Play-By-Play Look At Colts Game-Winning Drive

INDIANAPOLIS – If the Colts somehow find a way to make the playoffs in 2024, remember this 19-play drive from Foxborough in Week 13.

Even if they don’t, Sunday’s moment(s) from Anthony Richardson in executing a game-winning drive on the road is something no one should forget.

It came down to 4 “must-have” plays, with Richardson and the Colts needing to overcome multiple drops to complete the comeback victory.\

Let’s go back and look at the 19-play game-winning touchdown/two-point drive led by Richardson:

 

1^st play: 1^st and 10 (5:34 left, Colts 20-yard line): Michael Pittman Jr. 9-yard reception

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-Anthony Richardson began this drive with just 6 completions on the day and having coming off what could have been a game-sealing interception. Unlike the Jets game two weeks ago, Richardson wasn’t humming in the midst of some great throwing rhythm when this drive started. This drive starter throw was a nice, simple throw to get Richardson going.

 

2^nd play: 2^nd-and-1 (4:55 left, Colts 29-yard line): Jonathan Taylor 4-yard carry

-The Colts hammered Jonathan Taylor to the tune of 25 carries on Sunday, including 9 on the first drive of the third quarter. Here, Taylor gets 4 yards for an early first down.

 

3^rd play: 1^st-and-10 (4:14 left, Colts 33-yard line): Anthony Richardson incompletion

-With strong protection, Richardson was looking downfield for a chunk but couldn’t find anything as he threw an incompletion down the far sideline in targeting Alec Pierce.

 

4^th play: 2^nd-and-10 (4:07 left, Colts 33-yard line): Anthony Richardson incompletion

-The “worst” throw of the drive from Richardson came here with a high sailing airmail over the middle of the field, which fell incomplete.

 

5^th play: 3^rd-and-10 (4:02 left, Colts 33-yard line): Will Mallory 6-yard reception

-Behind the chains, the Colts got perhaps their finest play from a tight end all season long. Will Mallory made a diving catch for this 6-yard gain. The play was ruled a catch on the field and Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo elected not to challenge, despite having all 3 timeouts, a completion that looked to be iffy. If Mallory was unable to haul this in, the Colts probably are looking at a punt given the time/field position. Instead, they are in a position to go for it, something they’d do often on this drive.

 

6^th play: 4^th-and-3 (3:33 left, Colts 40-yard line): Mo Alie-Cox 11-yard reception

-Hello, Colts tight ends! With a free rusher off the edge, this play needed some improvisation from Anthony Richardson. The young quarterback escaped edge contain and found Mo Alie-Cox, who was nowhere near the primary target on this mesh concept. Alie-Cox was supposed to be setting a “legal pick” for Michael Pittman Jr., but nothing developed off of that. As Richardson rolled to his right, he found his veteran tight end to keep the drive (game?) alive.

 

7^th play: 1^st-and-10 (2:46 left, Patriots 49-yard line): Anthony Richardson incompletion

-The Colts took a shot in their first play past midfield, targeting Alec Pierce. A well-thrown ball from Richardson was met with equally strong coverage down the field as this fell incomplete.

 

8^th play: 2^nd-and-10 (2:40 left, Patriots 49-yard line): Michael Pittman Jr. 8-yard reception

-The Colts did a nice job staying ahead of the chains with this decisive decision-making from Anthony Richardson on an RPO to Michael Pittman Jr. for 8 yards.

 

9^th play: 3^rd-and-2 (2:02 left, Patriots 41-yard line): Anthony Richardson incompletion

-Like the Colts did against the Vikings last month, they take a shot here on 3^rd-and-short. And it was AD Mitchell unable to come down with an on-target deep shot, in which the rookie had created separation. An accurate deep ball to the Colts most inconsistent receiver was a risk, but part of life without Josh Downs on Sunday.

 

10^th play: 4^th-and-2 (1:57 left, Patriots 41-yard line): Anthony Richardson 6-yard run

-Following the 2-minute warning, the Colts go back to a bread and butter run play with Richardson. It was a Richardson run to the left which he easily picked up thanks to Michael Pittman Jr. de-cleating a Patriots defender to pave the way for his 250-pound QB.

 

11^th play: 1^st-and-10 (1:52 left, Patriots 35-yard line): Anthony Richardson incompletion

-The Colts took another shot here, and it was another well-placed ball from Anthony Richardson. It was a seam ball needed to have proper touch and arc to find the window where Kylen Granson was running free. That was done by Richardson, but Granson couldn’t secure it with Patriots defenders closing in to contest the grab. Two brutal drops seemed fatal in the time. Weirdly, though, it did force the Colts to milk the clock a bit.

