It was a slow start for the Indianapolis Colts offense, but things turned quickly in the second quarter, and fortunately, the lead was big enough that they were able to hold off the Titans’ second-half charge.
With the game having just wrapped up, let’s take a look back at the Colts’ performance with our instant takeaways from it all.
– As alluded to, it was a shaky start for the Colt’s offense. Specifically, Anthony Richardson and the passing game, with him missing a few throws, but the turning point in that second quarter was when Steichen leaned very heavily into the run game. Their first touchdown drive featured a run on every play, and Taylor then had the big 65-yard touchdown run on the next possession.
– Success for the Colts’ offense starts on the ground. Not only because of how dynamic the one-two punch of Richardson and Taylor can be, but it takes some of the burden off the passing game. For one, it keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations, resulting in the Colts having one of their more efficient third-down performances of the season. But in addition to that, it’s also not a coincidence that the passing game looked more sharp after the run game really got going. The run game helped create some one-on-one matchups that Josh Downs took advantage of on his two explosive catches, and set up the 36 yard downfield completion to AD Mitchell.
– Another ripple effect from the success in the run game was the Colts’ third down success in this contest. A good run game keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and in manageable down and distances.
– Understandably so, Taylor’s performance is likely to garner just about all of the attention, but that was an incredibly disruptive day from DeForest Buckner. The quick push he was generating up the middle wrecked a number of plays for the Titans.
– On the flip side, the success that we often did see the Titans have on the ground game came when Buckner and Stewart weren’t on the field. For all the resources invested into the defensive front, the run defense depth at the defensive tackle position is still a weak spot on this roster.
– Another nice return from Anthony Gould. These last two games he has looked much more decisive in his decision-making and just letting his playmaking abilities take over.
– More special teams talk? The Colts punt and kick coverage units have been pretty good this season, but over these last two games, they’ve been getting exposed a bit with some big running lanes opening up.
– Two head-scratching moments from the defense came on the completions to Calvin Ridley when there wasn’t safety help over the top to help the cornerback.
– With how heavily Rudolph and the Titans rely on the quick passing game, generating pressure isn’t going to come easy because of how quickly the ball comes out of his hands.
– I get it–when you’re up big you play safe to limit explosive plays and quick scores. But as the Colts’ defense softened in the second half, that played right into Rudolph’s hands. He wasn’t pressured and is more than willing to take the underneath throws as the Titans plotted their way down the field over and over. That conservative approach almost cost them.
– In addition to the success in the run game, the offensive line did a good job in pass protection today, giving Richardson time on his limited dropbacks. As I wrote about prior to this game, Richardson had been one of the most pressured quarterbacks in football since Week 11.
– As expected, without EJ Speed available, it was Jaylon Carlies playing next to Zaire Franklin. Carlies has been a very productive fifth-round find in this past draft–bringing added coverage ability to the linebacker position.
– Something to monitor throughout the week is Jaylon Jones, who exited late with a throat injury, and Quenton Nelson, who suffered an ankle injury but did return.