Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Beat Tennessee Titans in Jonathan Taylor's Return, Lose Anthony Richardson

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Colts win but lose their quarterback. Jonathan Taylor returns and Zach Moss goes bonkers. It was a busy Sunday here at Lucas Oil Stadium. Let's get to it. You are locked on Colts. Your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. All right, what's up, everyone?

Starting point is 00:00:35 Thanks for tuning in and making us your first post-game listen. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's postgame show is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of Locked On. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get 200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On to get started.

Starting point is 00:01:02 Please bear with me. I feel like I'm starting to come down with some. It's that time of year. Anyways, this is Jake Arthur from HorseshoeHuddle.com. And I am here to wrap up a beautiful Colts win for you guys. It's been happening a little more this year. They're now 3-2, 23-16 over the visiting AFC South Boat Tennessee Titans. It puts the Colts right up there near the top with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Starting point is 00:01:29 Jaguars technically hold the tiebreaker. This was a big one for the Colts. I think they needed it mentally. I know it's a lot of new people in the building, but they've lost five straight to the Titans, including six of the last seven. They have lost seven games in a row here at Lucas Oil Stadium. So they were streak busting today. They got it done, got a big win under their belt.

Starting point is 00:01:52 And unfortunately, some more collateral damage was quarterback Anthony Richardson. He left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury. He took off on a run and then was chased down by Harold Landry, landed on his shoulder. And per reports, x-rays were negative, but he's going to get an MRI done, get some more information there. Tom Pelissero said initial diagnosis is an AC joint sprain. We'll see, you know, in the coming days, we'll see kind of what the timeline for his return is. But all Gardner Minshew does is come in and win, man. He does a nice job filling in, pretty much fits his role absolutely perfectly. But we'll get to that more in a bit. We're also

Starting point is 00:02:38 going to talk about, this was Jonathan Taylor's return back, buried in all of this. Jonathan Taylor finally returned to the field, but it was his teammate and backfield mate, Zach Moss that stole the show. And then the defense contained one Titan star while another one kind of had a huge game, his best game of the season. So we'll get to all that here in a moment,

Starting point is 00:03:01 but just kind of wrapping things up again, Colts beat this five game streak against the Titans really needed this one, especially since it's an AFC South game. Two of their three wins are against the AFC South. Now that's really big. It's pretty early in the season, but this already had post-season ramifications because fast forward to week 17, week 18, these head-to-head meetings with AFC South teams might be a pretty big deal. Plus they get Houston week 18 here at home. That's a team they've already beaten. So again, all of these AFC South games matter, no matter how early they are in the year. Aside from Anthony Richardson, the only other injury really to note. Tighten Mo Alleycox also left with a concussion.

Starting point is 00:03:47 That was pretty much it. Relatively unscathed. Drew Ogletree left briefly with a shoulder injury, but he was able to return. So again, Richardson out. Unfortunately, we've seen this before. When he left against the Texans with his concussion. He was on his way to a huge game rushing. Already had two rushing touchdowns by the time we went out in this one. It looked like he was on his his path to his best passing performance.

Starting point is 00:04:13 At the time he left, he was nine of 12 for 98 yards in the 98.6 passer rating. His YPA was up there. His his completion percentage was up there. Had a couple of really nice plays, especially on third down. There was the third and 16. He hits Josh Downs on a little deep outpost over here for 38 yards. That was a huge play, again, on third down. Had another big third down play to Drew Ogletree.

Starting point is 00:04:44 I think it was third and six. They wind up getting that one for 13 yards. He was on his way to a really impressive day, passing the ball. Ultimately, I mean, we're just going to have to see and hope this doesn't continue to be a recurring thing. There's a lot of opinions out there right now, and I have a hard time deflecting some of that because life as a running quarterback, it's not always like this.

