Colts' Run Game 'Heading In the Right Direction' Ahead of Week 4 Matchup Against Dolphins
Sitting No. 27 in the NFL in Football Outsiders' Rush DVOA metric was not a position many believed the Indianapolis Colts would ever find themselves in during the 2021 season.
Through three weeks though, that's exactly where the Colts sit, having gone away from the run game and leaned more on the passing attack with new quarterback Carson Wentz in the fold.
Injuries along the offensive line and a desire to get Wentz going early in the season has certainly played a factor into the Colts' poor start up front, but ahead of the Week 4 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, it's time for the Colts to get back to the "run the damn ball" mantra.
Veteran starting center Ryan Kelly seems to believe so, stating that the run game is trending in the right direction ahead of a pivotal matchup four weeks into the season, especially after having success in limited work in the Week 3 loss on the road to the Tennessee Titans, in which the Colts rushed for 4.8 yards per carry.
“I think it was just an emphasis last week. They were playing a diamond front the first couple games so we just felt like we were kind of getting stalemated up there. So we wanted to get back to our running game that we’re so accustomed to," Kelly said to the media during his availability Thursday. "We made it an emphasis the last couple of years to do that, to do it well, and I think it opens up stuff in the passing game. Certainly didn’t put enough emphasis on that the first two weeks, and that’s on me and the rest of the offensive line. Obviously, a big emphasis going into this week too.”
It has to be an emphasis this week, considering the Dolphins are allowing 136 yards per game on the ground, good for sixth-worst in the NFL through three weeks.
Ahead of the Week 4 battle, Colts second-year running back Jonathan Taylor knows just how much will fall on the running backs in Miami, stating that the success of the ground game behind a banged up offensive line will fall on the running back room as a whole.
“I think it falls on us as a running back group in order to make sure when we’re in certain schemes, making sure we bring those guys to the double teams, make sure when we’re out in space, we help set up those blocks to help those guys in space," Taylor said to the media during his availability Thursday. "Especially they cut out the no cutting rule, so now we have to make sure we’re excellent out in the open field on bringing those guys to those blocks. I think it falls down on us as a running back group and forces us to be better to make those guys’ jobs easier until everyone is able to get into a flow, just because you got guys moving in and out, especially offensive line. That’s a position where you want to be conformed, you want to have unity and working with the same guy. I think it falls on us as a running back group.”
If the Colts want to get into the win column on Sunday in Miami, the "Run The Damn Ball" mantra must come back out in a big way, carrying the Colts' offense, taking a significant load off of Carson Wentz's shoulders and ankles on the road.
Have thoughts on the run game heading in the right direction for the Indianapolis Colts? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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