Why Indianapolis Colts must feature rushing attack vs. Chicago Bears

Cody Manning

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Why Indianapolis Colts must feature rushing attack vs. Chicago Bears image

The Indianapolis Colts will be looking to right the ship in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears to avoid starting the 2024 NFL season with a 0-3 record.

The two franchises have met just four times since their Super Bowl XLI matchup in 2007, splitting those four games 2-2. 

The Colts have won the last two meetings, and the last time we saw both teams on the field was in the 2020 season.

This is a contest that Indianapolis is desperate for a win, and they'll need to lean on the rushing attack if they want a chance.

Colts must lean into strong rushing attack

Week 1 was a good flash into how explosive the Indy passing attack can be but Week 2 was an example that the passing game with Anthony Richardson and his pass catchers is still a work in progress. This is why Shane Steichen should lean into what was perceived as a strength of his offense against the Bears on Sunday. 

The combination of Richardson and Taylor running the rock can be a catalyst for the offense and help set up explosive plays through the air. The one bright spot from the disastrous Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers was getting the ball in Taylor's hands. 

Per Next Gen Stats, in Week 2, Taylor finished with the second-highest yards after contact per carry (6.2, min. 10 carries) and rushing yards over expected (+55).

Through two weeks, the Bears defense has allowed 3.8 yards after contact per carry (eighth-most) and +3 rushing yards over expected (15th-fewest). In Week 2, however, they limited the Houston Texans rushing attack to 2.7 yards after contact while contacting Texans rushers behind the line of scrimmage on 59.1% of carries, the highest rate in a game this season.

Anthony Richardson thrives with play-action

Utilizing the ground game with Taylor can help take advantage of what Richardson does well at this point in his career. It can help create explosive plays with his legs on reads and design quarterback runs as well as when Steichen wants to dial up a play-action pass. 

It’s a small sample size but Richardson’s numbers are drastically better when he throws off play action. He’s 12-of-19 for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception with a 116.1 passer rating, and 11.6 yards per attempt. He also hasn’t taken any sacks and only five quarterback pressures. 

When Richardson throws without play action, he’s 14-of-34 for 196 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions with a 33.5 passer rating, and 5.8 yards per attempt. He’s taken three sacks and has been pressured 15 times without play-action. 

The Colts elected to pay Taylor so it’s time to use their star back in a way that will benefit the offense and help take the pressure off Richardson having to be Superman this early in his career.

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Cody Manning

Cody Manning Photo

Cody Manning is a graduate of the University of Tampa’s Sport Management program. He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Guest and Member Relations Game Day staff where he was a Team Leader and earned Difference Maker of the Year in 2017. During his time with the Bucs, he helped start Blitzalytics, a scouting and analytics media company. After that came to an end, he joined USA Today’s Colts Wire as a contributor in 2021. Outside of football, he is an avid WWE and Batman fan. You can find him on Twitter/X @CodyTalksNFL.