2015 NFL Playoffs: What Went Wrong For the Colts?
Is it over?
Off a pair of playoff wins in which they allowed a combined 23 points to the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos, there were those who felt the Indianapolis Colts had more than a puncher’s chance at Foxborough in Sunday’s AFC title game.
Guess who got belted?
It was déjà vu for Chuck Pagano’s team as well as quarterback Andrew Luck, who saw their records against the New England Patriots fall to 0-4 (including a pair of postseason losses) courtesy of a 45-7 setback to the Pats.
And let’s be Blount. As in LeGarrette, who obviously enjoys playing against the Colts in the playoffs. Last season in the divisional round, he ran for 166 yards and four scores. On Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, he totaled 148 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
It appears to be simplistic but the bottom line is that this season’s 18th-ranked run defense looks even worse than that when they line up against the Patriots.
And the Colts’ shortcomings on defense continued to be magnified in this series. You do the math.
2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs: 46 attempts for 234 yards, 6 touchdowns.
2014 (Week 11) at Indianapolis: 44 attempts for 246 yards, 4 touchdowns.
2014 AFC Championship Game: 40 attempts for 170 yards, 3 touchdowns.
All right…we’ll help. In the last three meetings with the Patriots, Indianapolis defenders have allowed 657 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground on a combined 130 attempts.
So the team that had allowed just 33 points in their last three outings was smoked for 45 points by Tom Brady and company.
Meanwhile, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck continues to have his issues in this series. He and his team are a combined 0-4 vs. New England since 2012, including a pair of playoff setbacks. He’s thrown for 1,094 yards and six scores but has also been picked off 10 times (two of those thefts returned for touchdowns). The third-year pro has also been sacked five times and lost a fumble while his team has been outscored a combined 189-73 in those defeats.
But on Sunday at New England, Andrew was simply Bad Luck. He completed only 12 of his 33 throws for a mere 126 yards and a pair of interceptions. Pagano’s club ran only 52 offensive plays compared to the Patriots’ 76 and New England controlled the ball for 37:49 of the contest.
If you’re looking for a silver lining for the Colts, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one from this contest. And while the Luck and company did come within one game of the Super Bowl, this was one very long game.