Starting point is 00:05:14 He's not always going to be this banged up or is not supposed to be. But, I mean, I cannot deny that this is the third time in five weeks, the third time in the four games he's played that he's had an injury and has not been able to finish the game. So we just got to hope as people who cover and observe and root for the Colts that this isn't going to be a pattern moving forward, that this is just a rough patch to start his career. Because the really unfortunate part of it all is when he's on the field, he looks really good.

Starting point is 00:05:51 We're seeing him grow all the time, but it's just he's only completed one game so far. So that's really tough. Hopefully what we hear in the next 24, 48 hours is good news. With an AC joint sprain, I don't think that's, if that's what it is, I don't think that's supposed to be like a big, long thing, maybe like a week or two. That's just me. We need to hear more information. But generally with that injury, it's not like a huge issue. So stay tuned for that. Again, otherwise, Jonathan Taylor made his debut today over the weekend. If you guys didn't catch up with our stuff, he was activated off the physically

Starting point is 00:06:33 unable to perform list shortly after was rewarded with a handsome new contract, three years, $42 million, 26 and a half million guaranteed. Essentially locks him into being one of the top three highest paid running backs in the league. And I hope no one had super high expectations today because he was on a snap count. They weren't going to throw him into, you know, they weren't going to put him in a big workload. Wound up for seven touches overall for 34 yards. Had a nice 16- yard reception at one point nice screenplay but they'll ramp up his his workload coming up here shortly but what makes it really interesting the Colts kind of have a really good problem on their hands is something we'll talk

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Starting point is 00:08:51 All right, so let's talk offense beyond Richardson and Taylor. I want to start by giving kudos to the offensive line. This group, it's early. I want to say they're back. Like, they're back to playing, you know, closer to 2018 to 2021. Man, they're good. I mean, they've been banged up, and they're still performing at a high level. I mean, today, 193 rushing yards and only one sack given up. And when Anthony Richardson's out there,

Starting point is 00:09:27 sacks are not going to be coming through as much because he's better at escaping. It seems like he sees he's got better peripheral vision. But even with Gardner Minshew playing the second half, only one sack. So that was really big today. And with that 193 rushing yards, it was on 5.7 yards per carry so that's like a legitimate total it's not like they ran 100 yards and got 193 rushing yards or 100 times um but that also led to them being 8 of 13 on third down at 16 and a half percent teams will take that every week uh one part of it was pretty iffy one of five in the red zone was not their best day in the red zone they'd come in actually doing really well in that department. Kind of led to a busy day for Matt Gay, but he followed through once again, converted all three field goal attempts and both of his extra

Starting point is 00:10:14 points. So that was another I earned my money day from Matt Gay. Not the first time we've seen that. So moving along to Gardner Minshew, again, this guy is just absolutely perfect for the role they brought him in for he's being used more than I think they anticipated he would be um I mean Anthony Richardson so far he's a mobile quarterback and he's I mean he seems to be a pass first guy with mentality but when he gets out there he just keeps getting banged up and so that means Gardner Minshew has to come and kind of back clean up and he's doing really well I mean he moves the offense the run game around him I think is the biggest catalyst the offensive line has done a really good job and they're powering a run game and for a quarterback back there who is not like your first option, those things are critical.

Starting point is 00:11:08 The reason why things go so well through Minshew is because he takes what the defense gives him in terms of the passing game. That's why a lot of his stuff is a bit shorter. But Zach Moss in the run game, in the offensive line, they're just answering the bell today. Minshew really efficient. 11 of 14 passing 155 yards. That's a YPA of over 11. Like, that's really good. I mean, that's not sustainable throughout like multiple games, even really.

