10 Colts thoughts on Anthony Richardson's comeback win over the Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Ten thoughts on the Colts’ 25-24 win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium:
1. The Colts have held hopes of making a playoff push with Anthony Richardson back and studied up after a two-week benching, with Jonathan Taylor healthy and with a back end of the schedule that on paper looked relatively weak.
Most of Sunday in New England showcased a squad that doesn't look playoff-caliber -- not on defense, not in the passing game.
And then the final drive arrived.
Nineteen plays. Three fourth-down conversions, highlighted by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to Alec Pierce. A bold decision to go for two and the win. And Richardson's plunge through the bodies to make another fourth-quarter comeback happen.
2. For the second time in three weeks, Richardson made this happen by staying with it and by presenting a physical skill set that can rise up in crunch time, when, as the cliche goes, "Players gotta make plays."
"Put it in 5's hands to go get it," coach Shane Steichen said of his mindset.
This wasn't like the Jets game, when Richardson thrived wire-to-wire to and led a magical final drive to win a shootout. This was a slog where he threw two interceptions and missed some open throws. He had to will more down the stretch without as many top receivers available.
He, and the Colts, mostly had to find a way to survive and advance. Because a loss to the 3-9 Patriots to fall to 5-8 before the bye week would realistically douse the hopes that this could be a playoff team, or that it deserved to be.
Richardson better as a runner than passer Sunday
3. Richardson was smooth again as a runner, turning nine carries into 48 yards, including a nifty play where he took a high and off-kilter snap and accelerated for a solid gain around the left edge.
But as a passer, this was a decent step back from the past two weeks, as he finished 12 of 24 for 109 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Richardson held the ball too long and didn’t make the best decisions when he did, most notably throwing an interception to Christian Gonzalez as he was running a route for Pierce in the fourth quarter.
4. For much of the game, Richardson had lost the rhythm he played with in the middle portions of the past two.
On one hand, that can be attributed to a decent degree to his lacking receiving options and the chemistry he doesn’t have with the alternatives. Josh Downs’ absence always looms large for Richardson, as it vacates the middle of the field of reliable targets.
It’s also an example of how this young quarterback is going to have ups and downs as a passer no matter his progress, and outdoors in the cold was the latest down moment.
But he was at his best on the final drive, which speaks to the confidence he's playing with right now and his ability to grow throughout a game. That's what you want out of a young passer.
Drops an issue again for Colts
5. Can this team step up some more for its young quarterback when he does make good throws?
For a second straight week, the help was problematic at times, as Mitchell and Kylen Granson dropped gorgeous fade balls down to near the goal-line with the Colts trailing by a touchdown. Both passes were right in their bread basket, but neither player looked like he’s been in many moments like that before.
6. It goes to show that for as great of an athlete as Mitchell is and for as bright of a future as he might have, that's a far way off of becoming a reliable receiver, especially on gotta-have-it plays, like on 3rd-and-Goal or on a game-winning drive.
His growth trajectory is, in some ways, like his quarterback's.
Mitchell only saw two targets, but they were critical ones. In addition to his drop on the final drive, he had a 3rd-and-Goal play where the Colts tried to go to him on a back-shoulder fade. Richardson should have elevated the ball so Mitchell could use his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame to win against a smaller cornerback. And Mitchell needed to work back to the ball, to use his body as a shield to put the cornerback in a compromised position where he could potentially get a pass interference call, which would have set up 1st-and-Goal.
Contested catches aren't going his way as a rookie. It happens. But it's a good reminder that there's a difference between potential and reality, and young players like Richardson and Mitchell have to learn that as they go.
Colts receivers need the bye week
7. The Colts have to be thankful that they won this game with the state of their receiving corps.
Michael Pittman Jr. has been fighting through a lower back issue since Week 5, with only one game off. It's affecting his ability to bend over to create leverage on blocks or to adjust to passes, and you can feel his pain on plays like Richardson's first interception, where the defender drilled him in that lower back to create separation for the ball.
Pierce had a gnarly foot issue this past week that had him walking slowly and pigeon-toed out of the game last week. The next day brought even more issues, and he had to miss two days of practice, and then Mitchell was the receiver lined up in his Z spot to start this game.
Downs has a shoulder issue that was serious enough to rule him out early from this game, which isn't something you often see.
And Ashton Dulin never had a chance to play through an ankle injury.
But the bye week is here, and that means that finally, these guys have a chance to rest up. And they get to do it while they still have something to play for.
8. For a third straight week since the Colts brought Richardson back as the starter, they came out with quarterback runs in the game script.
This week felt like the most they’ve leaned into the zone-read pairing of Richardson and Jonathan Taylor, mostly because they stuck to it through the third quarter, even while facing a deficit, although it was just two points. The Colts came out on the first possession out of halftime and ran it on nine of their first 11 plays, culminating in a 3rd-and-goal shot and an easy field goal.
The pairing combined for 34 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown. The issue is, it’s all the Colts really had in this game.
New Colts offensive line an improvement
9. Part of what got the running game going was a new offensive line combination.
The Colts got Bernhard Raimann back at left tackle and bumped Matt Goncalves over to right tackle to fill in for Braden Smith, who was out due to a personal matter. Goncalves is more natural on the left side right now, but Raimann is this team’s best tackle by a clear step, so the pairing helped make Indianapolis more competent on the edges in the run and pass games.
Danny Pinter filled in for an injured Tanor Bortolini at center and Dalton Tucker was benched for Matt Glowinski at right guard. That pairing at least got some movement in the ground game, which is what the Colts badly needed with how their roster is built.
10. Tackling has been a consistent problem for this team, and today was its worst moment since Week 2 against the Packers.
A slice of that was not having Ashton Dulin as a gunner, resulting in two really nice punt returns for the Patriots.
But a majority of it was the linebackers and safeties taking poor pursuit angles and trying to lunge into tackles. It felt like a game where too many players tried to make a hero play instead of tackling as a unit. It’s also something that can slip for a team in the week before its bye week, as those plays across 13 straight games take a toll.
But, the defense did make plays in the red-zone when it had to, highlighted by Julian Blackmon's interception. They bend but they don't break, and that's how you stay in playoff contention sometimes.
Note: This story has been updated to reflect new information.