Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ Sunday meeting with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
*Kickoff: 1 p.m.
*Broadcast: CBS4.
*Spread: Jets by 4.
*History lesson, Part I: The Colts hold the overall series edge 44-32. It’s the third-most meetings between opponents in club history, and it’s no surprise former AFC East rivals are the frequent antagonists. The New England docudrama has 84 episodes, followed by Miami (77), the Jets (76) and Buffalo (72).
The Colts have won three of the last four meetings with the Jets, including the last two at Lucas Oil which weren’t close – 45-30 in 2021 and 36-7 in ’20. In the most recent meeting, the Colts used the Thursday night stage to overwhelm the Jets. They had least 250 yards passing and rushing for just the second time in club history, and the first since 1956; got 179 yards and three TDs from Jonathan Taylor; and saw Carson Wentz pass for 272 yards and TDs to Michael Pittman Jr., Jack Doyle and backup offensive lineman Danny Pinter.
In the most recent visit to MetLife in week 6 of 2018, the Jets jumped to a 30-13 lead in the third quarter and held off a late Colts’ rally for a 42-34 win. Rookie QB Sam Darnold led the way with 280 yards and two TDs.
*History lesson, Part II: This is from the Just In Case You Were Interested Department. Aaron Rodgers was 1-3 against the Colts during his 18 seasons in Green Bay but generally had good success. He completed 66.7% of his passes and averaged 257 yards with 10 TDs, three interceptions and a 102.8 rating. Rodgers has had three TDs in each of the last three meetings with Indy.
Not that it really matters, of course.
*Playoff picture: Incredibly, there remains a reasonable path to the playoffs for a team that’s riding a three-game losing streak and has a 4-6 record. The Colts are the No. 8 seed in the AFC. They’re tied with Cincinnati but hold the tiebreak with a better conference record. The Colts are one game behind No. 7 Denver and visit the Broncos on Dec. 15.
Just to cover all bases, the Colts basically are three games behind 6-4 Houston in the AFC South. The Texans have lost two straight and three of four but swept the season series with Indy.
*It’s about AR: So, we’re heading into the Anthony Richardson era, Part II. This either works and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft is the Colts’ quarterback of the future, or the franchise faces yet another reset at its most consequential position, not to mention other potential fallout.
Coach Shane Steichen decided now was the time to turn back to Richardson. Veteran Joe Flacco wasn’t the answer during Richardson’s two-game timeout – six turnovers, including four in last Sunday’s loss to Buffalo – but Steichen had to give Richardson the keys to the offense at some point. It’s imperative for Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay to have enough information to determine if they have a future with Richardson, or if everyone was wrong in his pre-draft evaluation.
Steichen benched Richardson for not living up to the standards of being a starting quarterback and face of the franchise. Make of that what you will, but it’s clear Richardson left something to be desired in meetings, the weight room and on the practice field. It’s not that he was just going through the motions, but being that guy requires so much more.
Everyone believes Richardson got the message over the past two weeks. We’ll see.
*It’s about AR, Part II: If we accept that Richardson is a changed 22-year-old in his approach to his job, tangible proof needs to include more efficient work in doing that job. A 44.4% completion rate and 57.2 passer rating just won’t cut it.
What’s going to be interesting is how Steichen and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter use their ultra-talented QB. It seemed at times prior to the benching they were reluctant to maximize Richardson’s threat as a runner. He’s had six or fewer rushes in four of his six starts. Were they afraid to expose Richardson to possible injury?
The offense figures to be at its most potent level with Richardson and Taylor featured in a “pick your poison’’ approach. We’re not advocating Richardson handling 15 or more attempts on designed runs or scrambles. A dozen feels about right. He’s generated three runs of at least 21 yards and gained at least 10 yards on 41 of his rushes/scrambles (29.2%).
One of the aspects of Richardson’s evaluation over the next two months must be whether Steichen and Cooter can tap into his rare skills every week, and if Richardson can play week after week and avoid the injuries that have plagued him to this point.
*Give AR some help: No one is asking Richardson to carry the franchise on his young shoulders. The challenge moving forward is complementing his dual threat with Taylor in the run game while being more efficient in the passing game with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce and AD Mitchell.
Taylor is in the midst of a solid season. He’s averaging 88 yards per game and 4.9 per attempt, and has eclipsed the 100-yard level in four of his seven starts. The Jets have been vulnerable. They feature a defense ranked No. 7 overall and No.2 against the pass, but No. 25 against the run (134 yards per game).
Pittman returns after missing the Bills loss with the lingering back injury, and he needs to be more productive. He’s had one catch in each of his last two games for the first time in his career. Pittman allows everyone else to settle back into their natural positions, but Steichen needs to make certain there are enough snaps for Mitchell. The second-round draft pick had his best game while filling in for Pittman with six catches for 71 yards.
The Jets are holding opposing QBs to a 59.9% completion rate and 85.7 rating. Credit a pass rush that’s produced 32 sacks – third-most in the league – behind edge Will McDonald IV (8), tackle Quinnen Williams (5) and edge Michael Clemons (4.5). In a quirky stat, one of the league’s best pass defenses has just two interceptions, second-fewest. Nickel back Brandin Echols has both.
Starting corners Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed are one of the best tandems in the league.
*Who are these guys?: The Jets must be near the top of the list in any discussion of the NFL’s most disappointing teams. The Jets or Dallas, we’ll leave that up to you.
Owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start and elevated defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. They looked to inject life into the offense by acquiring one of Rodgers’ all-time favorite receivers – Davante Adams – in an Oct. 15 trade with the Raiders.
The Jets responded by going 1-4. They’ve lost six of seven and dysfunction seems to permeate the franchise. The offense has averaged 15.7 points during the eight-game funk. That’s been compounded by Ulbrich’s defense allowing averages of 26 points and 349 yards since his promotion.
This was supposed to be an “all-in’’ season with Rodgers coming back from the torn Achilles and star-power elements in wideout Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall.
Instead, Rodgers is in the midst of one of his worst seasons: 62.4 completion percentage, 6.4 yards per attempt, 225.8 yards per game and an 86.8 rating that ranks No. 23. His protection has allowed 23 sacks.
The Jets are a mess, but no one should be surprised if Rodgers, Adams, Hall and Wilson get it right for one Sunday afternoon.
*And the winner is: Colts 19, Jets 17. If we’ve mentioned this before, please excuse us for hammering it home again. The Colts have managed to put their back squarely against the wall. A three-game losing streak has essentially eliminated any margin for error over the final two months of the season. A loss to the massively underachieving Jets and another next week at home to the massively-impressive Detroit Lions and they sit at 4-8 with five very winnable games remaining. Add more grief to the Jets, though, and get to 5-6 heading into the Lions game and a path to a wild-card berth is reasonable.
If it doesn’t start at MetLife, there’s little life.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.
