Colts Surge in Second Half to Rout Raiders, Boost AFC Playoff Position
Their AFC playoff prospects couldn’t be more promising after the Indianapolis Colts took a significant step in Sunday’s impressive 44-27 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The Colts (9-4) moved up to the sixth spot in AFC playoff seeding in knocking the Raiders (7-6) back, and stayed even with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South Division, although the Titans have the division-record tiebreaker. NBC's Sunday Night Football analyst Steve Kornacki estimated the Colts' playoff chances at 86 percent.
Quarterback Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and rookie running back Jonathan Taylor ran for a career-best 150 yards and two TDs, including a 62-yard scoring run that was the longest for the Colts this season and provided a 27-17 lead in the third quarter.
"It definitely felt good to get some fresh air," Taylor said of his long run.
Taylor’s second scoring rush of 3 yards, out of a wildcat formation with running back Nyheim Hines playing quarterback, gave the Colts a 34-20 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Colts rushed for a season-high 212 yards and scored the most points in a game since 2014.
Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther was fired after the game.
A fifth-ranked Colts defense that had not allowed a touchdown in the second half of the past four games limited the Raiders to a pair of field goals after halftime until quarterback Derek Carr scored on a scramble in the final minute. Colts safety Khari Willis returned an interception 53 yards for a score in the fourth quarter, the team’s fourth pick-six of the season.
"Obviously a big win," Colts head coach Frank Reich said. "A huge win, a great team win in all three phases. Complete. Dominant. I'm really proud of the guys."
After missing the playoffs in four of the past five years, the Colts are in an ideal position to extend their play in the postseason with two of their final three games at home against the division rival Houston Texans (4-9) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Raiders suffered a costly loss in their playoff bid. They had a chance to pass the Colts for the seventh and final playoff position with a win.
Hilton sparked the offense early as two of his three first-half catches were for touchdowns, the latter a 41-yard bomb in which he ran past safety Johnathan Abram and was wide open to give the Colts a 17-14 lead in the second quarter. Rivers had hit Hilton on a 7-yard TD pass play for a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
In his 29th career game against the Raiders, Rivers completed 19-of-28 passes for 244 yards and two TDs.
Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II, who was beaten on the Raiders’ first touchdown pass early, made a one-handed interception in the end zone for a touchback with the Raiders down 17-14 and threatening to take back the lead in the second quarter.
Moore also forced a fumble on a Hunter Renfrow fourth-quarter reception that the Colts’ Taylor Stallworth recovered in the fourth quarter.
Taylor got the offense off to a promising start with 62 total yards on the opening series, which resulted in a field goal. The second-round pick out of Wisconsin matched that total with his best pro run on the 62-yard score in which he broke through an open hole and outran three Raiders defenders.
Taylor joined Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, and Joseph Addai as the only Colts to gain 1,000 total yards in their first 12 games. Taylor’s 165 total yards eclipsed his previous best of 135 last week and he’s the first Colts rookie with two rushing TDs since quarterback Andrew Luck in 2012.
The Colts were the last NFL team to have a 25-yard rush this season. Taylor had a previous-best long rush of 24 yards. Nyheim Hines added a 31-yard rush in the final quarter.
Hilton had five receptions for 86 yards and two TDs. The four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has caught scoring passes in each of the past three games.
Colts linebacker Darius Leonard had a team-high 11 total tackles before exiting with a back injury in the fourth quarter.
The Colts return home next Sunday to host the Texans, who were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in a loss at Chicago. The Colts defeated the Texans 26-20 at Houston last week.