 

12^th play: 2^nd-and-10 (1:47 left, Patriots 35-yard line): Jonathan Taylor 1-yard carry

-It was another trip to the Colts being behind the chains as Jonathan Taylor ran for just 1 yard on 2^nd-and-10, setting up a 3^rd-and-9.

 

13^th play (technically, no play): 3^rd-and-9 (1:23 left, Patriots 34-yard line): Patriots commit defensive pass interference

-The Colts are now going with their first real “hurry-up” tempo, but still have ample time thanks to 3 timeouts. There was some definite hand-fighting between Michael Pittman Jr. and Patriots cornerback Alex Austin. Credit the Colts for targeting Austin, who had played 14 total defensive snaps this season entering Sunday. This was a sneaky, big-time play as the Colts got out of a 3^rd-and-9 with a 14-yard Patriots penalty.

 

14^th play: 1^st-and-10 (1:18 left, Patriots 20-yard line): Michael Pittman Jr. 8-yard reception

-With more tempo, the Colts go back to a staple play of theirs in trying to get ahead of the chains, by throwing a screen to Michael Pittman Jr. for 8 yards.

 

15^th play: 2^nd-and-2 (:55 left, Patriots 12-yard line): Jonathan Taylor 1-yard carry

-The Colts didn’t shy away from abandoning Taylor with those 3 timeouts still in their pocket.

 

16^th play: 3^rd-and-1 (:32 left, Patriots 11-yard line): Jonathan Taylor 3-yard carry

-A goal-to-go situation was set-up with Taylor plowing ahead for 3 yards. This is where the Colts used their first timeout.

 

17^th play: 1^st-and-Goal (:28 left, Patriots 8-yard line): Anthony Richardson 6-yard carry

-Coming out of the timeout, Anthony Richardson’s legs were used to the right. It looked like Richardson had an angle to possibly score, but it ended up being a 6-yard gain as he went out of bounds.

 

18^th play: 2^nd-and-Goal (:24 left, Patriots 2-yard line): Anthony Richardson no gain

-The Colts went back to Richardson to the left, which has been such a successful play for them in 2024. New England won at the line of scrimmage here and Richardson was stuffed for no gain. The Colts took their second timeout following this play.

 

19^th play: 3^rd-and-Goal (:21 left, Patriots 2-yard line): Jonathan Taylor 1-yard loss

-On 3^rd-and-Goal from the 2, the Colts pitch it to Jonathan Taylor but the Patriots sniffed it out pushing him out of bounds at the 3-yard line. Did losing a yard here make the Colts say they definitely had to throw it on 4^th-and-Goal?

 

20^th play: 4^th-and-Goal (:17 left, Patriots 3-yard line): Anthony Richardson 3-yard pass to Alec Pierce

-Initially, it looked like the Colts had some pre-snap confusion, but it was the Patriots that ended up taking a timeout right before the snap. The Colts then took their final timeout, wanting to confirm the defensive look they expected to get. With great protection once again from the Colts offensive line, Richardson could be patient waiting for Alec Pierce on the crossing route. Great touch from Richardson to throw it in stride to Pierce, and a great hands catch by the third year wideout in securing the touchdown.

 

2-point conversion: Anthony Richardson 2-yard carry

-Was there ever any doubt the Colts were going for 2 points given Shane Steichen’s aggressive nature (and the poor play from the Colts defense on Sunday)? It was a zone read from Richardson with him keeping it off a fake to Jonathan Taylor. The Colts got great interior blocking from a pulling Quenton Nelson, and seal offs from Mark Glowinski and Danny Pinter to give Richardson just enough to cross the goal line.

 

Other drive takeaways:

• It might be a little thing, but you saw no celebration from Anthony Richardson after the touchdowns throw to Alec Pierce, which was very different from his reaction following the late TD against the Jets to weeks ago, with the Colts going for 2 after that score, too. After that Jets game, Richardson admitted he should have been more cognizant of the score and to have not celebrated as much as he did. Two weeks later, Richardson was cool, calm, collected after the Pierce TD, and the Colts needed that with his legs being the difference on the game-winning two pointer.

 

• This could be said throughout Sunday’s win in New England: what a great Colts offensive line effort. That was true on the final drive, especially. With a third-string center, a newly signed right guard and a rookie right tackle, the Colts gave Anthony Richardson plenty of time and enough run lanes to execute the 19-play, 80-yard drive, and overcome two key drops, too.

 

• Lastly, what terrific clock management from Shane Steichen on the final drive. No panic from him. Managed the clock and 3 timeouts beautifully well, giving the Patriots the ball back with hardly any time to do anything of substance. Making the right play calls and handling the clock like he did isn’t a given in the NFL, but Steichen did that.