INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – After Indianapolis Colts’ QB1 Anthony Richardson’s first game back since suffering an oblique injury in week four, Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said he has to do better for his starting quarterback and the entire offense.
“We want to do better [and] it starts with myself offensively,” Steichen said. “...I didn't do a good enough job for these guys today. It was on me [and] I got to put [us] in better positions.”
Though the Colts’ (4-3) second-year head coach was frustrated with the offense's showing, the blue and white still defeated the Miami Dolphins 16-10 in Sunday’s game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Though the defensive unit didn’t have the prettiest performance, it came down to that side of the ball to decide the game.
“[Linebacker Grant] Stuard stepped up. He made a whole bunch of plays,” Steichen said. “I don't know how many tackles he ended up with, but he's a guy that just shows up every day to work and works his tail off.”
Stuard finished the game leading Indianapolis with 16 tackles – seven assisted and 11 solo. He didn’t have a clue how he was playing until returning to the locker room after the game.
“I was confident about some of the calls that [defensive coordinator] Gus [Bradley] had up this week,” Stuard said. “I knew I could play more to my strengths and I could be aggressive on some calls… I just felt really prepared this week.”
While the Colts’ defensive unit had its moments – Indianapolis recovered two fumbles and forced six punts in the win – there were still times when the Dolphins moved the ball and found success. But at the end of the contest, the defense persevered by not allowing Miami to convert on a fourth-and-two play. Ball game.
“[I give] credit to Gus and the defense for not allowing the big explosive plays to those guys,” Steichen said. “Because those guys are as explosive as they get, so a great job by our defense.”
One of the fumbles – a strip tackle and recovery from linebacker Segun Olubi – was one of the key moments in the match as it set up the Colts’ lone touchdown – a 7-yard rushing score from running back Tyler Goodson.
“Let's get to the sideline,” Olubi thought during the return. “And then when I saw them covering, I just kind of saw a lane that kind of divulged here. [Then] I thought, ‘Let me see if I can get some more yards.”
He did just that, returning the turnover 18 yards.
“I thought he was [going to score],” Colts’ defensive tackle Grover Stewart said. “But I think he ended up running out of gas.”
While the defense had both positive and negative moments, the other side of the ball was not much better. Richardson’s first game since the injury did not get off to a hot start. On his first two drives, the quarterback threw three incompletions. He finished the game going 10-for-24 with 129 passing yards.
“[I wasn’t] necessarily rusty because I've been out there practicing, moving around and going through my routine,” Richardson said. “It was just more so just getting back into the groove and just finding that.”
The fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft wasn’t afraid to use his legs when he needed to. After the game, he stated that he is ‘one of one’ when it comes to his playstyle and ability. While he slid multiple times, he wasn’t worried about taking a hit.
“Sometimes if I see two or three more defenders coming, I try to get down,” he said. “I feel like if I can get some more space, I’m going to try to take advantage of it.”
Though the offense did find some momentum on certain drives, only one of those ended in the end zone with Goodon’s score. The other three drives that finished in points all came through field goals – 52-yard, 22-yard, and 38-yard kicks – from kicker Matt Gay.
“We got to be better [and] got to be better,” Steichen said. “There's room to grow. That's a good sign because we haven't played our best ball yet. We haven't put the whole complete package together.”
The Colts sit in second place in the AFC South with a 1-2 conference record. With the blue and white facing the Houston Texans – who have a 2-2 division record – on the road Sunday, Oct. 27, there is a chance to earn a first-place tie in the standings.
Add that the Colts fell to Houston 29-27 when the Texans made the trip to Indianapolis Sept. 8, there is already familiarity between the two opponents.
“We want to just show that everybody is bought in,” Stewart said. “We want to win and we’re trying to go down there and keep going and try to play our best game.”
Kickoff for the game will be at 1 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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