The Colts were able to handle the retirement of Andrew Luck.
But the absence of T.Y. Hilton and Darius Leonard was more than they could bear.
Without their top offensive weapon and leading tackler, the Colts lacked any spark on either side of the ball, losing 31-24 to the Raiders.
The Raiders did some things well on their own, but this one was largely about a team looking lost without its top players.
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw three touchdowns, but had a crushing pick-six late in the game. Without the injured Hilton (and with running back Marlon Mack dealing with an ankle injury), they weren’t able to get anything resembling rhythm on offense.
Then again, the Raiders did score touchdowns on three of their first four possessions, and got a late interception return for a touchdown by safety Erik Harris, so it wasn’t as if they didn’t do anything right.
Derek Carr was 21-of-31 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and they ran for 188 yards.
That made it a needed road win for a team that’s headed to London, as part of their epic road trip.