Getty Picture / Michael Hickey
First-year Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen has carried out an excellent job this season getting the Colts into potential playoff place. However, an enormous clock administration mistake probably value the Colts a spot within the playoffs, as they misplaced to the Texans in a must-win recreation for each groups, 23-19
The winner of the sport would have clinched a playoff spot at 10-7, with the loser eradicated. And, it got here all the way down to the previous few minutes.
The sport was back-and-forth the entire method, because the Colts rallied from a 14-3 deficit to tie the sport at 17 earlier than a CJ Stroud landing move and missed further level put the Texans up 23-17 with 6:20 remaining within the recreation.
The Colts moved the ball down deep into Texans territory, and confronted an enormous 4th and 1 with underneath two minutes left and the clock working. The Colts had all three timeouts left, that means in the event that they went quick, didn’t convert, and stopped the Texans, they might have round a minute to go down in rating.
As an alternative, Shane Steichen let the play clock run all the way down to zero to attempt to get Houston to leap offside, after which referred to as a timeout. He truly referred to as an ideal play to transform, just for reserve working again Tyler Goodson to drop the move huge open within the flat.
That’s clearly not his fault, however calling the timeout was an enormous tactical error. There was no actual profit to it, particularly after they may’ve hurried to the road and handed the ball off to Jonathan Taylor.
As unhealthy as that 4th down play name was for Indianapolis, attempting to attract an off sides and losing a timeout on the play earlier than was method worse
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) January 7, 2024
Wasted a timeout and took man you gave huge contract off the sphere in greatest play of season. Sport administration can’t be that onerous
— kyle (@knicks_tape99) January 7, 2024
Steichen has been so good with recreation administration all yr however utilizing the timeout there killed them
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) January 7, 2024
The Texans would take a security with one second left, and the Colts try of lateraling the ball into the top zone on the following free kick was unsuccessful.
Indianapolis finishes the season at 9-8 and can miss the NFL playoffs. Nonetheless, for a group that went 4-12-1 final yr, this was an enormous enchancment. Anthony Richardson, whom they took fourth-overall, missed many of the season with damage. His growth because the group’s franchise quarterback would be the prime storyline in 2024.
