Richardson Shines In 4th Quarter As Colts Narrowly Win Over Jets

Source: Luke Hales / Getty

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was the furthest thing from pretty, but the Indianapolis Colts were able to grind out their first victory in nearly a month on Sunday in a 28-27 win over the New York Jets.

The game marked the return of Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback for the Colts. He certainly took advantage of the opportunity. Despite some expected young quarterback mistakes, Richardson played his best game by far throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two more.

In the early going, it was the Colts’ defense that was making its mark. They made Aaron Rodgers and the Jets’ offense look absolutely hapless for most of the first half.

The solid defensive effort turned into points on the offensive side as Richardson, playing with what appeared to be newly found confidence, completed several solid passes to the likes of Josh Downs, Michael Pittman, Jr., and Adoni Mitchell. After mustering only a field goal on their opening drive, the Colts adjusted and punched in a touchdown after an 8-play drive in the first quarter putting Indy up 10-0.

Kicker Matt Gay followed that up with a field goal to put Indy up 13-0 heading into the two-minute warning.

It was not until 1:51 left to play before halftime that the Jets picked up their first first down. It was then the Colts’ defense appeared to cease to exist. Breece Hall took a check down pass from Rodgers into the endzone to shorten the Colts’ lead heading into halftime 13-7.

The second half brought an even more woeful performance from the Colts’ defense as Rodgers and company took control. The Jets took the lead 14-13 midway through the 3rd quarter.

But Richardson, undaunted by a fumble on his previous drive which resulted in the Jets taking the lead, hit a couple of big throws to Downs and Alec Pierce. This set up Gay for a new season-long 56-yard field goal to put the Colts back in front.

The Jets responded with ease. The Colts’ defense continued to struggle to contain the likes of Rodgers, Hall, and Davonte Adams. Following a Jets field goal and then a Colts punt, Rodgers engineered a drive typical of a veteran such as he. It was capped off by a TD pass to Kenny Yeboah early in the fourth quarter.

Down 24-16, the Colts’ offense could not get moving as they were stopped on a handful of drives due to penalties and, quite frankly, poor play calling forcing Richardson into 3rd and long situations.

Richardson finally broke through on a drive in which they called five straight passes, resulting in five straight completions to Pittman, Downs, Pierce, and tight end Mo Alie-Cox. It resulted in a beautifully thrown slant to Downs who punched it in for a score. But, the Colts failed on a subsequent 2-point-converstion attempt, leaving the score 24-22.

New York drove back and mustered a 35-yard field goal from kicker Anders Carlson. With 2:41 to play, the Colts needed a touchdown and a swift and flawless drive to get it. That is what they got as Richardson hit Alec Pierce on a gorgeous 39-yard pass to get a critical first down into Jets’ territory. On the next play, Richardson hit Downs to get into the red zone.

Eventually, on 3rd and Goal, AR5 used his legs to sweep to his left and barrel into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the day. The Jets, with no timeouts, could on respond, and the Colts held on to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Colts are now 5-6 on the season. They are still in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot. Regardless of the playoff ramifications, the biggest victory the Colts got out of the game was the show of potential from Anthony Richardson. The young quarterback completed seven of his last nine passes and showed poise and moxey when the Colts needed it.

Indy will need to build on both those attributes when they face the Detroit Lions next week. The Lions are without question the hottest team in the NFC after crushing Jacksonville 52-6 on Sunday.

Richardson Shines In 4th Quarter As Colts Narrowly Win Over Jets was originally published on wibc.com