Colts 36, Raiders 29: Richardson, Taylor carry Indianapolis past Las Vegas in fourth-quarter comeback

INDIANAPOLIS, ID - The Colts erased a one-point deficit entering the fourth and closed on an 8-0 run to beat the Raiders, 36-29, at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indy moved to 3-2 with the win, while Las Vegas slipped to 2-3. The scoring by quarter told the story of the swing: IND 7-14-7-8 to LV 2-14-13-0, with Las Vegas briefly taking a 29-28 lead after three.

How it happened

Behind a three-touchdown ground performance from Anthony Richardson Sr. and a fourth-quarter go-ahead score, the Indianapolis Colts outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders, 36-29, inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Richardson threw for 181 yards (15-of-25) with a touchdown and an interception and added 114 rushing yards on 10 attempts, repeatedly punishing man coverage with designed keepers and scrambles. Jonathan Taylor chipped in 94 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns (15-85-1 rushing; 2-9-1 receiving), while a 51-yard catch-and-run from Alec Pierce jump-started a key Indy drive.

Turning point

Early in the fourth, Richardson capped a 9-play march by powering in for his third rushing TD, seizing a lead the Colts would not relinquish. Las Vegas had life throughout thanks to Geno Smith (27-of-41, 399 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT) and a heavy dose of Ashton Jeanty (14 rushes, 116 yards), plus explosive plays from Tre Tucker (78-yard TD) and Brock Bowers (5-76-1). But five Colts sacks and three Indy interceptions-sparked by Nick Cross (INT, fumble recovery) and Jonas Griffith (INT, forced fumble)-blunted the comeback.

What it means

For Shane Steichen's group, this was a statement win in a high-variance game: Indianapolis went 5-for-5 in the red zone with five touchdowns and converted its lone fourth-down try. Defensively, Neville Gallimore (two sacks), Tyquan Lewis and Samson Ebukam finished, while Zaire Franklin broke up three throws to the sticks. For Max Farias and the Raiders, the margins were tiny: zero penalties, 652 total yards including returns, but 0-for-2 on fourth down and a red-zone goose egg proved fatal.

Quotes

"My legs are just another tool. Coach trusted me at the goal line, and the line moved bodies," Richardson said of his three rushing scores. "Anthony's decisiveness changes the math for a defense. We leaned into it," Steichen added. On the other side, Smith said, "We moved the ball all night, but three turnovers and getting sacked in key spots-that's on me." Farias was blunt: "We can't come away with zeros in the red area and expect to win on the road. The effort was there; the execution wasn't."

Box score nuggets

Indy finished with 199 rushing yards and matched that ground dominance with a perfect 5-for-5 red-zone TD rate; Richardson accounted for four total touchdowns (three rushing, one passing to Taylor). Las Vegas posted 491 offensive yards, highlighted by chunk plays to Dont'e Thornton Jr. (7-101-1) and Tucker, but a first-quarter safety by Malcolm Koonce proved to be their only non-offensive points.

Up Next

Raiders: Host the Tennessee Titans in Week 6. Colts: Travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.