For the majority of the first half, neither the Indianapolis Colts nor Denver Broncos found the end zone during the preseason opener on Sunday.
However, the Broncos eventually pushed through on a one-yard touchdown pass from rookie Bo Nix to second-year wideout Marvin Mims.
It was a play that seemingly required some adjustment from the defense as Mims motioned from right to left. It was clear Colts safety Nick Cross signaled to boundary cornerback Dallis Flowers to bump his coverage to the flat with Cross taking the inside route.
Only Flowers stuck with his man on the inside route, and Cross was a tick late, resulting in an easy touchdown for Denver. Because we're not in the meetings with the players, it wasn't totally clear which player blew the coverage.
On Tuesday, though, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley offered some clarity on the play. The blame ultimately fell on Cross.
"No, there was no switch of coverage. There was motion, and (Cross) just got to get out a little bit wider and be able to put himself in position to cover that," Bradley said. "So, there was no change in coverage or communication. It's just the execution of the coverage.”
I didn't really want to do post this but I'm going to just because I think I can explain this for folks using Gus Bradleys explanation.
— Colts Film Room (@ColtsFilmRoom) August 13, 2024
The Colts have done this before where they will "bump" motions from man alignments to make it look like zone, but still play man. That's what… pic.twitter.com/EdEjsoVzzg
There's typically a lot of nuance when it comes to blown coverages, and it's not always clear who is ultimately responsible. Every defense has different rules depending on certain looks, down and distance, and situation.
But Bradley made it pretty clear this one falls on Cross' shoulders, and it's something they'll need to get right before the season because teams will exploit it if they can.
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