Horseshoe Huddle

Colts' Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs Carried Pass Game vs. Lions

Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson got little help from anyone besides Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

Jake Arthur

Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23) chases after Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23) chases after Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Indianapolis Colts (5-7) suffered a gut-punching loss against the Detroit Lions (10-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday by a score of 24-6.

The Colts were supposed to lose — listed as 7.5-point underdogs entering the day — that wasn't a surprise. It's how they lost and the fact they had a fighting chance without so many mistakes that encapsulated the frustration of the outcome.

The offense only had two players with a pass-blocking grade considered above average, according to Pro Football Focus; rookie left tackle Matt Goncalves (84.4) and running back Trey Sermon (73.1), who only played two snaps. The run blocking was even worse, as tight end Kylen Granson (83.4) is the only player with a decent grade. As far as receiving goes, Granson (49.8), wide receiver Ashton Dulin (45.5), and tight end Drew Ogletree (30.4) were all well below average. The offense also accounted for eight of the team's season-high 10 penalties.

As far as the defense goes, PFF dinged them for 15 missed tackles en route to 175 yards after the catch and 110 rushing yards after contact for Detroit.

Now that the bad and ugly is out of the way, we can get to some of the good, as there were some standout performances and personal milestones reached.

The "Crunching Numbers" series is reserved weekly for acknowledging milestones and achievements reached by the Colts and their individual players after each game. The following achievements by the Colts were provided postgame by Colts Communications, unless listed otherwise.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

  • Passing: QB Anthony Richardson | 172 yards
  • Rushing: QB Anthony Richardson | 61 yards
  • Receiving: WR Michael Pittman Jr. | 96 yards
  • Tackles: S Nick Cross | 14
  • Sacks: DT DeForest Buckner, LB Zaire Franklin, DE Laiatu Latu | 1.0
  • Takeaways: N/A
  • Kicking: K Matt Gay | 2-of-2 field goals (100%)
  • Punting: P Rigoberto Sanchez | 6 punts, 52.8-yard average
  • Returns: Josh Downs | 2 punt returns, 2.0-yard avg.; Tyler Goodson | 1 kickoff return, 25.0-yard avg.

OFFENSE

  • The Colts broke the Lions' 14-game streak of forcing a turnover. It was just the second game this season that the Colts did not turn the ball over.

Wide receiver Josh Downs caught 3-of-7 targets for 27 yards (9.0 avg.).

  • He passed Austin Collie (118) for the fifth-most
    receptions by a Colts player in their first two seasons.

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. caught 6-of-7 targets for 96 yards (16.0 avg.).

  • His receiving yards led all players in the game.
  • He passed T.Y. Hilton (374) for the second-most receptions by a Colts player in their first five seasons.
  • Pittman also passed Reggie Wayne (4,164) for the fourth-most receiving yards by a Colts player in their first five seasons.

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DEFENSE

  • The Colts had three players (Nick Cross, Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed) with at least 11 tackles in the same game, which is the first time for the Colts time since Week 15 of 2011 (Pat Angerer, Jacob Lacey, Chris Rucker, Ernie Sims).

Defensive end Laiatu Latu had 4 tackles (1 for loss), 1.0 sack, 2 QB hits, and 1 forced fumble.

  • He is tied for first among NFL rookies in strip-sacks (2).

Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner had 7 tackles (1 for loss), 1.0 sack, and 2 QB hits.

  • He has now reached 65.0 career sacks and 85.0 career tackles for loss.

Linebacker Zaire Franklin had 13 tackles (1 for loss), 1.0 sack, and 1 QB hit.

  • He passed Shaquille Leonard (27) for the most 10-plus tackle games in franchise history.

Linebacker E.J. Speed had 11 tackles

  • Speed leads the NFL with 17 consecutive games with at least 6 tackles.

Safety Nick Cross had 14 tackles (2 for loss)

  • His tackles led all players in the game.
  • His tackles for loss were a new single-game career-high.

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Jake Arthur
JAKE ARTHUR

Jake Arthur has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for a decade. He is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) and FantasyPros' expert panel. He has also contributed to multiple NFL Draft guides.

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