Colts' Conservative Approach Throws Away Huge Lead vs. Vikings

The Indianapolis Colts got out to a huge, 33-point lead in the first half on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, but their conservative approach in the second half cost them the game.

To kick off the Saturday slate of Week 15 NFL games, the Indianapolis Colts showcased the greatest letdown in NFL history, blowing a massive 33-0 halftime lead against the Minnesota Vikings.

This became the greatest comeback in NFL history at the hands of Vikings' Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson.

Many things went great for the Colts in the loss, but the offense was most definitely not one of them. The team's disastrously conservative play-calling was arguably the biggest reason they couldn’t keep the Vikings from making history.

When Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday put Parks Frazier in the offensive play-caller role upon his hiring, it drew criticism just like his own hire at the hands of owner Jim Irsay.

In his initial game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Saturday and Frazier shined en route to a big win and also the first of Saturday’s career. However, now after another loss, it’s time to question what exactly the thinking was behind such simple calls that nearly any NFL defense — including one of the worst in Minnesota — can decipher.

For starters, seeing 36 points on the board for the Colts might make one think the offense played well. That wasn’t the case, as the offense mustered a single touchdown of the lot. The defense had one (safety Julian Blackmon returned an interception for a touchdown) and the special teams unit snuffed a punt, resulting in a JoJo Domann return for a score. The rest mostly came from the ever-consistent kicker Chase McLaughlin, who was perfect with 5 field goals and 3 extra points, accounting for half of the team’s points.

Star running back Jonathan Taylor indeed had his afternoon cut short due to an ankle injury, but the Colts still have Zack Moss and Deon Jackson. Neither is a slouch at the position and together could more than service a backfield. In numbers, they weren’t too bad, with Moss having 24 carries for 81 yards and Jackson delivering 13 carries for 55 yards (37 carries for 136 yards together).

What was puzzling was how often running plays were called on first down over and over, even after the Vikings' defense began loading the box and covering the interior gaps. This should have resulted in more deep shots, as the Vikings came into the contest as the league-worst in passing yards allowed.

This wasn’t the case at all, as quarterback Matt Ryan dink-and-dunked his way, predictably, to a mediocre evening that the Vikings' defense didn’t have to work hard to stop. Ryan was 19-of-33 for 182 yards and 1 touchdown with 0 interceptions. However, this is disappointing considering weapons like Jelani Woods and Alec Pierce only saw 1 and 4 targets, respectively. These two should have been used to take full advantage of mismatches on the outside, potentially allowing slot receivers to access the middle of the field.

Instead, the game script tilted entirely toward the Vikings in the second half of the game, allowing Cousins to bury the Colts' exhausted defense, going 34-of-54 for 460 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Jefferson helped, erupting in the second half to finish with 12 catches for 123 yards and a crucial touchdown.

The conservative play-calling and refusal to take shots helped make a predictable game plan very easy to exploit. The Colts have many questions they must answer, from the top with Irsay down to the towel boy as to why something like a 33-point comeback could be allowed to happen.

With three games remaining, this soap opera of a season won’t stop anytime, soon.

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