The Indianapolis Colts had just retaken the lead late in the form of an electric, 76-yard touchdown reception from Daniel Jones to AD Mitchell, except they didn’t. They actually turned the ball over, and it wasn’t anything the Los Angeles Rams defense did. Unfortunately for Colts fans, this is far too familiar a mishap.
AD Mitchell did the hard part, hauling in a contested grab on 3rd and 4, and then evading two nearby defenders as he tightroped the sideline for the rest of the way. As soon as he approached paydirt, however, is when focus was lost, and so was his first career touchdown.
Channeling his inner Jonathan Taylor versus the Denver Broncos in 2024, Mitchell lost control of the ball within a yard of the goal line and subsequently fumbled it out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. It’s up in the air whether or not he was celebrating too early or was merely trying to manage the out-of-bounds marker as he extended for the goal line, but regardless, Mitchell’s mishap negated six points as well as turned the ball over.
It was simply unacceptable, and Mitchell knows this. “I just lost focus…It was a play that can’t happen. Just unacceptable. I’ve got to be better for the organization,” Mitchell said to James Boyd of The Athletic following the loss. “Try to move forward, learn from the previous mistakes, and get better.”
Head coach Shane Steichen did make it a point of emphasis to hold onto the ball so that Jonathan Taylor’s mistake is never replicated. Alas, not even a full calendar year later has resulted in more of the same. Couple that with Mitchell’s well-documented acclimation to the pros, and it makes sense why, after finally breaking through with a big play on Sundays, the young wideout is taking it extra hard. However, props are also in order to Mitchell for not ducking the media, something other teams have already seen happen through the short season thus far.
“Letters and logos,” Mitchell revealed as the motto that Steichen emphasized regarding Taylor’s (and now Mitchell’s) mishap. “Holding the ball through the letters and logos. Finishing through the end zone.”
AD Mitchell’s rough performance unfortunately didn’t end there, either. Late in the fourth quarter, tied 20-20, just beyond the 2-minute warning, superstar running back Jonathan Taylor broke one deep for a 53-yard touchdown to take the lead. That potential game-sealer was wiped out with a holding penalty by Mitchell. His rough day will certainly be talked about the most; however, this was a team effort chock-full of mistakes. The Colts had a season-high 11 penalties charged for 88 yards lost, with miscues scattered throughout, made by nearly every player and coach. That’s not to absolve Mitchell of his shortcomings, but rather to show that this game was not solely lost because of one player’s performance.
Shane Steichen has spearheaded his tenure as the Colts’ head coach with an emphasis on accountability, and since that’s more or less been carried out by him and his staff thus far, the same can be expected for Mitchell’s playing time moving forward. Indy certainly doesn’t want to rush back Alec Pierce as he works back from a concussion he suffered in Week 3, but veteran wideout Ashton Dulin has more than proven over the years that he’s a reliable spot-starter when called upon. The people calling for Mitchell’s job are understandably emotional, but there’s simply no reason to give up on a guy when there’s enough depth to fill the void as he works through the kinks.
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