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Stephen Holder, ESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Goodson had played 45 NFL snaps before the Indianapolis Colts‘ massive AFC South showdown against the Houston Texans on Saturday night.
But none of those snaps were nearly as pivotal as the fourth-down play that Goodson, a backup running back, was asked to make in the final moments against Houston, with a trip to the playoffs hanging in the balance.
Goodson got two hands on the ball but ultimately dropped quarterback Gardner Minshew’s off-target throw on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 15-yard line, effectively ending the Colts’ chances of toppling Houston.
The Texans took possession and went on to win 23-17, eliminating the Colts from the postseason and sending Houston to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Goodson was left to merely lament the greatest opportunity — and failure — of his young career.
“I’m going to go talk to my parents,” a tearful Goodson said in a somber locker room. “They’re probably the only people that are loving me right now.”
Goodson, who came out of Iowa in 2022, did not appear in a regular-season game until the Colts’ Week 13 game against the Tennessee Titans. He joined the Colts’ practice squad in September and wasn’t promoted to the active roster until December. Nevertheless, Goodson had been identified by coach Shane Steichen during practices last week as the player who would be called upon to run a flat route in the short-yardage play Steichen had saved for a critical situation.
He had not touched the ball in Saturday’s game before the fateful play, though Minshew had overthrown him on an earlier pass attempt. Additionally, the decision to target Goodson came despite star running back Jonathan Taylor’s stunning 188-yard rushing performance.
Still, Goodson immediately felt the embrace of his teammates as he struggled to cope with his role in Saturday’s loss.
“It shows that the guys love me, and I love the guys that are here,” he said. “It happens. I wish I would have made that play. I wish I could have made the play for this team and we could have a better result. But at the end of the day that’s not God’s story. That’s not what He had written.
“The guys in this locker room accepting me — coming in late and not being here for camp and just accepting me for who I am and trusting me to get on the field and make plays — is phenomenal. I would love to stay here in this locker room.”
Goodson added: “This doesn’t define me as a player. It definitely motivates me. I work too hard to not make that play and it’s going to haunt me for days and days and days until I get back in that position to make that same play.”
Steichen made the surprising call to target Goodson after seeing the Texans’ defense line up before the snap. Seeing the Texans in man-to-man coverage, Steichen called a timeout to gather the personnel for the eventual play call.
“We saw the front they were in and we liked the look for that play in that situation,” Steichen said.
Goodson, Steichen said, “is a pass catcher for us in the backfield.” Goodson entered the game with six catches for 34 yards this season and 13 rushing attempts for 87 yards.
With the Colts driving and facing a fourth-and-1, the idea of giving the ball to Taylor was tempting, Steichen said.
“100%. There’s a lot of thoughts going through in that situation on the timeout,” he said.
Taylor took the decision in stride. He had just re-entered the game after going to the locker room for treatment on a heel injury. His return, in fact, seemed bleak at one point, with the Colts downgrading his status during the game from questionable to doubtful. Moments later, he emerged from the locker room and gave it a go. He would carry the ball nine times on the Colts’ final drive – only to not get the ball on the final play.
“I stand by the coaches,” Taylor said. “You see what Shane has done all year. Have you really questioned his calls all year? He’s been calling the right play at the right time.”
Steichen had a huge hand in the Colts improving from four wins in 2022 to nine victories a year later. Indianapolis fell short but raised the bar on 2024.
“Winning and losing is part of this game,” Steichen said. “You learn from it. You grow from it.”