An inspired defensive effort gave the offense every opportunity to leave Minnesota with a victory Sunday, but an absent passing attack, two rarely missed field goals and another deciding turnover delivered a familiar defeat. The Colts lost 16-10 to the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium, dropping their third straight game and falling to 2-5 this season.
Indianapolis led 10-6 at halftime, but could not engineer any points in the second half. It felt like another cruel reminder of how badly it has unraveled
as the Colts have earned as many wins overseas between Berlin and London as they have stateside over the past calendar year. Daniel Jones finished 13 of 22 for just 108 passing yards, throwing his seventh decisive interception to end the final drive. The Colts entered Sunday with a minus-8 turnover margin, which was the worst in the NFL. Minnesota averaged a league-high two takeaways per game, and Indianapolis lost the turnover battle again, on the final chance to win the game.
The defense did enough to win and Taylor showcased he can still generate the most explosive play of the game. But when the offense scores just 10 points, the glaring missed field goals and mistakes to close the game cost the Colts another game. The Colts did not need perfection Sunday, but they needed their offense to finish drives. Perhaps the biggest issue with backup QB Anthony Richardson Sr. was his inability to sustain drives, but it’s near malpractice to not consider a change or at least include a package for the dual-threat QB to play snaps inside the red zone.
Jaylahn Tuimoloau and Akeem Davis-Gaither stuffed Vikings running back Aaron Jones in the backfield on fourth down to force a turnover on downs on their opening drive. Indianapolis broke the ice as Daniel Jones relied on his security blanket to move the chains. Facing third down, Jones hit receiver Keenan Allen on a slant to move the sticks near midfield. Three plays later, Jones motioned Josh Downs across the formation and found his slot receiver on a hitch to convert another third down.
Star running back Jonathan Taylor took over from there with the longest play from scrimmage, breaking through the Vikings touted defense for a 38-yard touchdown run to cap a seven-play, 61-yard opening drive to give Indianapolis an early 7-0 lead. Taylor led the Colts with 110 scrimmage yards, including 95 rushing yards on 18 carries and one touchdown.
The defense had opportunities to get stops as Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was aggressive with two early tries on fourth down. Quarterback Kyler Murray moved the Vikings into scoring range three times in the first half, but Indianapolis forced Minnesota to settle for a pair of field goals as Will Reichard connected from 28 and 47 yards out on consecutive drives to cut the deficit to 7-6.
Aside from the missed opportunities on special teams, the two most costly sequences for the Colts were clearly the end of each half. Indianapolis appeared poised to extend its lead with the offense set up five yards from the end zone with goal-to-go inside the final minute of the first half. An offensive holding penalty pushed the Colts backward, then Jones took an inexcusable 11-yard sack on second down that let the game clock wind down.
Spencer Shrader salvaged the 22-play drive with a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colts a 10-6 lead at halftime. The second half was a much different story for Shrader. He missed wide left on a tough 56-yarder that wasted a 13-play drive, then missed a 48-yarder wide right that squandered a chance to level the score late in the final frame.
Minnesota’s pass rush overwhelmed Indianapolis, gathering consecutive sacks to force a punt that flipped field position. Shrader’s first miss proved costly on the first play of the fourth quarter when Murray opened with a 35-yard scramble. Murray found tight end T.J. Hockenson at the near pylon for a 5-yard touchdown to take a 13-10 lead.
The Colts answered with another four-minute drive into Vikings territory, only to settle for a chance to tie and watched Shrader miss a 48-yard field goal wide right with just 4:27 left to play. When the league-leading scorer leaves six points on the field, it was no secret that this game was slipping out of reach.
To give credit where it’s due, Indianapolis refused to fold as defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore delivered a breakout performance with five tackles and two sacks, including a key takedown of Murray late in the fourth. Needing a stop to stay within striking distance, cornerback Kenneth Harris also stepped up and broke up a pass to force Reichard to settle for a field goal from 52 yards with 1:39 remaining.
The Colts still had one final chance to drive down the field against a Minnesota defense that had not allowed a fourth-quarter touchdown all season. Jones opened the final possession with a 15-yard completion to Downs, giving Indianapolis a lifeline. Then Jones lofted his second pass over the middle, where veteran safety Harrison Smith was waiting to jump the route and picked it off, terminating the final drive and sealing Minnesota’s sixth-straight victory.
The rivalry victory over Houston offered a brief reprieve, but Indianapolis has dropped to 2-5, still searching for answers after a change in the front office. With three straight losses and the lack of consistency on either side of the ball, the pressure on Coach Shane Steichen only intensified.Indianapolis needs its kicker to deliver and its franchise quarterback to make a play when the game is on the line, but right now, even that seems like just too much to ask for an organization on the cusp of a fire sale.
