Jonathan Taylor used his strength and a quick move to help the Indianapolis Colts get going on Sunday. Quarterback Anthony Richardson also played a key role.
Taylor scored two touchdowns and ran for over 100 yards for the second week in a row. Richardson assisted Trey Sermon in scoring as the Colts secured a 21-16 win against the Chicago Bears.
“It’s a lot (of momentum), especially being here (at home). All we needed is one,” Taylor said after the Colts avoided starting the season 0-3 for the first time since 2021. “It was a great opportunity to get going and now we’ve got to continue to build on this.”
With Taylor leading, the Colts (1-2) have a chance to get back on track quickly. The 2021 NFL rushing champion finished with 23 carries for 110 yards, scoring first with a 29-yard run against a tough defense and then with a 1-yard run with 5:21 left in the game.
But it wasn’t just Taylor making the impact.
Despite Richardson having a rough day, the Colts’ defense did a great job limiting the Bears to just 63 yards rushing, forcing three turnovers, sacking rookie Caleb Williams four times, and making a key stop near the goal line at the end of the first half.
“That stop was big,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said. “Any time you get those big stops down in the tight red zone like we did, the momentum swings a little bit there. Obviously, they (the defense) played a helluva game there.”
For the Bears, it was another tough day for Williams, the No. 1 overall draft pick.
While he threw the first two touchdown passes of his NFL career, giving Chicago’s offense one more score than in previous weeks, he faced constant pressure.
Williams finished with 33 completions on 52 attempts for 363 yards, which are all career highs. However, he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that led to Taylor’s final touchdown. He was scrambling again when a 2-point conversion attempt fell incomplete in the fourth quarter.
“This is not who we want to be,” tight end Cole Kmet said after matching a career best with 10 receptions for 97 yards. “There were definitely some good things that happened for us. But at the end of the day, it’s about winning football games.”
Neither team played particularly well, though.
