The Indianapolis Colts traveled to Allegiant Stadium and ran rampant against the Las Vegas Raiders in a 44-27 win with AFC Wild Card implications.
It was a familiar face in a new uniform as the Las Vegas Raiders matched up against Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts. In the ever-competitive race for an AFC Wild Card spot, both the Raiders (7-5) and Colts (8-4) faced off in a game with playoff implications. After emerging victorious against Indianapolis a season ago, the Raiders aimed to achieve the same success once again on Sunday.
After being at the expense of the run game last week against the New York Jets, the start to the first quarter became a similar story for the Raiders. Jonathan Taylor had his way with the Raiders defense on the ground early on, and his impact allowed the Colts to take advantage through the air. Philip Rivers found his number one receiver T.Y. Hilton for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Colts up 10-0 early.
Las Vegas responded the only way they knew how: through the air. After failing to get the chains moving at the start, Derek Carr threw a bomb to Foster Moreau, who took it to the house for a 47-yard touchdown. On the next Las Vegas possession, Carr led the offense downfield into Indianapolis territory and rewarded Nelson Agholor with a 21-yard touchdown pass, who went untouched in the endzone.
The Raiders’ lead was short-lived, as the defense proved incapable of stopping the duo of Philip Rivers and T.Y. Hilton. After catching the Colts’ first touchdown of the afternoon, Hilton hauled in his second of the day with a 41-yard touchdown pass from Rivers, giving Indianapolis a 17-14 lead. Derek Carr was primed to strike back once again, but an incredible one-handed interception by Kenny Moore II in the endzone gave the Colts possession once again, capped off by a field goal to increase their lead 20-16 by the half.
After a roughly five minute drive for the Raiders to start the second half amounted to just a field goal, it took only two minutes for Indianapolis to answer. Jonathan Taylor, who had his way on the ground in the first quarter, torched Las Vegas’ defense for a 62-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Colts a 27-17 lead.
Towards the latter stretch of the game, it was a matter of field goals versus touchdowns. No matter how well the Raiders could march down the field, all Las Vegas could muster was three points at the end of the drive. Meanwhile, Indianapolis continued to run rampant as Jonathan Taylor (20 carries, 150 yards) scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, building the Colts’ lead to 14 points.
For good measure, the Colts defense picked off a Carr pass that slipped through Jalen Richard‘s hands, taking it back to the endzone to seal a commanding victory for Indianapolis and a nightmare loss for Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Raiders run defense is absent in 44-27 loss to Indianapolis Colts
Looking ahead
It’s a short turnaround for Las Vegas at the Raiders welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to Allegiant Stadium on Thursday Night Football. Las Vegas has the opportunity to sweep the Chargers once again after beating Los Angeles 31-26 back in Week 9, highlighted by a standout defensive coverage from Isaiah Johnson on the final play.
In the ever-competitive race for an AFC Wild Card spot, every game from here on out is a must-win for the Raiders, especially in the aftermath of their loss to the Colts. After enduring a tough early-season schedule, Las Vegas has been gifted with three straight games at home, and taking care of business against the Chargers Thursday night is a must.
After holding the Chargers to zero points in the first quarterback in Week 9, the second quarter was highlighted by Los Angeles scoring 17 points to take a three-point lead at the half. The game eventually came down to the final play, but Las Vegas will aim to avoid a similar story when these two teams meet once again in Week 15.
This Raiders defense has already seen what Justin Herbert can do, so they (ideally) should be ready to make any adjustments when the rookie quarterback faces them once again. Perhaps more glaring, Thursday night is an opportunity for the Raiders’ defense to bounce back convincingly after the Colts ran rampant in their nightmarish Week 14 loss.