The Indianapolis Colts gifted themselves a late Christmas present in their ninth win of the season as they were able to move to Arizona and defeat the Cardinals 22-16.
These playoff hopes were tightly tied throughout the game until the middle of the fourth quarter. That was when Indy was able to drive 69-yards down the field and build up his two-point lead with Carson Wentz completing a 14-yard touchdown to Dezman Patman. This opened the competition wide as the Colts jumped two points and Frank Reich's team was able to stay in control for the rest of regulation.
It was an overall choppy day for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals as poor executions and penalties on special teams continued to propel them upwards. Before that back-breaking touchdown drive by the Colts, Matt Prater missed a 41-yard field goal that would have given Arizona the lead. That day, Prater missed two field-goal attempts and a PAT in the form of his distinctive holder, punter Andy Lee, was unable to play in the game as he descended on the COVID-19 list.
Meanwhile, Murray finished with 245 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 74 yards, including a dash of 57 yards. For the Colts, Wentz completed 18 of his 28 throws for 225 yards and two scores. Jonathan Taylor advanced the ball 27 times and covered a total of 108 yards on the ground.
Indy played spoilers with the win as they denied Arizona's ability to secure a playoff berth with a win and prevented the Tennessee Titans - who defeated the 49ers on Thursday - from securing the AFC South.
Why the Colts won
The Colts were able to capitalize on many mistakes made by the Cardinals and avoid any significant mistakes themselves. After two missed field goals by Arizona, Indy would immediately respond with a touchdown drive. They would tackle a total of five points courtesy of a safety and a subsequent field goal, which helped keep them above Arizona for much of the game.
While the Cardinals did a solid job defending the Colts' offense for Stretch, Carson Wentz and Jonathan Taylor were both able to make plays when it was the moment necessary for them to do so. On his first touch of the game, Taylor blasted for a 43-yard run that immediately put Indianapolis in the red zone and eventually went 7-0 up. For Wentz, there were moments where he was slightly off target, but then made one of his most clutch throws of the season when he connected with Dezman Paytman on a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter (more on that score below).
Again, the game was also beautiful from a statistical output standpoint, but the Colts made fewer mistakes than the Cardinals which proved to be the difference.
Why the Cardinals lost
As has been the case for the past few weeks, the Cardinals look different. The kicking game was an issue from the jump as punter Andy Lee, who usually serves as the holder, was ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols. His absence was evident on the opening drive as Prater missed a 51-yard field goal and later missed a PAT after Arizona's first touchdown of the evening. However, the Cardinals' issues went beyond the kicking game in this game.
Penalties continued to prevent Cliff Kingsbury's team from taking the commanding lead. In all, the Cardinals were called out for 11 penalties that cost them 85 yards. In the first half, a false start penalty converted the fourth of the offense at Indy 29 into a more difficult attempt. It completely changed the play-call and when Zach Ertz made an impressive attempt to create a reception, Kyler Murray's pass was left unfinished, which turned the ball downhill. Another situation where the penalty continued to shoot Arizona in the foot came on the ensuing defensive possession. An illegal contact penalty on Byron Murphy erased a strip-sack by Chandler Jones that would have given the Cardinals the ball already in Colts territory.
Later in the second quarter, the ball bounced off the end zone before being picked up by Murray and thrown out of bounds. The quarterback was flagged for a deliberate grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Colts pick up two points on the safety! #ForTheShoe
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021
📺: #INDvsAZ on @NFLNetwork
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Turning point
Many opportunities were missed by the Cardinals in this defeat and special teams were an issue the entire time. However, Matt Prater scored a 41-yard field goal at 11:12 in the fourth quarter, and the events that followed proved to be the moment where Indy began to retreat.
After that lapse, the Colts held onto their 31-yard line and proceeded to go 69 yards down the field to eventually score a touchdown. Wentz made arguably his best throw of the game at the touchdown reception to Dezman Paytman. The Colts quarterback was rolling to his left, and made an off-balance throw behind the end zone with the pressure on his face.
WENTZ ➡️ PATMON
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 26, 2021
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Play of the game
Wentz's touchdown throw in this space is naturally worth considering, but since we've highlighted that game above, let's take a look at one of the game's quirky moments.
This punt return fake fooled EVERYONE.
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021
📺: #INDvsAZ on @NFLNetwork
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The Cardinals' punt return unit stunned everyone as soon as the Colts threw the ball away after an aggressive first possession of the second half. Receiver Christian Kirk was deep back and moved to his left so that it looked like he was tracking a football in the air. However, the ball was actually going to his right, but Indy's special team unit was moving towards his side of the field. Then, Byron Murphy actually kicked and there was a big gully down the field where he was able to take 48 yards on the return.
It helped spark Arizona's lone touchdown drive of the second half as Kyler Murray was able to connect with Antoine Wesley on the 24-yard score after only three plays.