Anthony Richardson is getting used to having the ball in his hands during tight games, and he’s learning how to win in these situations.
On Sunday, Richardson led the Indianapolis Colts to a 25-24 victory over the New England Patriots. He threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left, and then ran for the 2-point conversion to give the Colts the lead. The game ended when the Patriots’ Joey Slye missed a 68-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
This was Richardson’s second comeback win in the last three games. Two weeks ago, he ran for a touchdown in the final minute to beat the New York Jets.
“Whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes,” Richardson said after the win.
Richardson completed 12 of 24 passes for 109 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His performance helped the Colts (6-7) keep their playoff hopes alive. Three of their final four opponents have losing records.
The Patriots (3-10) were eliminated from playoff contention with this loss, their fourth in five games. Drake Maye, the Patriots’ quarterback, finished with 24 completions on 30 attempts for 238 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Indianapolis took advantage of a pass interference penalty to get into the red zone with just over a minute remaining. On fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Richardson rolled out and threw to Pierce for the touchdown.
Coach Shane Steichen had already told the team they were going for a 2-point conversion. Richardson made the decision to keep the ball himself on the run-pass option play.
“I know Shane called that play for a certain reason,” Richardson said. “I was reading the outside guys on it. But once I looked in the middle, I just decided I was going to put it in my hands. … And we made it happen.”
Steichen felt this moment would be important for both Richardson and the team.
“It comes down to a lot of those in this league, and that’s huge growth,” Steichen said. “That’s huge confidence for him. Huge confidence for our team that he can get those things done.”
After the successful 2-point conversion, Maye connected with tight end Hunter Henry twice for 20 yards, getting the ball to midfield. The Patriots tried a 68-yard field goal for the win, but Slye’s kick was on target but fell short of the crossbar.
Jonathan Taylor, the Colts’ running back, had 25 carries for 96 yards, passing Marshall Faulk to take third place on the franchise’s all-time rushing list.
The Patriots’ offense was balanced, rushing for a season-high 200 yards. However, they only scored touchdowns on two of their six trips to the red zone.
“I have to give our guys some chances,” Maye said. “Just can’t settle for four field goals in the red zone and expect to win ballgames.”
Matt Gay gave the Colts the lead 17-16 with a 25-yard field goal early in the third quarter. New England then drove deep into Colts’ territory. Maye threw a pass to Henry at the goal line, but Julian Blackmon intercepted it.
The Patriots then drove back into the red zone. Antonio Gibson ran it in from 11 yards out, and Maye passed to Kayshon Boutte for a 2-point conversion, giving New England a 24-17 lead with just over eight minutes remaining.
In the first half, New England controlled the ball for nine minutes longer than Indianapolis. Despite this, the Patriots only scored one touchdown and three field goals on four red-zone trips. The Patriots’ offensive line was penalized four times for holding, which hurt their scoring chances.
The Colts had just one penalty in the first half and scored touchdowns on both of their red-zone trips. New England led 16-14 at halftime.
