The Indianapolis Colts made numerous mistakes in Week 4, but the one everyone is talking about is, of course, Adonai Mitchell losing control of the ball just inches before crossing the end zone. Another mistake was just as costly and embarrassing, though. That being the fact that the Colts only had 10 players on the field when Matthew Stafford hit Tutu Atwell for an 88-yard touchdown. And now a Colts coach is blaming himself for letting that happen.
TUTU ATWELL 88 YARDS FOR THE RAMS LEAD!
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
INDvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/L9no7EuZtD
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo says he takes responsibility for having 10 men on the field on the game-winning TD. He added that the play might still have happened w 10 because Atwell was being single covered and the absent 11th defender was intended to double Puka Nacua
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 30, 2025
In a tie game late in the fourth, the Colts punted back to the Rams and pinned them at the 12-yard line. Things would change drastically because on the first play of the drive, Stafford found a wide-open Atwell for an 88-yard touchdown. Colts safety Cam Bynum revealed after the game that the team only had 10 players on the field for that play, a truly unexcusable mistake.
Since then, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has weighed in on the play and has taken full accountability for the mistake. "It's unacceptable in high school, let alone in the NFL," said Anarumo. He also went on to share that the plan was for the 11th defender to double Puka Nacua, which would have shifted everyone else slightly to the other side, putting Bynum in a better position to help Mehki Blackmon after he fell on the play, leaving Atwell wide open.
All in all, the Colts still played well enough to win that game, which makes the loss hurt a bit more. On the bright side, the team sits at 3-1 through the first four weeks and has two very winnable games on deck. They are set to host the Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 and Week 6. If they find a way to win both games and sit at 5-1 after the first six, I don't think anyone in the Colts fan base will be angry about that start. It would be one of the best starts to a season that the team has had in quite some time. So if the Colts want to make up for their mistake in Week 4, all they have to do is win; it's that simple. Winning can cure everything in the NFL, especially in the eyes of fans.
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