There were arguably a lot of things that the Colts could have done better and definitely a ton of things that the Saints did really well in this year's Super Bowl. However, the Colts losing really comes down to two key moments:
1) After stuffing the Saints on the goal line with a little under 2 minutes left in the half, instead of trying to do something with the ball the Colts settled for running straight into the line 3 times and then punting. First off, you're playing against the best offensive team in the league without two of your best defensive players - when you have the ball, you NEED to be trying to score (not even considering that by doing this, they gave the ball back to said best offensive team with 1:40 remaining in the half and 3 timeouts). Secondly, this basically set the tone for the rest of the game for the Colts. While the Saints were trying to win the game in whatever way possible (as evidenced by the 4th down attempt and the later onside kick), the Colts were trying not to lose.
2) On 4th and 11 at the New Orleans' 33, they elected to kick a field goal. When you have a) the oldest player ever to play in the Super Bowl as your kicker and b) a guy you're not 100% sure is going to make a 50+ yard field goal, this was absolutely the wrong decision. At the very least, they should have punted and pinned the Saints inside the 20. Momentum was clearly on the Saints' side at this point in the game and they needed a strong statement to mentally stay in the game. Going for it would have let Caldwell show his offense that he believed that they could win the game. Punting would have at least pinned the (again) best offense in the league deep in their own territory instead of surrendering the ball on the 33.
These two key mistakes set the tone for the Colts after the first quarter of the game and basically doomed them to lose. Fortune favors the bold!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment