What did the Colts do when leading or trailing? Find out.
In close games, when the score is tied or within a touchdown either way, it is worth noting that the ratio of passing to running correlates directly with which way the game swings. If the Colts are just ahead of the opponent, the offense tends to stay relatively balanced but is not risk averse. The two interceptions and two turnovers on downs display this characteristic.
When the team is tied with an opponent, the emphasis swings to the passing game, which tends to be Indianapolis’ focus out of the box. Both with a small lead and when tied the scoring efficiency of the offense is relatively low compared to when the team is out to a lead. This is not surprising as it seems the Colts are always in close games, often not breaking the game open (the Cardiac Colts).
It is also worth noting that as the team is under more pressure to score, the offense tends to take greater care of the football. When down under a score the offense only turned the ball over 6-percent of the time through twelve games compared to 15 and 20-percent when tied or with a small lead.
Note how few possessions the Colts had when trailing by more than 7 points last year. 17. Wow. I bet most of those were New England and Houston.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
