INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts struggled to get anything going with the ground game last week against the New York Jets. Jonathan Taylor averaged just 2.4 yards per carry, and the team tallied just 91 yards on 35 attempts.
It marked the first time this season the Colts failed to hit the 100-yard rushing mark in a game quarterback Anthony Richardson started. And, yet, the running game still was an under-rated factor in the 28-27 come-from-behind victory. There’s the obvious pair of rushing touchdowns by Richardson, including the game winner with 46 seconds remaining, but it goes deeper than that.
At other points this season, head coach Shane Steichen has given up early on the rushing attack, and the one-dimensional offense has allowed defenders to pin their ears back and make life even more difficult for Richardson in the passing game. Against the Jets, Steichen stuck with the run game even when things were difficult, and it helped lead to the best passing game of Richardson’s young career. “It allowed us to move the ball,” Richardson said of Steichen’s game plan.
“He dialed it up, and we weren't behind the sticks a lot of the time. So just moving the ball and just keeping it going, I feel like it helped the offense out a lot.” It won’t be an easy formula to replicate Sunday against the Detroit Lions (9-1).
Detroit ranks fifth in the NFL against the run by total yardage and is 11th with an average of 4.3 yards allowed per attempt. The threat of the Lio.