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Stephen Holder, ESPN
ATLANTA — The Indianapolis Colts had everything in front of them heading into Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
They had momentum — and promising playoff odds — following last week’s three-score win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which gave the Colts five wins in the past six games.
But a listless and lackadaisical 29-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday leaves Indianapolis with little margin for error as it endeavors to reach the postseason.
The disappointing effort prompted an honest locker room speech from quarterback Gardner Minshew, who attempted to give his teammates a wake-up call after they, perhaps, took Atlanta too lightly.
“You start counting wins and you start doing schedule math and you look around, it’s like, ‘Well they lost to Carolina; we beat the Steelers,'” Minshew recounted later. “Well you know what? You gotta go earn it right now. And if you take this lightly, you might not end up with another [chance].”
The message was well received.
“I feel like Gardner said it perfectly,” linebacker and defensive captain Zaire Franklin said. “Don’t take it for granted. Being in a situation in December where you could fight for a playoff spot and play meaningful football, don’t take it for granted. Don’t feel like you beat a team on paper just because [we’re] supposed to be better. It’s hard to win in this league. Unfortunately, today was a lesson.”
It’s a lesson many players on the roster should already know. The Colts were infamously eliminated from the playoffs in 2021 after losing a Week 18 game to the Jaguars, who entered the game with two wins, had lost their previous eight games and were coming off a 40-point loss to New England.
On Sunday, the Colts showed shades of their performance on that fateful day. After an effortless touchdown drive on their opening possession, the Colts were outscored 29-3.
Few of the Colts’ strengths showed up against Atlanta. Defensively, they entered the game with 25 sacks in their past six games and had recorded a takeaway in 19 straight games (the longest active streak in the NFL). The day ended without a turnover and just a single sack of new Falcons starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
Offensively, the running game fizzled after the opening drive, despite the return of star running back Jonathan Taylor, who was limited to 43 yards on 18 carries. And without No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion), the passing game was anemic.
Minshew completed just 20 of 37 attempts while under consistent pressure.
The longer the game wore on, the more the Colts unraveled.
“It wasn’t us,” coach Shane Steichen said. “You don’t want to see it. You’ve got to stop the bleeding. It starts with myself going forward. We’ve got to get that corrected.”
