It wasn’t the prettiest performance in Berlin, Germany, by the Indianapolis Colts, but the Horseshoe overcame some turnovers and early points left off the board to win in overtime, 31-25—with some gritty
plays late down the stretch.
In particular, Colts star workhorse Jonathan Taylor cemented his case as a bona fide NFL MVP candidate yet again, with a historic rushing performance, carrying the football 32 times for 244 total rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
Taylor passed Colts’ Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the most rushing touchdowns (65) in franchise history.
Those three rushing touchdowns included an 83-yard rushing touchdown with 6:02 left in the 4Q, which was largely self-created by Taylor, who was seemingly stopped in the middle of a pile-up only to break the run to the left hash and outrun a slew of Falcons defenders in the process—with some run blocking help by a cavalry led by both wideout Alec Pierce and tight end Tyler Warren downfield near the sideline.
It was only fitting that after such a prolific rushing performance, that it was Taylor who had the game-winning score, with an 8-yard touchdown run to beat the Falcons in extended regulation.
Other takeaways from today’s thrilling overtime win in Germany:
- The turnovers and lack of ball security have become a point of concern for resurgent Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who has 7 seven turnovers in the past two games. Jones had 3 fumbles (1 lost) and an interception in this one. That being said, while Jones clearly didn’t play his best football in Berlin, he did make some big throws and plays down the stretch, including a 19-yard run on 3rd and 21 with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter to keep the Colts realistic drive chances alive and place them in potential field goal range. That was followed by a nice 4th and 2 pass to Tyler Warren to get the first down and set up the game-tying PK Michael Badgley 44-yard field goal. He also had a beautiful throw-and-catch to Warren again for 23 yards with 6:50 left in OT.
- I’ve already mentioned Warren here, but he looks well beyond his professional years as a rookie. He had two big catches late in the game: the aforementioned 4th and 2 catch, and the masterful 23-yard catch that helped keep the Colts winning hopes well alive and ultimately led to a comeback Indianapolis win in Germany. He led the Colts in this one with a team high 8 catches for 99 total receiving yards.
- Alec Pierce: Pierce may be a one-trick pony, with his ability to stretch the field, go deep, and high-point the football, but right now, no one in football arguably does it better. He had the Colts lone receiving touchdown in Berlin, with a 37-yard touchdown reception where he won the jumpball, with 5:19 left in the first quarter.
- Defensively, linebacker Zaire Franklin led the Colts with 10 tackles (6 solo) and a sack and had some big plays down the stretch. Newcomer Sauce Gardner locked up Drake London late, and it was clearly noticeable in the first half that the Falcons were trying to shift their leading wideout inside to avoid him.
- On special teams, Michael Badgley initially had a rough afternoon, missing a PAT and a 53-yard field goal attempt (the PAT being inexcusable as opposed to the deep field goal attempt), before kicking a game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt with just 25 seconds left in regulation.
- The only real question I have is with Shane Steichen’s management of kicking situations. The Colts bypassed kicking a 44-yard field goal attempt on their opening drive and ended up turning the football on downs on 4th and 2. Badgley missed a following a PAT, and then Steichen elected to have him attempt a 53-yard field goal attempt on 4th and 6 with 10:46 left in the 2nd quarter, which was short. On 4th and 1 at the Falcons 5-yard line, they then went for it on 4th and 1 with Taylor to the left side, trailing 17-13 and didn’t get it. Badgley would then make a 34-yard field goal attempt (making it 17-16 ATL, 9:00 left in 4Q) and later the tying 44-yard one to essentially end regulation as mentioned (tying it at 25-25 apiece). I’m all for being aggressive, but sometimes, it comes at a potential cost—as the Colts clearly left some points on the board in this one. It ultimately didn’t cost them, as they won in overtime, coming from behind, but it also reasonably could’ve without a little bit of luck and some clutch plays late. Collectively, the Colts appeared to be the better team throughout the matchup, but this was playing a bit out like a Thursday Night game or the typical Indy game overseas, with things being a bit wonky. They ended up having to chase points, but to their credit, got them late.
