Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers became flat on his help, legs and palms outstretched as if making ready to make snow angels. Most attention-grabbing there became no snow inside Lucas Oil Stadium. There became only disappointment for the Colts and Rivers, who had just persisted the ignominy of tripping over his bear ft and having Ravens safety Chuck Clark hop over the stay of him whereas returning a fumble 65 yards for a landing.
The glean came gradual in the principle quarter, but in hindsight, it became a signal of how the afternoon would play out for the Colts, who in a anxious pattern had been as soon as again unable to meet the scenario against a high quality opponent, the 24-10 defeat raising more questions about their legitimacy as Clean Bowl contenders.
No topic being 5-3, or now not it’s getting more durable to take into them on fable of their file has been constructed on a basis of Jell-O, with victories over the winless Jets, the two-take Bengals and the three-take Vikings and Lions. Overall, their opponents’ .349 take share coming into Sunday became the bottom in the league.
I’ve never been one to downgrade a team for beating up on unpleasant opponents on fable of groups set up now not want any adjust over the agenda. However whereas you consistently fall flat when stepping up in opponents — Indianapolis is 1-2 against groups with successful records, losing to Cleveland and Baltimore whereas beating Chicago — you originate sliding all thru the spectrum from contender to pretender, regardless of how usually coach Frank Reich claims to bear “more conviction” he possesses the correct personnel to compete for a championship.
His words on Sunday have a tendency to be the backdrop for the franchise over the next three video games, as the Colts will sandwich video games against AFC South-main Tennessee (6-2) around a matchup against NFC North-main Green Bay (6-2). How they reach out of those contests will seemingly count upon the play of the offense, which has been as inconsistent as its quarterback.
Rivers arrived in Indianapolis in the offseason searching out for to unusual his struggles the final four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers had been less about him and more about the conditions around him. He threw 63 interceptions and fumbled 27 cases, losing 10, all thru that span. More troubling than the turnovers themselves had been the cases in the game when some took place: gradual in one-glean video games. The Chargers lost 9 video games by one glean or less final season, and Rivers had a turnover in the final 63 seconds of 4 of them.
Sunday raised more questions about his ball-safety points, as the interception he threw on Indianapolis’ initial 2nd-half of sequence invigorated the Ravens at a time when doubt may well well bear crept in. Possess into consideration, nothing had long past correct for the Ravens’ offense in the principle half of. It gained just 55 obtain yards, and its league-main floor sport became held to 18 yards on 10 carries. The Ravens’ only aspects had been on Clark’s fumble return, and now, to open the 2nd half of, the unit had lost a fumble on first-and-goal on the Indianapolis 3-yard line.
Then Correct Philip — the guy who became 12 of 19 for 126 yards and no turnovers in the principle half of; the guy who had thrown for 633 yards and 6 scores with one interception the outdated two video games — became modified by Wicked Philip, whose underthrown deep trot to Marcus Johnson became intercepted by Marcus Peters. Ten performs and 54 yards later, the Ravens had their first lead on a 1-yard TD toddle by Gus Edwards and never looked help.
Baltimore’s closing three possessions went landing, punt, self-discipline goal; Indianapolis’ closing four went punt, downs, downs, end of sport.
“We took a shot,” Reich talked about of the trot to Johnson. “You’re going to hit some and also you are going to miss some.”
“Poorly thrown,” talked about Rivers, who has been on the minus side in turnover differential in every of Indianapolis’ losses, throwing one landing and five interceptions in the defeats.
The Correct Philip/Wicked Philip conundrum makes the Colts the league’s most frustrating team. They’ve regarded as one of the most league’s high defenses, bolstered by the offseason exchange for tackle DeForest Buckner?, and regarded as one of the most sport’s high offensive lines. The concept coming into the season became that they had been a high quality quarterback from making a toddle, so expectations soared when Rivers joined them after 16 seasons with the Chargers.
And yet the top thing they’ve shown up to now is that they’ll beat the groups they’re alleged to beat and battle against other folks that are on equal footing. Sunday became in particular confounding on fable of the whole lot looked to be trending in their direction: They had been coming off two of their supreme video games, tallying a season-excessive 41 aspects in one and averaging an unheard of 7.2 yards per play in numerous, their excessive for the yr. As well they had been coming off two of their high three passing performances by procedure of yards and going thru a team that had every excuse to be off its sport.
The Ravens had been coming off a painful loss to bitter rival Pittsburgh, in which two starting offensive linemen had been lost for the yr to hurt. They practiced with out seven defensive avid gamers all thru the week thanks to COVID-19 protocols and had been with out All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey?, who tested definite for the virus. They lost standout defensive lineman Calais Campbell early in the game to a calf hurt, did now not glean on offense in the principle two quarters and trailed 10-7 on the half of, which became vital furious about they had lost 20 consecutive video games when trailing on the half of.
And yet Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson?, the 2019 league MVP, completed all 10 of his passes for 119 yards and ran for a 9-yard glean after the spoil. He became the whole lot his counterpart became now not in the final two quarters, as Rivers became 13 of 24 for 101 yards and an interception. The Colts did now not glean in the 2nd half of. After the game, Rivers pushed apart remark of the Colts failing to make a observation against a high quality opponent.
“It is a long season,” he talked about. “Indubitably this (Baltimore club) is a playoff football team, they’ve been in it the last few years, they’re a decent football team. However I don’t know that statements attain you any good whereas you do now not design the yr off correct. So, or now not it’s one we let safe away; or now not it’s one which they earned, they beat us. However … now we bear received to grab up and switch forward.”
The first chance to make a more definite observation comes Thursday night against the Titans. If historical past is the knowledge, the Colts will trot as their quarterback goes.
“I bear we’re good ample,” Rivers talked about, “but we’ll salvage out.”
