INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A boneheaded mistake and a porous secondary knocked the Colts from the ranks of the unbeatens on Sunday.
Unable to slow down Matthew Stafford or Puka Nacua, the Colts gave up a fourth-quarter lead to fall 27-20 in SoFi Stadium on Sunday, a game that will leave Indianapolis feeling like there was a win available.
With the loss, Indianapolis (3-1) drops into a tie with Jacksonville atop the AFC South.
Adonai Mitchell fumbles would-be touchdown at goal line
1. Adonai Mitchell’s gaffe feels a little different than Jonathan Taylor’s, even though it’s essentially the same blunder.
Mitchell tried to switch hands to stretch the ball out and celebrate on his way into the end zone at the end of what would have been a spectacular 76-yard catch-and-run, but he lost the ball on the exchange, sending it flying through the back of the end zone for a horrendous mistake. Instead, it was a a massively disappointing 75-yard catch.
Taylor did the same in Denver last season.
But Taylor was a fifth-year veteran, a star with a history of making the right play, glancing back at the Indianapolis sideline to see if he should go down.
Mitchell, on the other hand, has a history of making boneheaded mistakes: an ill-advised cutback against the Jets that cost him a touchdown last season, a poor decision to try a trick play in the same Denver game when it was clearly busted, another play where he stepped out of bounds with room to run as a rookie.
The Colts have used Mitchell sparingly this season, playing him just 46 snaps in the first three games, but Indianapolis had to use him more against Los Angeles due to Alec Pierce’s concussion. The talent is there — Mitchell’s play to get to the end zone was brilliant — but he has never fully put it together. Mitchell is still looking for his first career touchdown.
Making matters worse, Mitchell was flagged for a hold on a potential 53-yard touchdown run by Taylor.
2. It is time to start looking at alternatives for Xavien Howard at cornerback.
The 32-year-old veteran has started the first four games because of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s belief in a player he’s known since Howard entered the league in 2016, along with a run of hamstring injuries to Jaylon Jones, the team’s starter the past two years.
Teams are taking advantage of the veteran.
Howard did not play at all in 2024, and although Anarumo deflected those concerns by saying he’s the rare veteran cornerback who got time to rest, it does not look like Howard is the same player he was before the injury.
Both Rams coach Sean McVay and Broncos coach Sean Payton, renowned offensive minds, have essentially built their game plans around attacking Howard. Anarumo deployed No. 1 cornerback Charvarius Ward on Davante Adams on Sunday, leaving Howard to play against Puka Nacua, the NFL’s leading receiver.
Nacua racked up 11 catches for 150 yards, most of them coming against Howard, and when Howard was on Adams, the veteran made a couple of catches. Indianapolis has used Mekhi Blackmon and Johnathan Edwards sparingly at outside cornerback so far, and Jones is eligible to come off injured reserve soon.
When the Rams needed yards most, they went right at Howard. Facing a fourth-and-2 in the red zone late in the fourth quarter, Stafford hit Nacua for 9 yards and a score in front of Howard, who didn’t do all that much to get in the Rams star’s way on the way to the end zone.
3. One of those alternatives, Blackmon, gave up the game-winning play with a key physical mistake.
Put on the field in man-to-man coverage against Rams speedster Tutu Atwell, the kind of matchup Blackmon typically draws, the third-year cornerback tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.
Atwell came free with no help behind Blackmon, and Stafford made a gorgeous throw for an 88-yard, go-ahead touchdown that never should have happened.
Blackmon’s profile as a replacement for Howard is not necessarily encouraging. The third-year cornerback is coming off a torn ACL, and he struggled enough in Minnesota that the Vikings were willing to trade him. Blackmon has made more plays than Howard, but it’s possible there’s a reason Indianapolis has used him sparingly so far.
$100-million left tackle struggling
4. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension, has struggled through the first four games of the season.
Raimann gave up a sack in the opener, got flagged four times in the first three games and struggled mightily against the Rams. Raimann was ticketed for holding, a key false start and then gave up a strip-sack of Jones on a key drive with the game tied, essentially ending the Indianapolis drive before it could get going.
The Colts are paying Raimann to lock down the blind side, not give up plays, and he’s struggling.
5. Daniel Jones has made a lot of plays with his mind.
His arm ended up costing the Colts on Sunday. Jones was picked off for the first time while trying to push the ball downfield on the first drive, leaving the ball underthrown and not far enough to the sideline as Kamren Curl picked it off.
The same thing was true on Jones’s final throw of the game, trying to go deep down the left sideline to Michael Pittman Jr. Jones didn’t get enough air under the ball, and Curl made the play again, picking off the underthrown pass to effectively end the game.
Jones otherwise played well, completing 24 of 33 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown to Pittman while keeping Indianapolis in the game.
There has long been a concern, though, that his lack of physical talent would hurt, and it cost the Colts on Sunday.
6. The Colts probably could have used Jonathan Taylor a little more in the middle of the game.
Indianapolis opened up the game by focusing on the passing game, a likely response to a talented Rams defensive front that held Eagles star Saquon Barkley to just 2.4 yards per carry the week before.
The same Los Angeles defensive line gave the Colts a significant amount of trouble, getting in the face of Daniel Jones and making life difficult for the passing game. Indianapolis gave Taylor just five carries in the first half, and while the sledding was tougher in the second half, Taylor was able to pick up 63 yards on 14 carries, providing the engine for a key Indianapolis scoring drive.
7. A Colts pass rush that has often been a concern the first three weeks of the season deserves credit for the way it played against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who entered Sunday’s game getting the ball out of his hands in just 2.61 seconds, tied for the third-fastest in the league.
Edge rusher Laiatu Latu turned in his most productive day of the season so far, recording a sack, two quarterback hits and a pass breakup, and the rest of the defense followed.
Indianapolis followed, getting three sacks, eight quarterback hits and repeatedly forcing Stafford to move off his spot. Stafford completed 29 of 41 passes for 375 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but this time, the secondary drew most of the blame, instead of the pass rush.
8. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren is the real deal.
Facing an issue in the red zone through the first four weeks of the season, the Colts decided to turn to Warren in short-yardage, giving the tight end a Wildcat carry that went nowhere and then handed him the ball on fourth down, and Warren bowled through the defense for the first touchdown of his career.
The run plays provide an added benefit.
The real change Warren provides to the offense is as a receiving option, and outside of the referees calling an offensive pass interference on the rookie, the Rams had little answer for Warren.
Warren caught five passes for 70 yards, opened up the middle of the field and made tough catches, giving Jones the outlet he needed against a good Rams pass rush.
9. Adetomiwa Adebawore made a few plays, recording a half sack and recovering a key fumble in the backfield to help Indianapolis get the lead.
The Colts defensive line is desperate for other contributors to take a step forward, and although Adebawore has mostly been a special teamer in his career so far, Sunday’s game showed he might be able to be more for the defense this season.
10. Brian Mason’s special-teams unit had a solid day for the most part.
Young kicker Spencer Shrader buried a 52-yard field goal, Rigoberto Sanchez hit four gorgeous punts that featured no return, including a ball he pinned inside the 5-yard line.
Return man Anthony Gould had two punt returns for 31 yards and nearly popped a kickoff return, and a kick coverage unit that has struggled kept the Los Angeles return game in check all day.
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.