The Indianapolis Colts had a bad day in Pittsburgh. That’s the simplest way to sum it all up. It wasn’t a beat down, but it was rough. The team can’t say it didn’t have some opportunities to walk away with a win though. That’s the most frustrating thing about it. If the Colts had finished more drives by coming away with touchdowns instead of field goals, they might be singing a different tune today.
Let’s give Spencer Shrader some credit in this one because without his strong, accurate leg, things
would have been a lot worse. His field goals of 57 and 56 yards were enough to keep the Colts close early. His kicks from 22, 40, and 28 were enough to drive Colts fans crazy. First and goal from the 3-yard line produced a total gain of -1. The 40-yarder was tough because the Colts could have pulled back to within one or tied the game with a two-point conversion. A case to forgive that one can be made, though.
There is no forgiveness for the last field goal made under the 30. Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor got the Colts down to the Pittsburgh 10-yard line, but three straight incompletions forfeited all momentum. A touchdown would have given the Colts the lead with less than a quarter to go. Yes, the Steelers scored a touchdown on their next possession, but a Colts touchdown might have changed things. We will never know. All we know is that the Colts made five field goals with only one touchdown and lost the game.
Maybe turning two field goals into touchdowns does the trick, but then again, maybe it doesn’t. That doesn’t mean it won’t have a major impact on wins and losses going forward, though. Having someone like Spencer Shrader is a great weapon, but it would be better if he mainly kicked extra points. Use him for those 57-yarders, but too many more 22-yarders will spell disaster for the Colts.
