughing the passer didn’t — they prolonged Minnesota drives.

Almost each one of many penalties was considerably questionable, particularly Buckner’s glancing blow on Cousins in extra time.

However Bradley didn’t put the blame for the flags on the referees.

“We had some silly penalties,” Bradley mentioned. “The taunting one (a 15-yard penalty on Dayo Odeyingbo) is a silly penalty. These issues, we’ve obtained a second-and-long scenario and we taunt, these issues should be eradicated.”

The opposite penalties got here right down to letter of the regulation.

For instance, Thomas II was flagged for an pointless roughness on a key landing drive, and the issue got here right down to approach.

“With Rodney Thomas, he got here down and lowered his head to attempt to get throughout (Justin Jefferson’s) physique, however while you decrease your head, you’ve obtained to maintain your head and eyes up,” Bradley mentioned.

Gilmore’s play on Jefferson appeared clear, just like the veteran cornerback made contact with Jefferson’s chest.

The NFL’s guidelines took situation with the way in which Gilmore accelerated into the hit.

“All of us realized on the launching with Gilmore,” Bradley mentioned. “Though it was within the chest space, you’ll be able to’t go away your ft to launch.”

How a lot was the Colts protection guilty vs. the Vikings?

Finally, the Colts’ defensive efficiency appears arduous to guage.

Indianapolis pressured three turnovers, sacked Cousins seven occasions, pressured Minnesota to show the ball over on downs thrice, gave up simply 82 yards within the first half. Groups with not less than three takeaways and 7 sacks are 338-19-4 in NFL historical past, a .942 profitable proportion.

However the Colts’ offense saved placing the protection again on the sector, and in the end, the way in which Bradley sees it, Indianapolis needed to get the job finished.

“it’s such a precision league,” Bradley mentioned. “It’s not 88 performs, it’s not 90 performs, it’s the entire sport. We didn’t play with precision like we would have liked to, particularly within the second half.”

A second half that shall be arduous to neglect.