Colts' late-season collapse puts them on cusp of missing playoffs

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Philip Rivers gave the Indianapolis Colts a chance Monday night.

Their defense did not.

After a 48-27 loss to San Francisco, Colts coach Shane Steichen struggled to explain how his team allowed the 49ers to score so many points, accumulate 440 yards and never force a punt in a home game Indy desperately needed to win.

Instead, it's simply the next chapter in a late-season collapse that has left Indy's once-promising playoffs floundering.

“I told those guys in there, like, ‘Shoot, we signed up for 17 of these things, and we’ve got a division opponent, and we’re not out of this thing,'” Steichen said after the Colts lost their fifth straight. "Until they tell us we’re done, we’re freaking fighting like crazy, and so we’re going to come back in this week, get ready to work and be ready to go for Jacksonville at home.”

The reality is, yes, the Colts (8-7) still could sneak in by beating the Jaguars (11-4) and Houston (10-5) in their final two games. But they'd also need Baltimore lose one of its last two games, the Texans to also lose Saturday against the Chargers and hope the tiebreakers fall their way.

Anything else would cement their place as the sixth team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to miss the playoffs after starting at least 8-2. The most recent to do it was the 1995 Oakland Raiders, who lost their final six games.

Rivers has experienced these kinds of slides and continues to insist the Colts can fix their season.

But little has gone right the second half of the season.

Daniel Jones' strong start to the season ended because of two injuries, the second being a season-ending torn Achilles tendon that led to Rivers coming out of retirement after five seasons. The injury and quarterback change have allowed defenses to focus on running back Jonathan Taylor.

And the defense that was supposed to get even better over the second half with the addition of two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner has only gotten more banged up. The result: Indy is on the outside of the playoffs for a fifth straight year with little sign they can turn things around in time to salvage their season.

“I mean, we’ve got to find a way to finish strong and knock out these two next opponents,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said after returning from a five-game absence Monday. "Everybody has got to give a little bit more, that’s what it is.”

Josh Downs and Alec Pierce. When Rivers returned, he noted there were 14 players left on the roster from his one and only previous season in Indy. Yet Downs, a third-year receiver, and Pierce, a fourth-year receiver, have emerged as Rivers' favorite options. The 44-year-old grandfather threw a total of 13 passes their way Monday, resulting in nine catches, 151 yards and two TDs.

The secondary. When the Colts traded for Gardner, they anticipated using three cornerbacks to shut down opponents. Instead, Gardner has missed three straight games with a strained calf and Charvarius Ward is on his second stint on injured reserve with a concussion. Their absences were more than noticeable as 49ers QB Brock Purdy picked apart Indy's pass defense.

Rivers. For 3 1/2 quarters, the eight-time Pro Bowler looked like he had taken a trip back in time. He was efficient, on time and even threw the ball down the field reasonably well. Sure, his arm strength and mobility may be waning. And, yes, his late interception was returned for a score to seal Indy's fate. But Rivers showed, even at his age, he's still capable of winning games.

Luke Tenuta. The third-year offensive tackle logged 26 snaps at Seattle after LT Bernhard Raimann left with an elbow injury. But the Colts went in a different direction Monday. They moved rookie Jalen Travis from right tackle to left tackle, moved right guard Matt Goncalves to right tackle and inserted Dalton Tucker at right guard. Tenuta, meanwhile, played only two snaps Monday — even after starting center Tanor Bortolini left early with a concussion.

Now that Buckner is back from his neck injury, the Colts have two major concerns — the secondary and the offensive line. Ward will miss another game this week on IR, and while the Colts need Gardner on the field, it's unclear whether he'll return on a short Christmas week. With RT Braden Smith also on injured reserve (concussion and neck) and the possibility of Raimann and Bortolini missing Sunday's game, the Colts could again be shuffling the lineup.

145, 98 — Indy has allowed opponents to score 145 points during this five-game losing streak while the Colts have only 98.

Despite the long odds, the Colts will try to play their way into the playoffs. If they can't, they could give QBs Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard a chance to show what they can do.

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