There are bad NFL offenses, and then there's what we saw from the Indianapolis Colts in the first half of Sunday's Week 9 game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
The Colts didn't cross midfield until the final minute of the second quarter. They couldn't get into the end zone and had to settle for a 39-yard field goal attempt. Chase McLaughlin's kick sailed wide to the left and was no good, leaving Indy with zero points at halftime.
It gets much worse for the Colts, though.
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Check out these ugly first half offensive numbers:
- Points: 0
- Yards per play: 2.1
- Passing: 5-of-12 for 52 yards
- Rushing: 13 attempts for 38 yards
- Third downs: 0-of-7
The Patriots defense deserves a lot of credit for how bad the Colts offense played in the first half.
New England sacked Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger four times and tallied five QB hits. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon was pretty much unblockable in the first half. He sacked Ehlinger twice, tallied three QB hits and drew a penalty.
The Colts fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady earlier in the week. Brady and veteran quarterback Matt Ryan have been viewed as scapegoats for Indianapolis' issues on offense this season. Neither have taken part in Sunday's disaster, though, so it's time to start pointing the finger and assigning blame to head coach Frank Reich. This is now his mess.