Colts vs. Bucs: 3 Things We Learned from the Colts 24-17 Loss to the Bucs

The Colts played the Buccaneers tight in their Monday night showdown, but injuries and Tampa Bay's tough running were too much for Indianapolis to overcome in the end.

The Colts also couldn't get off the field on key third downs, which led to conversions and extended drives by the Bucs.

Curtis Painter performed decently in his first start for the Colts, but he's still not inspiring anyone with his play at this point.

So what did we learn about the Colts as they finish up the first four weeks of the season winless and with very little hope for the rest of the season?

The Colts Are Not Good Enough to Overcome Injuries and Penalties

A plethora of injuries along the offensive line (both left tackle Anthony Castonzo and Ben Ijalana) and a gruesome ankle injury to Eric Foster really hurt the Colts.

In addition, a few uncharacteristic unsportsmanlike penalties really backed the team up.

With Peyton Manning under center, the Colts could overcome these obstacles and gut out the game. Manning is watching the game from the booth now, and Curtis Painter isn't that caliber of QB.

The Colts don't have enough depth to cover when their starters get injured.

Curtis Painter Is a Mediocre QB, but He Has Better Rapport with WRs Than Collins

Painter completed 13 out of 30 passes for 281 yards and threw two touchdowns. Even more promising,  he only turned the ball over once on a forced fumble early in the game.

He connected nicely with Pierre Garcon and looked like he had better control of the offense than he has in any other game he's played in.

On the downside, Painter didn't always have much time to throw, due to a patchwork offensive line. In addition, he seemed to tighten up late in the game and couldn't convert key passing plays that would have helped the Colts keep pace with the Buccaneers.

I think Painter might be a better option for the Colts than Collins at this point. At 0-4, it seems to make more sense to see what he can give the team so that they can make a good decision about his future after this "lost" season is finally over.

The Colts Defense Still Can't Get Key Stops on Third Down

Just like in the two previous games (against Cleveland and Pittsburgh) the Colts couldn't stop the Buccaneers when it mattered. The Bucs were 7 for 17 on third downs and 2 for 2 on fourth downs.

LeGarrett Blount wore down the Colts defense like my pencil eraser wears down when I'm trying to do math problems. His strong running (127 yards and a whopping 5.1 yards-per-carry average) was too much for a Colts defensive line that lost promising rookie Drake Nevis to injury and then Eric Foster to a much worse injury later in the game.

I like what Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis did tonight in disrupting Josh Freeman early in the game, but the Colts couldn't really stop the Bucs passing game over the middle or Blount's punishing running between the tackles.

It's tough to find any positives after another rough late-game loss, but the one "upside" is that next week they get to play the deplorable Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Chiefs won't be an easy out, they are certainly less effective than the Buccaneers and the Steelers.