INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn't try to defend it.
Having just 10 defenders on the field during a critical moment in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams was a costly mistake that cannot be minimized, and Anarumo made no effort to do so.
Four games into his first season with the Colts, who hired him to help reverse their defensive misfortunes, Anarumo finds himself under scrutiny. The communication problems on a play that decided the game are at issue, and so are Anarumo's personnel decisions that left struggling veteran cornerback Xavien Howard covering league-leading Rams receiver Puka Nacua for nearly the entirety of Sunday's game.
"It's something that, certainly, I take full responsibility for," Anarumo said of the play with 1:44 remaining in the game. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with wide receiver Tutu Atwell on the play for an 88-yard touchdown pass. The play ultimately proved the game-winning touchdown in the 27-20 Rams victory, the Colts' first loss of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the play was the second-longest go-ahead passing touchdown in the final two minutes or overtime since the 1970 merger.
"I know [head coach] Shane [Steichen] had said something, but that's on me and, as a group, I take full responsibility for that play. It's unacceptable. It's unacceptable in high school, nevermind in the NFL. So, that'll never happen again. I'll be on top of it and make sure that we've got the proper guys in the proper spots so that certainly we don't -- nevermind give up an 88-yard touchdown pass -- there's 11 guys on the field."
Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon was covering Atwell 1-on-1 on the play and fell down when his feet got tangled with Atwell's. That left Atwell wide open with only a single safety, Cam Bynum, lined up deep for the Colts. It's unclear where the would-be 11th defender would have been, but Anarumo said the intent was for that player to be a second defender on Nacua, who had dominated the Colts throughout the game.
That leads to the second question Anarumo had to answer: Why did he leave the 32-year old Howard, who signed with the Colts just last month after spending last season out of the NFL, as the primary defender on Nacua?
Opponents have been targeting Howard at times this season and Sunday's difficult matchup exposed the former All-Pro.
Anarumo decided to have No. 1 cornerback Charvarius Ward follow Rams receiver Davante Adams throughout the game, leaving Howard to cover Nacua. Adams finished with four catches for 56 yards, with at least one of those catches coming against Howard.
Nacua, meanwhile, had a huge day with much of his production coming at Howard's expense. According to Next-Gen Stats, Howard was the nearest defender on seven receptions that went for 112 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 10 times, five more times than any other Colts defender in the game. It's the highest amount a Colts player has been targeted in a single game this season.
"Puka is a guy we were trying to match up with," Anarumo said. "Nobody can match up with him, but we were trying to help over there, too. I think, at the end of the day, that was the reason why we did it... I think [Stafford] just found something and the rhythm of it and it was a lot of underneath throws."
Asked to evaluate Howard's performance in particular, Anarumo didn't single him out.
"We will evaluate everybody [after] every game," Anarumo said.
Anarumo was a driving force behind the acquisition of Howard, having been his position coach during Howard's first two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. The Colts have a couple other options at the position in Blackmon and undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards, who turned heads during training camp and preseason. They also are awaiting the return of 2024 starter Jaylon Jones, who is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
If the Colts stick with Howard, they can't afford a repeat of Sunday.
"He's been a really good player in this league for a long time," Steichen said. "We've got to do a better job looking at different things and helping him in certain situations. He is a talented player, but we've got to improve in some areas for sure."