Indianapolis had to survive a comeback bid, but the Colts fended off the Titans for a 38-30 victory Sunday, keeping its playoff chances on life support.
The first quarter was far from ideal for the Colts. Tennessee struck first when Mason Rudolph dropped a perfect pass for Calvin Ridley from 38 yards away.
Anthony Richardson would throw an interception on the ensuing drive, but after that, Richardson and the Colts would score 38 unanswered points. Richardson ran in twice himself and found Josh Downs for a 27-yard touchdown, but Jonathan Taylor did the bulk of the work.
Led by Taylor, the Colts had a historically dominant day rushing the football. The 335 rushing yards set a single-game franchise record.
“Everything was clicking,” head coach Shane Steichen said on the run game's success. “The guys up front were just rolling,” he added, praising the job his offensive line did to contribute to the achievement.
Additionally, Taylor’s 218 yards on the ground were the second-most he’s had in a single game since entering the league and pushed him beyond the 1,000-yard mark on the season, the third time he’s reached that milestone.
“He’s been looking to have one of these games all year,” quarterback Anthony Richardson said on Taylor’s big day. “Seeing it happen, it’s like, ‘man, that guy is really good.’”
Much of Taylor’s yardage came on just two plays. Tied at seven in the second quarter, Taylor broke free for a 65-yard touchdown sprint, this time ensuring to hold onto the football as he crossed the goal line.
On the first play of the second half, he added another explosive TD run, this time from 70 yards away.
Taylor would get his third and final touchdown run from just a yard away to give Indy a 38-7 lead with 6:50 left to play in the third quarter.
“You get into that rhythm, you get into that flow, you get energized by the crowd, your teammates, it’s a special feeling,” Taylor said post-game.
It was a performance that he badly needed. After carelessly fumbling at the goal line in last week’s critical loss in Denver, the bounce back was incredible.
“He couldn’t have responded any better,” Steichen said.
In addition, Anthony Richardson made some history himself. His 70 rushing yards against Tennessee brought his total up to 499 rushing yards on the year, setting a franchise record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season.
Richardson scored his sixth rushing score of the year, also a new single-season franchise record for a Colts quarterback.
“Everybody knows I can do decently well with my legs,” Richardson said. “That’s a blessing and all, but I want to make sure I’m a complete quarterback.”
A humble response from someone clearly understanding of where he needs to improve.
The Colts looked ready to run away with a signature win, something it hasn’t been able to do all season. The defense was rolling, intercepting Rudolph twice and allowing just 15 points, but Tennessee fought back.
Indy gave Taylor a much-deserved rest and gave Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson some looks at running back, but couldn’t generate a scoring drive.
Rudolph, being a five-year NFL veteran, took advantage of Gus Bradley’s bend-don’t-break defensive approach and pulled the Titans to within a score.
Tennessee registered 23 unanswered points of its own. It forced Indy to bring Taylor and the big guns back into the lineup, and they finished the job. The Colts crushed Tennessee’s comeback dreams and left with the 38-30 triumph.
The Colts did what they had to do. Winning out is the only way to have even a chance at a postseason appearance, and they got the result.
“We know we need some help,” Steichen said on his team’s playoff chances. “But we gotta control what we can control.”
Up next is Indy’s second trip to MetLife Stadium this season to take on the train wreck that is the New York Giants. The Colts hope the trip to New Jersey is as successful as the previous one when they beat the Jets 28-27 in Week 11.
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