In his return to the starting lineup, Anthony Richardson put together a career day and capped the performance off by leading the Indianapolis Colts offense on a game-winning drive in the final minutes.
The victory improves the Colts to 5-6 on the season and keeps them alive in the AFC playoff hunt. However, while that’s important, the bigger picture from Sunday’s game is that Richardson’s performance provided more than just a boost to the Colts’ playoff odds; he’s given additional long-term hope, showcasing the player that he can be.
While Richardson’s performance will be at the center of the conversation, there was a lot more that happened in Sunday’s game. So let’s break it down here.
Final Score
It was over when…
…we could say when Richardson ran it in to give the Colts the lead with less than a minute to play. However, while the Jets offense is struggling, I don’t think anyone is going to underestimate what Aaron Rodgers can do, even when time isn’t on his side. So we will say the game was over when the clock actually hit 0:00 following Kwity Paye’s sack.
Keys to the game
Steichen adjusts the gameplan: As I wrote about here, the gameplan we saw on Sunday was the one that I imagine many Colts fans were expecting this season. It was a run-centric approach with Jonathan Taylor carrying the ball 24 times, along with Anthony Richardson getting involved as well with 10 carries. And while that sounds simple, that often hasn’t been the case this season, for whatever reason. A commitment to the run game and designing plays off of that run action can open up opportunities in the passing game, which Richardson took advantage of as he had his most efficient performance on short to intermediate routes. Overall, it was a very good mix between the run and passing games that Steichen established.
Red zone success: The Colts offense made the most of their red zone opportunities. On the four visits that they had to that part of the field, they scored a touchdown on three of those possessions. For some context, a success rate of 75 percent over the course of the season would be the second-highest mark in the NFL in 2024.
Breece Hall gave the Jets a chance: After the Colts’ defense shut down the New York offense for just about the entire first half, it was Breece Hall who provided that unit with a spark. He was responsible for a 29 yard touchdown catch and run before halftime and then an 18 yard touchdown run on the Jets’ first third quarter possession. Hall finished the game with 78 rushing yards on only 16 carries and had another 43 yards in the passing game.
It’s the offense’s turn to come through for the defense: Over the last month, the Colts’ defense has done a lot to help keep Indianapolis in several of those games. However, the offense didn’t have enough juice to come through. On Sunday, with defense leaking oil late in the game–something we’ve seen happen before–the offense was able to respond. Trailing 24-16 following a Jets’ touchdown Richardson responded with a touchdown drive of his own, completing 5-of-7 passes for 69 yards. Then after the Colts’ defense holds New York to a field goal, Richardson again responds with a second consecutive touchdown drive, this time giving the Colts the lead late.
Stars of the game
Anthony Richardson: As we’ve already discussed, Richardson helped the Colts overcome an eight point deficit with back to back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Richardson finished the game 20-of-30 passing for 272 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 32 yards and two scores as well.
Josh Downs: Another big game for Downs. He caught all five of his receptions and totaled 84 yards, with a long of 31 yards and a touchdown.
Matt Gay: In this game, Gay was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, which included making a 56 yarder and he made his extra point attempt as well. In a one point victory, every kick mattered.
Kwity Paye: He finished the game with six solo tackles, two of which were for a loss, and had two sacks as well, including the one to end the game on the Jets’ final drive.
Jaylon Jones: It’s not going to be perfect against the Jets’ talented duo at receiver, but Jones was all over the place, in on five tackles, a few of which came around the line of scrimmage, and he had multiple pass breakups as well.
Injury updates
At least during the game, no injuries were reported for the Colts. That is always terrific news.
What’s next?
The Colts are back at home in Week 12 and face the 9-1 Detroit Lions, who on both sides of the ball have been dominant this season. This will be a huge test for Indianapolis.
