INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts held on for a hard-fought win over the previously undefeated Steelers on Sunday, riding Joe Flacco to the win in the absence of an injured Anthony Richardson .
Indianapolis held on 27-24 , getting back to even at 2-2, despite the loss of Richardson and a furious comeback by Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields.
Joe Flacco proves why Colts wanted him as backup quarterback
Forced to find a different backup after the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis landed on Flacco, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year who resurrected his career in an incredible run to the playoffs with the Browns last season.
The Colts believed Flacco would be more likely than Minshew to push the ball down the field.
Flacco did not push the ball down the field much against Pittsburgh, and when he did he was often inaccurate.
But the 39-year-old quarterback provided a professionalism and accuracy that has been lacking from the Indianapolis passing game, completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a short touchdown throw to Josh Downs immediately after Richardson left.
Flacco and the rest of the Indianapolis offense fell into a slump after that point, struggling to score points until the fourth quarter, when the veteran quarterback came alive, climbing a collapsing pocket to find tight end Drew Ogletree wide open over the middle of the field for a 15-yard touchdown.
In the meantime, Flacco managed to avoid the interceptions that sometimes got overlooked in Cleveland, when he threw 10 picks in 250 attempts during his run as a starter. By taking care of the ball and making the short throws, Flacco kept the Indianapolis offense going.
Anthony Richardson exits with hip injury
The Colts vowed this offseason that they weren’t concerned about Richardson’s susceptibility to injury, even though the first-round pick left three of his four starts due to injury and suffered a season-ending sprained AC joint against Tennessee.
Richardson, likewise, promised to better protect himself.
But the 22-year-old quarterback was knocked out of Sunday’s game after taking a vicious hit on a play where he could have slid to the ground instead of taking a shot. Free over the middle of the field after faking a handoff to Jonathan Taylor, Richardson rushed for 16 yards, but he took a hard shot from Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to his right hip at the end of the play.
Unable to get off the field initially, Richardson missed the next two plays before returning to the game, then kept the ball on a run to the left side and slid to the ground, although he took another hard hit from Fitzpatrick to the head, stayed down and then left the game again. Richardson, examined in the locker room during the game, ran back onto the field, jogged on the sideline and tried to go back in the game, but Indianapolis ruled him out, rather than risking injury.
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Banged-up Colts defense falters against Justin Fields
An injury-depleted Indianapolis defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, limiting the Steelers to just three points behind a pass rush that sacked Fields four times and hit him eight times, led by Dayo Odeyingbo’s 1.5 sacks.
Fields is a difficult player to get on the ground, though, and as the game wore on, the Pittsburgh quarterback started escaping the rush and making plays.
Fields completed 21 of 31 passes for 301 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, added nine carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns, then came up short in the two-minute drill, in part because a bad snap put the Steelers behind the sticks.
Jonathan Taylor stars, suffers ankle injury late
Taylor, the team’s best offensive weapon, got off to an impressive start, carrying 10 times on two touchdown drives, only to find himself bottled up once Richardson left the game.
When Richardson is in the game, teams have to pay attention to the quarterback, both as a runner and a passer who will push the ball downfield. Richardson carried it three times for 24 yards and completed 3 of 4 passes for 71 yards.
Once Richardson left, Taylor struggled for a while before making plays at the end, pushing his totals to 21 carries for 88 yards before suffering an ankle injury that kept him from playing the final drive.
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Michael Pittman, Josh Downs come to life
The two receivers ticketed for high-volume roles in the Indianapolis offense had struggled through the first three weeks, hampered by injuries and Richardson’s inefficiency as a passer.
But Pittman and Downs found a rhythm against Pittsburgh. Pittman, who caught six passes for 113 yards, caught passes for 32 and 28 yards on the first two scoring drives.
Downs found a rhythm once Flacco got on the field, catching eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown of his own.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts hold on vs Steelers after Anthony Richardson injury, 27-24
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