The Indianapolis Colts couldn’t have asked for a better bounce-back for Anthony Richardson.
Richardson returned from a two-game benching as the Colts’ starting quarterback against the Jets on Sunday. He had his best game of the season and rallied Indianapolis to a 28-27 win with a 70-yard touchdown drive in the game’s final minute.
Richardson did it with his arm and legs, while tallying three total touchdowns with no interceptions. His 4-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds remaining was his second of the day and put the Colts up for good.
The Jets failed to respond on their ensuing possession that ended with a Kwity Paye sack of Aaron Rodgers as time expired.
Richardson finished the day completing 20 of 30 pass attempts for 272 yards with a touchdown. He added 32 yards and his two scores on the ground.
The win helped keep the Colts’ playoff hopes afloat as they improved to 5-6. The loss signaled more misery for the Jets in a season that’s been defined by disappointment. They dropped to 3-8 with the loss and further out of the playoff picture.
The game started for the Jets as many have this season. New York was stagnant on offense and failed to secure a first down on any of its first five possessions. The Jets punted on three-and-outs on their first three possessions. They then failed on fourth-and-1 from their own 39-yard line on their fourth.
The Colts responded with a field-goal drive that included their own successful fourth-down conversion. New York’s ensuing possession ended with another punt on a three-and-out.
New York’s first five possessions tallied 27 total yards on 16 plays. Indianapolis, meanwhile, had opened a 13-0 lead that included a Richardson’s first touchdown run of the day on a bruising 2-yard keeper to cap a 66-yard drive.
On their sixth possessions, the Jets’ offense woke up. New York avoided a first-half shutout with a 76-yard drive capped by a 29-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Breece Hall with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter.
New York then converted a lost Richardson fumble on the first possession of the second half into a 25-yard touchdown drive capped by an 18-yard run by Hall. A Jets team that couldn’t get anything going through most of the first half was suddenly holding a 14-13 lead.
New York then scored on three of its next four possessions and extended their lead to 27-22 on an Anders Carlson field goal with 2:41 remaining. The Jets opted to kick the field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Indianapolis 17-yard line.
The decision ultimately backfired.
Richardson uncorked a 27-yard pass to Alec Pierce on the second play of the ensuing Colts possession to spark a six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. The Jets failed to answer, and their season that started with Super Bowl hopes spiraled further out of playoff contention.
Rodgers finished the day completing 22 of 29 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Hall tallied 121 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage. Davante Adams led New York with six catches for 72 yards, while Garrett Wilson totaled 18 yards on four catches.
The slow start and Richardson’s heroics ultimately doomed the Jets as New York finished the game with 253 yards of total offense in another tepid day for a unit that entered the game ranked 26th in the NFL.
The Colts countered with 332 yards of offense and controlled the clock with a 34:17-25:43 advantage in time of possession.