Starting point is 00:11:40 But like for us, for half of football, that's really good. I had one hundred and twelve point8 passer rating. Before I get on to the man of the hour, the guy who's really the MVP of this whole thing, I want to mention Josh Downs had his best day so far. Six receptions for 97 yards. Almost had his first 100-yard game finished just short of that. I want to see this guy used more and more. He's clearly the second option in the passing game behind Michael Pittman Jr. We're still waiting for things to click with

Starting point is 00:12:11 Alec Pierce. Pierce is still kind of finding his role in this offense. So far, it just doesn't really fit with what they're doing yet, but Josh Downs has been kind of rain or shine, whatever the situation, he's there. So let's see more Josh Downs. Drew Ogletree has not had any gaudy performances yet, but that guy's really efficient. Had 16 yards on two catches today. All five of his receptions this season have gone for first downs. So Kylan Granson, you know, Zach and I are probably a lot more pro Kylan Granson than a lot of people have been lately Granson has been solid, but Ogletree so far has seemed to be the most effective dangerous tight end of the group I think we're all really happy to see Ogletree rebound from last year's ACL injury Early season concussion and really starting to make

Starting point is 00:13:06 some plays here uh so with that let's get to a round of applause for zach moss this dude saw jonathan taylor signed a new huge contract this weekend and said well i'm still gonna go out and ball he's been awesome uh another hundred yard. That's two in the last three weeks, three in his last five games going back to last year. 23 carries for a career high, 165 yards today. That's a 7.2 average. Had two touchdowns. The first one was for 56 yards. Really great blocking on that play.

Starting point is 00:13:39 The interior was awesome. Ryan Kelly, Quentin Nelson. But it was Will Fries that really gave that final whole ceiling block that got Moss out there. And Zach Moss is not a burner. He's not a guy that is normally going to give you that 56 yard touchdown run. So that shows you how good the blocking was. And then he outraced two Titans defenders to the end zone. So Zach Moss, great day. I mean, it was the first week of having both him and Jonathan Taylor. He's not just going to be phased out of the offense.

Starting point is 00:14:12 He's still going to have a role. Taylor's role will continue to grow. At what point does it start to be more Taylor than Moss? I really don't know because you can't take Zach Moss off at this point. Like you have to continue giving him at least a dozen carries a game because the guy is running so well. Like he doesn't really take losses. He doesn't get stuffed. He is like a younger version of what we saw when Frank Gore was here. Like not a lot of losses, always moving forward, always fighting for yards. It may not always

Starting point is 00:14:46 be spectacular, but the guy is going to produce, and that is what he's been doing. So really, really valuable for the Colts. I know at the time, a lot of us thought it sucked that Naheem Hines got traded away, and it did, but I don't know if anyone thought the Colts were getting back in return what Zach Moss has provided, and now I think this is seven if anyone thought Colts were getting back in return what Zach Moss has provided. And now I think this is seven games as the Colts' primary running back. He's been nuts. Again, has never had fewer than 70 yards from scrimmage.

Starting point is 00:15:15 Had that pretty much immediately when he had the 56-yard touchdown run. So Zach Moss is just a menace. So it wasn't just a total one side affair. It was a team effort today. We're going to go ahead and talk about the defense here in a minute, but let's have another word from our sponsors. These days, every new potential hire can feel like a high stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available, and that's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs, which helps you

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Starting point is 00:16:31 Let's talk defense. All right. So when you think about the Titans offense, you think Derrick Henry first and foremost. And the Colts defense understood the assignment today. This is a match. It doesn't always work for them, but this is a matchup where these guys defensively take it personal throughout the week. They practice hard and they come in physical and wanting to match Derrick Henry. Like I said, it doesn't always work.

