Colts score first against Patriots with great ground-game trickeration

The Colts moved dominantly on the ground on their second drive against the Patriots — with and without Jonathan Taylor.

The Patriots knew that they had to deal with Colts running back Jonathan Taylor on Saturday night. The NFL’s leading rusher coming into this game with 1,348 yards and 16 touchdowns has put the league on notice, and Bill Belichick’s defense was definitely paying attention on Indianapolis’ second drive.

First, there was this 37-yard jet sweep run from receiver Ashton Dulin with 8:51 left in the first quarter, facilitated by the Patriots’ defense overcorrecting severely for the prospect of Taylor running to the other side…

And then, there was running back Nyheim Hines’ eight-yard touchdown with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Taylor took the direct snap, handed the ball to quarterback Carson Wentz, who handed it to Hines, and with Taylor as a lead blocker, Hines rumbled in for the score.

Whether Taylor’s running the ball or not, he has a unique ability to mess with defenses, and head coach Frank Reich is doing a great job of exploiting that fact.