The Indianapolis Colts lost their Week 12 game against the Detroit Lions and are now 5-7 on the season.
It was already going to be a challenging game as the Colts would face the 9-1 Lions, who were ranked first in offense and fifth in defense entering the game.
However, this challenge was made all the more daunting by the Colts' inability to get themselves out of the way with red zone penalties. Against a very good Lions team, a flawless game is an absolute must, and that didn't happen.
Now that the dust has settled and the game is over, let's take a look back at the Colts' performance and break it down.
Final result
It was over when…
..Lions kicker Jake Bates made the 56-yard field goal to give the Lions a 24-6 lead with 6:21 left, making it a three-possession game. At that point, overcoming a three-point deficit was too much.
Key to the game
Blues in the red zone: As mentioned, the Colts missed some key scoring opportunities early on. The Colts entered the red zone on two of their first three possessions, but left the game with two field goals. On the first drive, a penalty moved them from 3rd-and-2 inside the five-yard line to 3rd-and-7. On the second possession, Drew Ogletree dropped a touchdown pass.
Punish: A flawless game is necessary against a team of the Lions' caliber, but the opposite was the case with the Colts. They were penalized 10 times, which not only put them behind the uprights on numerous occasions, but penalties also negated plays of 21 yards, 19, seven, 30 yards and negated a fourth down conversion.
Lions running game: Compared to what they often do, it's not like David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs controlled the game, averaging 4.4 yards per rush. But they had consistent success and allowed the offense to rely on them. Detroit ran the ball 33 times for 137 yards. This then helped the Lions control the clock by holding the ball for 14 minutes longer than the Colts and also running 22 more plays on offense.
Third Downs: The Lions' offense was 9 of 15 on third downs, thanks in part to their running game keeping them in manageable situations, while the Colts' offense was just 3 of 12, making drives difficult to sustain and to contribute to the ball possession time difference.
Offensive line play: It was a tough outing in the running game for the Colts, especially with Jonathan Taylor between the tackles. He averaged just 3.2 yards per rush, which put the offense behind the sticks and in obvious passing situations. Anthony Richardson, on the other hand, often had pressure in his face when throwing and the offensive line was often punished.
Stars of the game
Michael Pittman: This was Pittman's best game in several weeks. He finished the game with six catches for 96 yards, an average of 16.0 yards per catch, coming through over the middle and on third downs.
Laiatu Latu: Latu has played well in the last month. In that game, he was credited by PFF with a sack and a team-high five pressures.
Nick Cross: We saw Cross all over the field, giving up 14 total tackles and only allowing 24 total yards on the five completions he was credited with.
DeForest Buckner: Buckner finished the game with four pressures and a sack and was also a key factor in the run game, with three of his four tackles counting as stops — or plays that resulted in a loss, according to PFF.
Injury updates
wide receiver Ashton Dulin left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and was out for the remainder of the game. Both Josh Downs and Michael Pittman were briefly sidelined with shoulder injuries, but both players returned.
What's next?
The Colts are on the road to New England next week to take on the 3-8 Patriots. This is the Colts' final game before their late bye week.
