Anthony Richardson leads late TD drive to push Colts over Jets: Key takeaways

By James Boyd, Zack Rosenblatt and Cale Clinton

After two weeks of backing up Joe Flacco, Anthony Richardson led the way in the Indianapolis Colts’ comeback 28-27 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. The Colts (5-6) snap a three-game losing streak while the Jets (3-8) continue to search for answers in what is quickly starting to feel like a lost season.

Richardson’s first game back as starter was a milestone afternoon for the second-year quarterback. He threw for a career-high 272 passing yards and a passing touchdown on his best completion percentage (66.7 percent) in a game in which he attempted at least 20 passes. Richardson added 32 yards and two scores on 10 rushing attempts, his first game with multiple rushing touchdowns since Week 2 of the 2023 season. Sunday’s game against the Jets is Richardson’s first game with three combined touchdowns.

The Colts started running away with the game in the first half, with the defense holding the Jets offense to five straight three-and-outs in the first half. New York finally woke up just outside the two-minute warning of the first half, with Aaron Rodgers leading a seven-play, 76-yard touchdown drive on big gains from Davante Adams and Breece Hall. The Jets offense seemed to find its rhythm, scoring on four of their first five drives of the second half. Hall led the Jets with 78 rushing yards and another 43 receiving yards, scoring a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.

However, it was the Jets’ defense that ultimately allowed the Colts to get back into the game. Trailing 24-16, Indianapolis ended the afternoon with back-to-back 70-yard touchdown drives. The Colts’ final drive of the game was highlighted by a connection of 39 meters to Alec Pierce who turned the field for the Colts offense and set up Richardson’s eventual game-winning touchdown run. The play helped Richardson secure his second career winning ride.

AR5 for the lead! 🫡

📺CBS pic.twitter.com/HYDLe6rDy9

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 17, 2024

Anthony Richardson is back

The 2023 No. 4 pick returned from his two-week bench Sunday against the Jets with a visible clutch. Trailing 27-22 with 2:41 left in the game and all three timeouts in hand, Richardson connected with Pierce for a 39-yard TD reception to take Indianapolis to the New York 27-yard line , just before the two-minute warning. On the next play, Richardson completed a pass to Josh Downs for a 17-yard gain.

Richardson capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run that proved to be the game winner. The second-year pro finished 20 of 30 passing for 272 yards and one touchdown, and he recorded two rushing touchdowns in his seventh start of the year. He is now 4-3 as a QB1 this season and 6-5 in his career. — James Boyd, Colts beat writer

Colts D bounces back late

Indianapolis dominated the Jets’ offense early, limiting New York to just 27 yards and zero first downs on its first five drives. When the Jets finally broke through and picked up a first loss with just under two minutes left in the first half, the fans at MetLife Stadium responded with sarcastic cheers. But a few moments later, Jets fans really cheered after Hall’s 29-yard touchdown reception, which cut Indianapolis’ lead to 13-7 just before halftime.

That jolt of life continued in the second half when Hall scored again on Richardson’s fumble. The Colts had the last laugh, however, when defensive end Kwity Paye sacked Rodgers to seal the victory and snap Indianapolis’ three-game losing streak. — Boy

A complete collapse by Sauce Gardner, Jets D

The Jets took a five-point lead with 2:41 to go. All they needed was their defense – which would be one of the NFL’s best – to stop an offense led by a young quarterback recently benched. Instead, Sauce Gardner and Jalen Mills left Pierce wide open for the 39-yard gain, setting up Richardson’s touchdown run.

The Jets got the ball back on the next drive and disaster ensued, as it often does for the Jets. Rodgers fumbled the ball away and the Jets recovered, killing most of the clock – they also had no timeouts. The Jets then completed a pass to the middle of the field, the Colts were called for delay of game, and then Rodgers was sacked to end things. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer

Are Jets bold enough to bench Rodgers?

Rodgers finished the afternoon 22 of 29 for 184 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns. He continues a 33-game streak without a 300-yard passing game, the longest active streak in the NFL. His 6.4 yards per attempt this year is the lowest mark of his career, while his 4.3 percent touchdown rate and 44.4 success rate are the second-worst and third-worst marks as a full-time starter. Despite his 33 career game-winning drives, his fumble-dump-off-sack sequence on the final drive killed any chance of giving the Jets a chance at a field goal.

Now the Jets are 3-8, and it’s fair to wonder at what point they’ll be willing to turn to Tyrod Taylor to replace a 41-year-old quarterback who is both unwilling to move the ball downfield to throw if unable to pump in any way. energy into a lifeless offense. This season has been a disaster on all levels, but the upside is that at least the Jets can’t lose next week. — Rosenblatt

Required reading

(Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images)