MINNEAPOLIS – Joe Flacco ripped a 22-yard completion to finish Kylen Granson on third down, Jonathan Taylor sprinted 13 yards on the next play and the Colts were rolling to open their first appearance on Sunday Night Football in nearly two years.

But with the ball on the Minnesota Vikings’ 26-yard line, Flacco and Taylor were unable to complete a handoff, with the ball bouncing over the line of scrimmage and into the waiting hands of safety Harrison Smith. The Colts didn’t get the ball back inside the Minnesota 30-yard line until the fourth quarter, and none of their drives reached the red zone in a 21-13 Week 9 loss to the Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The Colts fell to 4-5 on the season with Sunday’s loss.

“I’m going to start with myself,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “I’m the head coach, I’m in charge of everything that happens on that field. So I wasn’t good enough.”

The Colts went three-and-out just twice in nine possessions (not including a kneel-down at the end of the half), but without many explosive plays involving big plays — Granson’s 22-yard catch was one of two plays of 20 or more yards – and too many self-inflicted mistakes, their offense could only muster two Matt Gay field goals against a stingy, aggressive Viking defense.

“They were definitely after us,” Flacco said. “They did what they were going to do all game, and we made some plays here and there, but if we shoot ourselves in the foot, we just can’t keep the drives going.”

The Colts’ three longest drives by play count and time all did not end in points. An eight-play drive in the second quarter after Vikings kicker Will Reichard missed a 53-yard field goal lasted three minutes, 51 seconds, but Gay’s 53-yard field goal sailed wide left. A seven-play, 55-yard drive lasted just under three and a half minutes before Flacco was picked off on third-and-8 by cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who undercut Josh Downs’ breakaway route for the interception.

And a crucial late-game drive, with the Colts trailing by four midway through the fourth quarter, ended after nine plays and 4:02 when Flacco’s passes on third-and-2 and fourth-and-2 both fell incomplete.

“We have to stay on the field, the bottom line is,” Taylor said. ‘We have to stay on the field and organize actions. You have to. It’s the National Football League. You have to organize actions.’

The Colts converted three of 10 third downs and were one of two on fourth down. The deepest point they had possession of the ball in Viking territory was the 23-yard line, which came after Nick Cross picked off Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold immediately following Flacco’s interception. The Colts settled for a field goal after gaining two yards on three plays; a touchdown would have tied the game early in the fourth quarter.

Brian Flores’ Vikings defense mixed up fronts and coverages, making things challenging, but the Colts left Minnesota feeling like they had left offensive meat on the bone.

“Credit to Minnesota. They do a lot of good things. But then again, I’m the head coach. Everything that’s on that field, my name is on it. So defensively, we did a lot of good things. You know, they mixed up.” their coverage, blitz looks. We knew it would be a tough challenge. It’s a good football team we played against, but in the end it wasn’t good enough and I have to be better. .”

Flacco finished the night 16 of 27 (59.3 percent) for 179 yards with a 63.7 passer rating, while Taylor carried 13 times for 48 yards, setting a season low in rushing yards. Collectively, the Colts averaged 4.6 yards per play, their second-lowest mark this season. And the Colts had possession of the ball for 23 minutes and six seconds; It was the fifth game of the season in which the Colts held the ball for less than 25 minutes.

“You definitely don’t want to be 4-5, but we have the pieces — if you look at the roster, we have the pieces,” Taylor said. “But for us, offensively, we have to stay on the field. We have to find ways to stay on the field.”