Shane Steichen on failed trick play: "It was good in practice"

Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s eventual loss to the Broncos, the Colts were down 17-13 when they lined up for a second-and-7 play at Denver’s 40-yard line.

But what happened next was a blunder that helped take Indianapolis out of the game for good, as Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto blew through the line to snag Adonai Mitchell’s backward pass, returning it for a 50-yard touchdown.

While the play technically wasn’t an interception because the throw was backward, the effect was still the same.

The Colts didn’t score again, as the Broncos won 31-13.

After the loss, head coach Shane Steichen called it a play that the club was looking to get called.

“That was the first drive that we started getting something going, and then we got that ball on that play,” Steichen said in his postgame news conference. “Credit to [No.] 15. He made a hell of a play, and that's what happened.

"We worked on that play all week, and it was great,” Steichen added. “It looked great all week. We padded up, and it was good in practice. He threw it great. Obviously, he's thrown double passes before that he's had success with, and that one didn't work out."

Asked about Mitchell’s decision to throw, Steichen noted that it’s possible Mitchell just didn’t see Bonitto.

“They blitzed the corner, and then [No.] 15 kind of snipped it out and then saw maybe Anthony [Richardson] rolling out and he came back and made the play,” Steichen said, also noting that Mitchell was taught to read the play. “I don't think he saw the guy, to be completely honest. He didn't have it, [he should] throw it away.”

But that didn’t happen, and it’s part of the reason why the Colts are now 6-8.