The Colts' 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football left a bad taste in everyone's mouths.
It was a game with some standout plays – defensive tackles Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner combined for three of the Colts' four sacks, linebacker Zaire Franklin had the second interception of his career and cornerback Kenny Moore II recovered a fumble for a touchdown – but the offense struggled and the Colts dropped to 4-5 on the season.
"I think everybody has a sour taste in their mouth and that lingers for a little bit," quarterback Joe Flacco said Wednesday ahead of the Colts' Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills. "But you can't let that get in the way of your preparation. So I think everybody's got a single focus and (is) ready to go."
Flacco completed 16-of-27 passes for 179 yards and no touchdowns against the Vikings as the Colts struggled to get in the red zone or stay on the field for extended periods of time. Sunday's game marked the fifth game of the season in which the Colts held the ball for less than 25 minutes.
Now, Flacco and the offense have to use some mouthwash, look themselves in the mirror and find the balance of recognizing their mistakes while staying confident in themselves.
"You've got to keep your head down and just be able to come in and correct it and be honest with yourselves and do all that, but at the same time have the confidence to move forward and have a good practice week and do all the things that we've been working towards all year," Flacco said. "I think we've got a good group of guys that can stay mentally strong and come back and those types of things. And that's what we need to do."
Head coach Shane Steichen confirmed on Monday Flacco would be the starting quarterback against the Bills. After the loss on Sunday night, Steichen cited Flacco's 17 years of NFL experience as a source of belief in what he can bring to the Colts.
"(He's) been playing at a high level for a long time, so I have a lot of faith in him," Steichen said Sunday.
Flacco is, clearly, no stranger to needing to bounce back after a loss. Just one month ago, Flacco started in back-to-back games when Anthony Richardson was sidelined with an oblique injury, and the veteran quarterback led the Colts to a win against the Tennessee Titans after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars the previous week.
It's never easy to look back at losses, Flacco said, but that's part of being in the NFL. Now, it's all about how he, and the rest of the Colts, rebound.
"That's part of building a team and becoming the team we want to be, is being actually able to face those challenges and come out and have a good week the next week," Flacco said. "We've had that challenge a couple times this year, and we've done a good job. We've just got to continue to do that and trust that our preparation is going to carry us into the game and allow us to play the way we want to."
