5 takeaways from Colts’ 29-23 loss to Rams

If you just look at the score of the game, you would assume that the Indianapolis Colts were in a back-and-forth battle with the Los Angeles Rams. But that was far from the case.

The first half was dreadful by Indy. All three phases of the game failed to produce, and they were caught flat-footed as they entered halftime down 20-0.

It looked like they were set to get blown out after LA went up 23-0 in the middle of the third quarter but Shane Steichen’s offense was able to find some life that was sparked by the play of Anthony Richardson.

The Colts were able to score three touchdowns on the next four drives following the Rams field goal, plus converted both of their two-point conversions to tie up the game with 1:56 left in the game.

Steichen’s offense was able to get the ball back but ended up going three-and-out and the defense was able to keep LA out of field goal position to force overtime. Unfortunately for the Indy offense, the defense failed to stop the Rams offense on the opening drive of the fifth period.

They marched down the field with ease and Matthew Stafford connected with Puka Nacua for the 22-yard walkoff touchdown. It was a resilient effort by this young Colts team and they should be able to learn from this close loss to LA.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from the matchup:

Slow start but strong finish by Anthony Richardson

The Colts offense was a mess as a whole in the first half which factored in on Anthony Richardson’s slow start to the game. On the second drive of the first half, it looked like they would have some momentum going their way but Jordan Fuller was able to strip the ball out of AR’s hands to force the fumble for the Rams defense.

Richardson was able to end the first half on a high note. He guided the offense into scoring position after a dart of a throw to Josh Downs for a 30-yard completion on a second-and-19.

The offense would end up sputtering out at the 24-yard line after a false start on Michael Pittman Jr. that forced the field goal attempt. Shane Steichen had his offense showing that they were going for it on fourth down. That penalty led to Matt Gay’s 47-yard field goal attempt, which ended up wide right to continue those first-half woes for Indianapolis.

After showing no life on the first drive of the third quarter, everything seemed to click on the second series. Zack Moss sparked the offense on the ground and it took just four plays for the Colts to get their first score of the game.

Richardson had a laser of a throw to Mo-Alie Cox for the 35-yard touchdown.

A couple of drives later, Richardson would get the team in the red zone after a 38-yard completion to Alec Pierce and a personal foul on a hit that Pierce took on the play. AR would end up punching it in from the one-yard line and creat history in the process.

His most impressive drive came on the game-tying score. Richardson went 4-of-5 for 65 yards and a touchdown. He made a big fourth down 17-yard completion to Kylen Granson to keep the drive alive and connected with Drew Ogletree to get his third touchdown of the day.

There were some throws that AR definitely missed on and there were some solid ones that the receivers just couldn’t hang on to but overall he got better as the game went on. It was his arm, not his legs that led the comeback attempt.

Richardson finished the day going 11-of-25 for 200 yards and a touchdown. He also added 56 rushing yards on 10 attempts and two touchdowns on the ground.

The result wasn’t what the team wanted but how Richardson finished the game is the silver lining on what Steichen can continue to build upon as he evolves his offense.

Run defense was underwhelming

The Colts rush defense was a strength entering this matchup and they were a major letdown throughout the game. Part of their disappointing performance was that they had DeForest Buckner on a snap count and Taven Bryan got the start at three-technique.

Buckner spent most of the afternoon playing on passing downs and Sean McVay’s offense took advantage of his absence. Kyren Williams entered halftime with 76 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He ended the game with 103 yards on 25 attempts.

Williams is the first back to run over 100 yards against the Colts this season. His counterpart also had an effective day on the ground. Ronnie Rivers ran the ball nine times for 47 yards.

The pair of backs averaged 4.4 YPC. Gus Bradley will need a healthier Buckner with Derrick Henry coming up next Sunday.

No answer for Aaron Donald

There was a level of concern over the Colts offensive line entering this game without Ryan Kelly and Bernhard Raimann but overall they did do a solid job at protecting Anthony Richardson throughout the game. The Rams defense finished with two sacks and three QB hits but the problem was that production mainly came from Aaron Donald.

Raheem Morris clearly wanted to take advantage of rookie Blake Freeland making his first career start and would lineup Donald on him throughout the matchup. Donald was getting pressure on Richardson to flush him out of the pocket and not let plays develop for the quarterback.

There was a rep by Donald against Freeland where he beat him to lay a hit on Richardson to force a fumble in the third quarter but it was negated by a defensive holding penalty on the Rams.

Donald was chasing after Richardson often in this game. He was able to finally get home on the quarterback when he beat both Wesley French and Will Fries for a third down sack to start the third quarter.

Donald finished the game with four tackles (two solo), two TFLs, two QB hits, and a sack. It won’t get any easier against Jeffrey Simmons and the ferocious Tennessee Titans defensive front.

Shane Steichen will hopefully get Kelly and Raimann back next week to battle it out in the trenches in an early crucial divisional game.

Dayo Odeyingbo's active day

If there was a bright spot to pick from the Colts defense was Dayo Odeyingbo’s performance. He was the one defensive lineman who was getting pressure on Matthew Stafford throughout the game. It was Odeyingbo that helped the Colts defense get to two sacks and nine quarterback hits.

As a unit, they entered halftime with just one sack and one QB hit. It was Odeyingbo who had that lone sack in the first half. That play forced a 54-yard field goal attempt but Brett Maher was able to hit it.

His play continued in the second half. He was able to lay some hits on Stafford and one almost knocked him out of the game. Stafford would go on to limp throughout the game after he battled through following Odeyingbo’s hit.

Odeyingbo had a career-high in tackles (eight total, five solo) and four QB hits. He also added one-and-a-half sacks, a TFL, and a pass defense. He also was able to punch the ball out of Kyren Williams hands to force a fumble but LA was able to recover it.

The Colts could be forming a great pass-rush group if Odeyingbo can build off his career day and of course, get a healthy DeForest Buckner going forward.

Rams dominated in clock control

If it felt like the Rams offense was constantly on the field, well it was because they were. Sean McVay’s offense dominated the time of possession. They had the ball for 39:46 while the Colts offense was on the field under two quarters worth of time (24:25).

LA was just much more efficient with their drives. Here is a breakdown of what their offense did today:

• 12 drives

• 78 plays

• 6-o-f15 on third downs

• 1-of-1 on fourth downs

• One three-and-out

• Didn’t punt until the fourth quarter

For comparison, here is how Shane Steichen’s unit fared:

• 11 drives

• 58 plays

• 3/10 on third downs

• 1/2 on fourth downs

• Two three-and-outs

The defense’s play needed to be better but it was apparent after having their second overtime game in a row that they were gassed on the game-winning drive by the Rams. It certainly would’ve helped with a better start by the offense and converting their third down attempts to keep drives alive to help keep the defense fresh late in the game.

Third and fourth downs is where the Colts need to improve upon going forward. Through the first four games they are 23/61 on third downs and 2/5 on fourth downs. It should help as Anthony Richardson continues his development and the return of Jonathan Taylor to the lineup.

Story originally appeared on Colts Wire