The Colts were held to a minimum of 255 yards and 10 first downs on Sunday. Kansas City was outgained, 494-255. The -239 differential is the worst in a game for Indy since Week 7, 2017, vs. Jacksonville (-286). The 10 first downs are the fewest by the Colts in a game since Week 16, 2022, against the Los Angeles Chargers (also 10).
Daniel Jones had his worst day as a Colts passer, going 19-of-31 for 181 yards (a season low), two passing touchdowns and a 99.0 passer rating. The halftime game highlighted the collapse. In the first half, Jones was 10 of 12 for 94 passing yards, two passing TDs and a 138.9 passer rating. In the second half and overtime, he was 9-of-19 for 87 yards, no passing TDs and a 60.6 passer rating.
Not only is Steichen evaluating his questionable late-game call, but he’s also reconsidering the decision to throw the ball back to Mahomes instead of going for it on fourth-and-four at plus-45, up three points with under five minutes left. Even when he was strapped back, Mahomes still drove the Chiefs for the game-tying field goal. The wiser move would have been to try to keep the ball away from the three-time Super Bowl MVP.
“It was kind of a gut feeling there, that one on the 45-yard line,” Steichen said of the decision to punt. “I thought, let’s try to back him (Mahomes) up and let him go the long way instead of the short way. Obviously he went down there and we held them to a field goal, but yeah, you always look at these things and should I, could I, have gone there? Yeah, possibly.”
The Colts have scored exactly 20 points in all three of their losses this season.
Falling to 8-3, with their second loss in three weeks, Indy’s once-dominant division lead is in jeopardy. The Colts face both teams losing their shoes in the AFC South, with a home game against the 6-5 Texans on Sunday, followed by a trip to Jacksonville (7-4) in Week 14. The next two weeks could determine whether Indy regains the top spot in the division or whether we have a baby burner down the stretch.