The Colts defeated the Miami Dolphins by the final of 16-10 in a boring offensive performance. The main headline will undoubtedly be another inconsistent performance from Anthony Richardson. It’s a warranted complaint but when he struggled through the air, he excelled on the ground. Through the air, he finished 10/24 for 129 yards. On the ground, he finished with 14 carries for 56 yards, both of which were team highs.
This Time The Defense Bailed Out The Offense
You could argue that both sides of the ball have been inconsistent this season, but the defense has been the real source of angst amongst the fan base. The defense was awful the first two games only to find its footing, and then stumble again. Well, we are back in the “finding their footing” part of the year again.
The Colts were down linebacker EJ Speed from the start and rookie linebacker Jaylon Carlies left the game with an injury. They had to rely on reserves, Grant Stuard and Segun Olubi. Both players stepped up in a big way. Stuard led the team this week with 19 tackles with one for loss and was a factor all over the field. Segun Olubi made a huge fumble recovery on a forced fumble on a Raheem Mostert run. That fumble recovery set up the Colts in great field position that led to the Colts’ only touchdown on the day.
The performance from the secondary was arguably the best of the season as they kept the duo of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill at bay. They combined for 2 receptions for 19 yards. While tight end Jonnu Smith was able to feast, they kept the explosive plays to a minimum. The defense forced two turnovers and shut the offense out in the second half. A remarkable performance from this unit this week.
Anthony Richardson Struggles Through The Air
The return of Anthony Richardson brought another inconsistent performance. The absence of Jonathan Taylor for a third straight week brought more reliance on the legs of Richardson. As mentioned above, Richardson finished with 12 carries for 56 yards on the ground, both team highs. We saw Shane Steichen dial up more designed runs in the second half for him and he was able to make the most of it. But we all know that type of volume is not sustainable for him throughout the season.
Richardson did have another puzzling performance through the air. He finished with 10 completions on 24 attempts for 129 yards. Nothing to cheer about and plenty to clean up. Now, let’s give Miami some credit as they had two weeks to prepare and threw plenty of different blitzes and coverages on him. He was never sacked but did have a costly redzone fumble in the first half. While he is not showing progress, he is still only 22 and finished only a handful of games in his career. The growing pains will continue, and we will need to continue our patience with him and remember this is an extension of his rookie season.
Still Trying To Find An Identity On Offense
I discussed in the pre-game piece about this team’s inability to put a complete game together in all three phases. This week did not help my argument. While this was one of the better defensive performances, the offense is now that unit that is sputtering. This is the second consecutive week where the offense just seemed unable to find its identity. Shane Steichen wants to run the football to open the playbook for the quarterback. Were his play calls effective this week? Not particularly and in his postgame interview he fell on the sword for Richardson. The extra week of preparation for Miami was evident in everything they threw at this Colts offense.
Colts vs. Titans:
20 points
4.1 yards per play
1 turnoverColts vs. Dolphins:
16 points
4.7 yards per play
1 turnoverThis group is rough without Jonathan Taylor and half of Michael Pittman Jr.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) October 21, 2024
While Steichen has a full plate every week with being the head coach and playcaller, his quarterback must also be better. Richardson is regressing as a passer, and this coaching staff must help him improve. Plain and simple. Through all the faults of Sunday, this team got the win and this Colts team will travel to Houston this coming weekend with the opportunity to take the lead in the AFC South division with a win.
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