INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts entered Sunday's road contest at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams undefeated, having displayed three games of near-spotless offensive football. However, the group was anything but that in their toughest test of the season, earning their first loss with a 27-20 outcome.
The Colts (3-1) have been a relatively disciplined team, but the Rams' (3-1) defense forced them out of that comfort zone. The Colts had their first three turnovers of the season and committed 11 penalties.
They also received untimely on-field meltdowns from receiver AD Mitchell and cornerback Xavien Howard.
FIRST QUARTER
The Colts committed their first turnover of the season on the opening drive of the game, as quarterback Daniel Jones lofted a deep ball down the right hash for AD Mitchell, but the ball was a little short and perhaps misplaced, allowing Rams safety Kamren Curl to leap in front of Mitchell for the interception.
The Rams took advantage of their bonus possession, getting a 42-yard field goal by kicker Joshua Karty to get an early 3-0 lead, with 7:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Despite two 10-yard holding penalties on the Colts' ensuing drive, they were able to receive a career-long 52-yard field goal from kicker Spencer Shrader to tie the game at 3-3, with 4:55 left in the quarter.
The Colts' defense forced a turnover on downs on the Rams' next offensive drive. On a 4th-and-1 from their own 45-yard line, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ran a sneak up the middle but was met up the middle by Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu, who had already had a couple of pressures on Stafford to that point. Stafford's run was originally called successful, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen challenged the ruling, and after it was reviewed, it was overturned. The Colts took possession at the Los Angeles 45-yard line.
SECOND QUARTER
The Colts made the most out of the turnover, as the offense went 45 yards downfield in nine plays, as rookie tight end Tyler Warren punched the ball in for his first-career touchdown. The Colts ran Warren as the wildcat quarterback on 3rd-and-1 from the Rams' 2-yard line, and though he was stopped short, he ran again on the next play and picked up the score. The Colts went up 10-3 with 12:17 remaining in the first half.
The Rams went downfield 57 yards in 11 plays to get a 37-yard field goal out of Karty.
The Colts were forced to punt for just the second time on the season on the ensuing drive, but it was a beauty by Rigoberto Sanchez. He punted 56 yards, as the ball rolled out of bounds at the Rams' 4-yard line.
The Colts' pass defense fell apart on the final drive of the half, allowing the Rams to gash their way down the field in 13 plays for 96 yards, taking 2:07 to do it. Stafford found receiver Davante Adams for a 10-yard touchdown with 0:07 remaining to take a 13-10 lead. The Rams also got the ball with the second-half kickoff.
THIRD QUARTER
Colts fans got an awful flashback early in the third quarter, as Jones let a deep ball rip to Mitchell down the left side. Mitchell adjusted, made the catch, and spun free on what was thought to be a 75-yard touchdown. The problem was that Mitchell held the ball out to celebrate on the way to the end zone, and the ball slipped out of his grasp before he crossed the goal line. The play was ruled a touchback and the ball rewarded to Los Angeles rather than being a Colts touchdown that reclaimed the lead. Last year against Denver, the Colts' offense had a 40-plus-yard touchdown early in the third quarter called back for a similar issue by Jonathan Taylor. The Colts ultimately lost that game, with that play being considered the breaking point.
FOURTH QUARTER
After the the Colts and Rams exchanged five more punts combined for a fruitless third quarter, the Colts got back on the board with a touchdown to start the fourth quarter. Taylor powered the offense for 28 yards on the drive before Jones found Warren for a 23-yard reception to get Indy down to the Rams' 2-yard line. Jones then found Michael Pittman Jr. open on the left side of the end zone for the score. Shrader's extra point gave the Colts a 17-13 lead with 11:34 remaining in the game.
The Colts defense made another big play happen on the first play of LA's next drive. Rams running back Kyren Williams took the handoff when Colts slot corner Mike Hilton suddenly hit him and knocked the ball loose. It was recovered by Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore at the Rams' 17-yard line.
The Colts got 38-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to extend their lead to 20-13, with 8:58 remaining in the game.
In order to tie the game, the Rams knew they'd need to lean into receiver Puka Nacua to get back on the board, and 11 plays later, they got a nine-yard score to Nacua to tie it up at 20-20.
After a Colts punt, it took the Rams just one play and 88 yards to score, as Stafford found Tutu Atwell for the deep score. Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon fell down in coverage, leaving Atwell wide open.
The Colts took over at their 11-yard line with 1:27 remaining, but Jones was a little overconfident in testing the defense deep, throwing his second interception of the day to Curl.
The Rams took over, got a first down and were able to kneel the game out, winning 27-20.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.