Colts coach Frank Reich faulted himself for a play call in Monday night’s game that helped the Ravens come back to tie the game in the fourth quarter before winning in overtime.
Reich said he wished he hadn’t called for a third-and-8 handoff to set up a field goal when the Colts were winning 25-17. The run lost four yards and on the next play, the Colts’ field goal attempt was blocked. Reich said that in hindsight, he wished he had tried to pass for the first down.
“I wish I had that call back,” Reich said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “That was a conservative call.”
Reich said he didn’t call a pass because he didn’t want to lose yardage -- which is exactly what the run did.
“In hindsight, because it didn’t work, do I wish I would have called a pass?” Reich said. “Probably, but the reason I didn’t was I knew they were pressuring, I didn’t want to get sacked, I didn’t want anything crazy to happen. I felt good about the opportunity to gain some yards and kick. In hindsight, it wasn’t the right call.”
That one play call certainly can’t be blamed for the Colts’ loss, but it began a series of events in which nothing went right for the Colts and they lost a game they thought they were going to win.