Starting point is 00:16:59 Henry has his big games against the Colts, but today was not one of them. 13 carries for 43 yards, which is just a 3.3 yard average. Zaire Franklin and EJ Speed particularly took this one personally. Franklin with another 12 tackles after the game, he called himself the Kingslayer, referencing King Henry. Leading up to the week, EJ Speed was talking about, you know, the Titans have to get ready for us when it comes to playing physically and things like that so those guys really set the tone DeForest Buckner I thought we saw him rebound really well he had he came in and had a big stop against Derek Henry early in the game as well so it was good to see him back out there again this defensive front is just playing

Starting point is 00:17:42 at a high level they have been able to survive somewhat without Quidipe being out there full time. I know they obviously lost last week, but this was a game where Quidipe's presence really, really would have helped. And they didn't let that kill them. They got a pretty good return on it. Dio Dangbo, you know, he gets into those running lanes. He gets pretty active, So that was big. So while the Colts did not let Henry kill them, they kind of did let DeAndre Hopkins kill them. The game, you know, 23 to 16, it was pretty close throughout most of it. You know, the tide shifted several times it felt like. And I think a lot of that was Ryan Tannehill to DeAndre Hopkins.

Starting point is 00:18:28 You take away Hopkins' productivity, and Ryan Tannehill just had a totally meh game because I think he only had a pass rating of about 78-point-something. And it was pretty reflective. The pass rating doesn't always match the eye test. But yeah, if you take Hopkins away from Tannehill today, the Colts did really, really well in the passing game. But I think that's to be expected.

Starting point is 00:18:50 I mean, we know Dallas Flowers was lost for the season with the Achilles this week. And that put the Colts with two rookies playing at outside cornerback. Oh yeah, Juju Brinson, Jalen Jones starting. And I mean, DeAndre Hopkins had the type of performance you would expect against two rookies. I mean, I ain't mad at it. I mean, he had his biggest performance of the year, 140 yards on eight catches.

Starting point is 00:19:15 That's 17.5 yards per catch. Ultimately, that didn't beat the Colts. I mean, but it is something to be cognizant of because there will be some matchups here where that might make a pretty big difference. So these young guys will continue to grow and get better, but they kind of had a tough test today against an older Deandre Hopkins, but someone who still is one of the more effective top wide receivers in the league.

Starting point is 00:19:43 So you win some, you lose some. In terms of pass rush, so just one sack for the Colts today, but they were hitting Ryan Tannehill early and often. Samson Ebukom had the one sack, but they did have eight quarterback hits throughout the day. And Tyquan Lewis actually had a team-leading three. There were several guys who had one, but Lewis was getting really, really active in it too.

Starting point is 00:20:09 That's a guy who filled in pretty big for Quidipe. Dio Dengbo, obviously, is going to get a lot of the attention, especially after the performance he had last week. But Tyquan Lewis, still effective, still getting after the passer, made things really uncomfortable for Tannehill. Tannehill did convert in some big moments, but overall, like the Colts continuing to harass him. You can see it in the very last play of the game, you know, about 15 seconds left. He was getting hit as he threw down the sideline.

Starting point is 00:20:41 Julian Blackman calls game, flies in from from his spot in the backfield and intercepts the ball. Game over. You know, that happened because Tannehill was getting hit as he threw. Made a poor choice, made a poor throw. But the Colts' defense overall, it wasn't their best game. But I don't have any huge concerns either. Like, again, they started two rookies on the outside and it looked that way. But they stopped Derrick Henry for the most part.

Starting point is 00:21:11 And they rattled Ryan Tannehill and made him make some mistakes. So to me, they kind of answered the bell. So 23-16 win for the Colts today. I'm calling it a day. The rest of the week, the Colts have the Jaguars up next. It's going to be another tough AFC South matchup. You know we'll talk to our guy Tony Wiggins at Locked on Jaguars. Zach will be back with us coming up.

Starting point is 00:21:38 We'll get his takes on the game after he dove into the film. I'm going to take another look. You always see more things watching the film after rather than just seeing it live in person. So we'll have a lot of fun nuggets coming for you guys that way. If you don't already, follow at LockedOnColts

Starting point is 00:21:56 at JakeArthurNFL and at ZachHicks2 on Twitter. Also subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. Give us those five-star ratings and reviews as well. We would truly appreciate it. And with that, we will see you guys on Tuesday morning.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Beat Tennessee Titans in Jonathan Taylor's Return, Lose Anthony Richardson

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