Colts’ ‘unacceptable’ fourth-quarter turnover barrage leads to blowout loss to Cowboys

The Indianapolis Colts pulled to inside two factors, 21-19, Sunday night time in Dallas coming into the fourth quarter. Then the floodgates opened, and the Cowboys piled up factors and compelled turnovers, sprinting to a 54-19 victory.

Indy turned the ball over on 4 straight possessions within the remaining quarter. It began with a Mo Alie-Cox fumble returned for a TD by former Colts security Malik Hooker. Then quarterback Matt Ryan threw his second and third interceptions of the night time and topped this catastrophe sundae with a fumble.

The turnover points have plagued Indy all season, however Sunday’s epic deluge in prime time was one other stage of unhealthy. For the season, the Colts have 26 turnovers, an NFL excessive.

“You probably have 30 turnovers in a season, it is simply so expensive,” receiver Parris Campbell stated, by way of the Related Press. “Clearly, the report speaks for itself. That was simply unacceptable.”

If you happen to went to mattress at first of the fourth quarter Sunday night time, you may need anticipated to get up to a good field rating. As an alternative, the turnovers led to a laugher, because the Cowboys scored 33 factors within the fourth quarter. Dallas grew to become the third staff in NFL historical past to attain that many factors within the fourth quarter of a recreation (2007 Lions — Week 4 vs. Chicago; 1925 Cardinals — Week 13 vs. Milwaukee Badgers).

Ryan continued his season-long battle with turnovers. The Indy QB has 18 giveaways and 13 INTs this season, each most within the NFL.

Regardless of the QB’s struggles, interim coach Jeff Saturday insisted he by no means thought-about benching Ryan.

“From a quarterback perspective, you dig your self a gap, you have to get out,” Saturday stated. “He is aware of he did not play good. It did not take us to inform him. However no, you do not yank him. You’re employed your means out no completely different than every other participant. You discover a strategy to repair it and get higher.”

Heading into the bye at 4-8-1, Saturday did not fully dismiss a possible QB change for the ultimate 4 weeks, whether or not that may very well be Nick Foles or Sam Ehlinger.

“It is 5 minutes after a beating,” Saturday stated. “I am disenchanted, they’re disenchanted, no determination I’ll make proper now’s going to be a great determination. We have got weeks to go about this. A four-game season. We have to get higher. As a staff we have to get higher in a variety of completely different areas.”

Indy entered the yr with postseason aspirations, however Sunday’s blowout loss ensured a .500 or worse report.

“We have got 4 video games left,” Campbell stated. “Are we going to put down for each single opponent, or are you going to reply? What are we product of? How can we reply?”

How they reply may have important repercussions for a lot of in Indy this offseason, from basic supervisor Chris Ballard to Saturday to Ryan and on down the road.