Colts fans should be happy about Reich playing to win
After 69 minutes of football on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts matchup with the Houston Texans ultimately came down to one play. With the game tied at 34 and the ball on their own 43-yard-line, the Colts faced a fourth down needing four yards to keep their potential game-winning drive alive.
The question was, should they punt the ball and all but guarantee a tie or play for the win and risk gifting the Texans an easy victory? Colts head coach Frank Reich decided to roll the dice and opted to play for the win.
Reich’s risk ended up not paying off, as Colts QB Andrew Luck skipped a pass to receiver Chester Rogers, and the Texans went on to score the game-winning field goal as time expired. The loss dropped the Colts to 1-3 on the season and marked the third time this season Indianapolis has lost after leading in the 4th quarter or overtime.
After the game, Reich’s decision to play for the win was questioned by fans and the media. Many felt the Colts should have played for the tie instead of handing Houston the win on a platter, and there are plenty of good reasons to believe that.
For one, Andrew Luck was without his two most reliable targets, as tight end Jack Doyle and receiver T.Y. Hilton were both out due to injury. Also, a tie not only would have improved the Colts record but it also would have made a difference in the tiebreaker with the division-rival Texans come the end of the season.
However, I find myself 100% in support Reich’s decision to play for the win. This is a young Colts team and Reich was trying to establish a winning mentality in a franchise that has suffered through too many seasons of mediocrity.
You also can’t blame Reich for playing the hot hand in Luck, who threw for 464 yards and four TDs on Sunday. The Texans defense was dragging and Luck had picked them apart all afternoon, so it makes sense that Reich would trust Luck to get the job done when his team needed him most. He just couldn’t come through.
Another reason I respect Reich’s decision to play for the win is that a loss doesn’t exactly hurt the Colts this season. It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that the Colts wont be contending for the Super Bowl this year, and I doubt you could make the argument that they’re even a playoff contender whether they won the game or not.
The loss actually sets the Colts up for a better draft pick this year, and as a rebuilding team, that’s a good thing. However, what this shows us is that the Colts aren’t tanking for a better draft pick. They’re playing to win, even if they aren’t good enough to get the job done.
All in all, I love the decision to play for the win on Sunday. Frank Reich showed faith in his players, and in his franchise QB. It didn’t work out on Sunday, but who knows what kind of confidence this instills in a young Colts team in the middle of a rebuild.
This Colts team isn’t great, but it is focused on winning, and even though that mindset didn’t pay off on Sunday, I have no doubt that it will in the years to come.