INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Goodson had played 45 NFL snaps before the Indianapolis Colts’ huge AFC South showdown against the Houston Texans on Saturday night.
But none of those plays were as crucial 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 on the line.
Goodson grabbed the ball with both hands, but ultimately knocked down quarterback Gardner Minshew’s deflected throw on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 15-yard line, effectively ending the Colts’ chances of upsetting the Texans.
The Texans took possession and won 23-17, eliminating the Colts from the postseason and sending Houston to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Goodson was left simply lamenting the biggest opportunity (and failure) of his young career.
“I’m going to go talk to my parents,” Goodson said through tears in a somber locker room. “They’re probably the only people who love me right now.”
Goodson, who departed Iowa in 2022, did not appear in a regular-season game until the Colts’ Week 13 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He joined the Colts’ practice squad in September and was not promoted to the active roster until December. However, Shane Steichen had identified Goodson during last week’s practices as the player who would be called upon to run a flat route on the short-yardage play that the Indianapolis coach had reserved for a critical situation.
Goodson had not touched the ball in Saturday’s game before the fateful play, although Minshew had knocked him down on an earlier pass attempt. Additionally, the decision to target Goodson came despite star running back Jonathan Taylor’s impressive 188-yard rushing performance.
Still, Goodson immediately felt the embrace of his teammates as he struggled to come to terms 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 could have made that play. I wish I could have made the play for this team and we could have a better outcome. But at the end of the day, that’s not God’s story. That’s not what He had.” written.
“For the guys in this locker room to accept me (come in late and not be here for camp and just accept me for who I am and trust me to come on the field and make plays) is phenomenal. I would love to stay here in this locker room. “
“This doesn’t define me as a player,” Goodson added. “It definitely motivates me. I work too hard not to make that play, and it’s going to haunt me for days and days and days until I’m back in that position to make that same play.”
Steichen made the surprising decision to target Goodson after seeing the Texans defense line up before the snap. Recognizing that Houston was in man-to-man coverage, Steichen called a timeout to gather personnel for the eventual play.
“We saw the front they were on and we liked the look of that play in that situation,” Steichen said.
Steichen said Goodson “is a pass catcher for us in the backfield.” Goodson entered the game with six receptions 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.
“One hundred percent. There’s a lot of thoughts going into that timeout situation,” he said.
Taylor took the decision calmly. He had just re-entered the game after going to the locker room to receive treatment for a heel injury. His return seemed bleak at one point, and the Colts downgraded his status during the game from questionable to doubtful. Moments later, Taylor came out of the locker room and tried. He would carry the ball nine times on the Colts’ final drive, only to not get the ball on the final play.
“I support the coaches,” Taylor said. “You look at what Shane’s been doing all year. Have you really questioned his decisions all year? He’s been making the right play at the right time.”
Steichen had a big influence on the Colts improving from four wins in 2022 to nine wins a season later. Indianapolis fell short in 2023, but raised the bar for 2024.
“Winning and losing is part of this game,” Steichen said. “You learn from it. You grow from it.”
