Blame these Colts for Indianapolis' gut-punch Week 12 loss

The Indianapolis Colts had a golden opportunity to keep pace at the top of the AFC and drive a stake through the heart of the Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty for good measure, taking a 20-9 lead into the fourth quarter at Arrowhead. The offense was sturdy enough, and the revamped defense was making GM Chris Ballard look like a genius while keeping Patrick Mahomes in check.

And then everything went horribly wrong. The defense suddenly couldn't get off the field and the offense couldn't stay on it, and the result was a 23-20 loss in overtime that threatens to hang over this time for the rest of the year. That type of performance in a flashbulb game — the Colts' second in three weeks after the ugly showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 10 — means there's plenty of blame to go around.

HC Shane Steichen

It's hard to start anywhere else. After all, it was the Colts offense's complete inability to stay on the field in the second half or overtime that precipitated this collapse (and hung a gassed defense out to dry). And they couldn't stay on the field in large part because their head coach and offensive play-caller seemingly forgot he had an MVP candidate in the backfield.

Indy went three-and-out on its last four possessions of the game across the fourth quarter and OT, mustering just 13 total yards of offense. Total pass attempts for Jones over that span: nine. Total touches for Jonathan Taylor: four — one catch out of the backfield and three carries for one yard.

That's inexcusable, to say the very least, especially on a day in which Jones was either unable or unwilling to push the ball down the field. (More on that in just a moment.) Oh, and he also opted to dial up a deep pass and then punt with less than a yard to go on third and fourth down at his own 40 in the second quarter. From gameplanning to game management, this was a really poor effort, one that hardly resembled the buzzsaw we'd come to know this year.

QB Daniel Jones

Of course, while Steichen deserves plenty of blame for neglecting to feed Taylor, that decision only loomed so large because his quarterback spent the second half and OT floundering.

For the first three quarters of this game, Jones played efficient (if unflashy) football, content to just take what Steve Spagnuolo was giving him and relying on his red-hot defense. Eventually, though, Kansas City turned the screws, turtling in a big spot for the second time in three weeks after that five-turnover debacle in Pittsburgh.

To his credit, Jones did take care of the ball this time. But he also got pretty good protection from his offensive line, and he still struggled to connect on critical downs that would've kept his offense on the field and put his team in a position to win the game. It was an object lesson in the difference between a game-changer and a game manager.

LB Zaire Franklin

Again, it's hard to put too much of this on the defense; they were sensational for three quarters against Patrick Mahomes, and much of the whopping 91-50 disparity in total plays is on the Colts' offense for never giving their teammates a chance to catch their breath.

Still, an offense can't run 91 plays if the defense is getting them off the field, and time and again Indy failed to do so in crunch time. Missed tackles and poor coverage on passing downs were a big reason why, and Franklin was guilty of both — he had a miserable time trying to get Kareem Hunt on the ground as the Chiefs' workhorse RB ground out valuable yards, and he also got toasted by Rashee Rice on a critical down in the fourth quarter.

WR Alec Pierce

Part of the reason why Jones had such a hard time completing anything down the field? His primary deep weapon, Pierce — averaging almost 21 yards per catch this year and almost 90 yards per game over the last four weeks — had exactly one reception for 26 yards on the day.

Again, Spagnuolo deserves some credit here; keeping everything in front was clearly a priority, and few are better at taking away an opponent's strengths and making them play left-handed. Still, Pierce's inability to gain separation was glaring, and really cost his team as the short and intermediate passing games dried up. Explosive plays, both on the ground and in the air, have been a critical part of this hot start for Indianapolis; without them, the offense starts to look a whole lot different.

S Kenny Moore

When Indy made the decision to cough up a king's ransom for Sauce Gardner, the vision was clear: Put a second elite cover man opposite Charvarius Ward, and allow Lou Anarumo to play much more man coverage than he'd been able to up to that point.

But while both Gardner and Ward were largely good on Sunday, the Chiefs eventually found the weak link: Moore, who at multiple points late in the game simply could not keep up with Rice over the middle of the field. With the two big-name corners clamping down the outside, Andy Reid and Co. pivoted toward the slot, where they repeatedly isolated Moore and took advantage of his lack of athleticism.