Colts blame themselves for costly miscues but need solutions to salvage fading playoff hopes

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — One by one, the Indianapolis Colts took responsibility for the long list of embarrassments Sunday

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. regretted showing his frustration on the field. Rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell explained he never saw Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto when he lobbed a fateful lateral across the field toward quarterback Anthony Richardson. And running back Jonathan Taylor apologized to his teammates for dropping the ball — literally and figuratively.

The explanations continued Monday when coach Shane Steichen told reporters he was ultimately responsible for the miscues that led to the devastating 31-13 loss at Denver.

“It comes down to consistency and it starts with myself,” Steichen said. “We've got to be consistent in everything we do. We've got to take care of the football moving forward because I thought our defense played a heck of a game.”

But it's the lingering inconsistency that may wind up costing the Colts (6-8) a playoff spot.

Indy hasn't had consecutive wins in two months. And while some growing pains are expected from a second-year quarterback such as Richardson, his play has varied wildly, sometimes from drive to drive or play to play.

And on Sunday, it wasn't just Richardson's two interceptions or Mitchell's ill-advised throw that Bonitto turned into a game-changing touchdown. Steichen blamed himself for trying to give his team a spark with the play call and putting Mitchell in a tough spot.

“It was there pretty much until (No.) 15 (Bonitto) turned into Ed Reed,” Mitchell said, referring to the ball-hawking Hall of Fame safety.

Indy had five turnovers, including a rare lost fumble from Pittman, which led to a field goal for Denver, and the one Taylor will never forget when he let go of the ball before crossing the goal line.

Instead of giving the Colts a 20-7 lead, the touchdown came off the board and Denver got the ball back because it bounced out of bounds for a touchback.

“We've talked about those (situations),” Steichen said, referring to similar circumstances that have happened around the league this season. “We talk about letters and logos (in the end zone) and finishing through the end.”

But with three games left and Indy two games out of the AFC's seventh and final playoff spot — and down a tiebreak to the Broncos — Sunday's debacle could seal Indy's postseason fate.

Turnovers. While it's an up and down season for the Colts' defense, too, one facet where they have excelled is takeaways. Indy intercepted Denver rookie Bo Nix three times and it helped Indy take the lead into the fourth quarter.

Complementary football. The Colts still have not really found an answer to why the offense, defense and special teams have not played well together all season. The loss to Denver was a perfect illustration. On a day the defense gave up only 10 points through three quarters, the offense essentially gave away 14 with the fumble return and Taylor's drop.

S Nick Cross. He's having a breakout season in his third year. He has 130 tackles, after logging only 56 total in 2022 and 2023, the first sack of his career and against Denver he picked off his third pass of the season.

Mitchell. The rookie has been criticized all year over a variety of issues. First, it was dropped passes. Then, it was questions about his route running. Now, he's being asked about the decision to throw the ball.

WR Alec Pierce left with a concussion and Steichen said he's in the concussion protocol. ... The bigger questions continue to center on the offensive line. Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly was not activated from injured reserve this week and even though backup Tanor Bortolini could have played, Steichen went with Danny Pinter at center anyway. The Colts also announced Saturday that RT Braden Smith has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list, ending his season. Smith has been dealing with an undisclosed personal matter.

.190 — That's the winning percentage of Indy's final three opponents — Tennessee (3-11), the New York Giants (2-12) and Jacksonville (3-11).

Steichen is encouraging his team to stay hopeful that if it plays hard the next three weeks, it just might get the help it needs to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. And if that doesn't happen, he wants everyone to know there's still plenty on the line this season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Denver Broncos' Courtland Sutton catches a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos' Kris Abrams-Draine breaks iup a pass intended for Indianapolis Colts' Alec Pierce during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor runs for what would have been a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos' Nik Bonitto celebrates his interception and return for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Additional police were sent to Providence schools on Tuesday to reassure worried parents that their kids will be safe with the Brown University shooter on the loose and no indication yet that investigators have zeroed in on a specific suspect.

Authorities on Monday released several new videos of the man suspected in Saturday's mass shooting inside of a Brown classroom, which killed two students and wounded nine others. After releasing a person of interest in the case because the evidence pointed elsewhere, they once again pleaded with the public for any tips that might help them catch the attacker.

Tensions remain high in Providence. With the investigation in its third day Monday, officers were still knocking on doors and poring through dumpsters and backyards near the Ivy League campus in search of additional video evidence or other clues.

But some locals expressed defiance.

“Of course it feels scary. But at the same time, I think that if the person really wanted to scare us, we shouldn’t allow him or her to win," said Tatjana Stojanovic, a Providence parent who lives next door to the Brown campus. "Despite all of that, we should just go about our lives. I mean, obviously, you cannot forget this. But I think we shouldn’t cower and just sort of stop living despite what has happened.

In the five videos authorities have released of the suspect, he was wearing a mask or his face was turned. The FBI described him as about 5 feet, 8 inches (173 centimeters) tall, with a stocky build.

The attack and the shooter's escape have raised questions about campus security, including a lack of security cameras, and led to calls for better locks on campus doors. Others pushed back, though, saying such efforts do little to address the real issue.

“The issue isn’t the doors, it’s the guns,” said Zoe Kass, a senior at Brown. “And all of this, like, ‘Oh, the doors need to be locked.’ I get it, parents are scared. But any of us could have opened the door for the guy if the doors had been locked.”

After spending of her life in schools where every door was locked and school shootings continued to persist, Kass said such security measures only created “the illusion of safety.”

Meanwhile, details have emerged about the victims, who were in the first-floor classroom in the school's engineering building studying for a final.

Only one of the wounded students had been released as of Sunday, Brown President Christina Paxson said. One was in critical condition and the other seven were in critical but stable condition.

One of the wounded students, 18-year-old freshman Spencer Yang of New York City, told the New York Times and the Brown Daily Herald that there was a mad scramble after the gunman entered the room. Many students ran toward the front, but Yang said he wound up on the ground between some seats and was shot in the leg. He expected to be discharged within days.

Jacob Spears, 18, a freshman from Evans, Georgia, was shot in the stomach, “but through sheer adrenaline and courage, he managed to run outside, where he was aided by others," according to a GoFundMe site organized for him.

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore who was one of the two students killed, was vice president of the Brown College Republicans and was beloved in her church in Birmingham, Alabama. In announcing her death Sunday, the Rev. R. Craig Smalley described her as “an incredible grounded, faithful, bright light” who encouraged and “lifted up those around her.”

The other student killed was, MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Brandermill, Virginia, who was majoring in biochemistry and neuroscience. His family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a kid.

As a child, Umurzokov suffered a neurological condition that required surgery, and he later wore a back brace because of scoliosis, his sister Samira Umurzokova told The Associated Press by phone. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a neurosurgeon to help others like him.

“He had so many hardships in his life, and he got into this amazing school and tried so hard to follow through with the promise he made when was 7 years old,” she said.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott and Matt O'Brien in Providence; Brian Slodysko in Washington; Michael Casey in Boston; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas.

A memorial of flowers and signs lay outside the Barus and Holley engineering building at Brown University, on Hope Street in Providence, R.I., on Tuesday, Dec 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt OBrien)

Brown University senior Zoe Kass and her boyfriend return to the engineering building they fled Saturday to leave flowers on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Matt OBrien)

A classroom in Brown University's Barus and Holley building is pictured two days after a shooting occurred inside the building. in Providence, R.I., Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)

This combo image made with photos provided by the FBI and the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department shows a person of interest in the shooting that occurred at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI/Providence Police Department via AP)

A makeshift memorial is seen on the campus of Brown University, close to from the scene of the shooting, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team search for evidence near the campus of Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Visitors pause at a makeshift memorial for the victims of Saturday's shooting, at the Van Wickle Gate at Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)