Led by Jonathan Taylor and the ground game, the Indianapolis Colts bounced back in Week 16 with a home win over the Tennessee Titans.
So, heading into Week 17, where does the team now find itself in this edition of the power ranking roundup?
When you rush for 335 yards as a team, good things are going to happen. But the framework that we saw from the Colts’ offense is this game needs to continue to be the blueprint for their success.
A good run game can do wonders for an ailing offense. It’s not a coincidence that, along with the success that the Colts had on the ground, they were also extremely efficient on third downs, and so was Anthony Richardson passing the ball.
Indianapolis would finish their Week 16 matchup against the Titans converting 8-of-15 third downs, while Richardson was 7-for-11 passing after a shaky start.
Moving the ball steadily on the ground keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and can set up opportunities in the passing game–as we saw.
Since Richardson returned to the starting lineup in Week 11, Shane Steichen has made a more concerted effort to get him involved in the run game and to lean on the run game in general. Things certainly haven’t been perfect, but if the offense is going to find more consistency, Sunday’s game was the blueprint for it.
Heading into this week’s game against the New York Giants, and with their playoff hopes still alive, here is where the Colts land in the latest power ranking roundup:
ESPN: 21st – up one spot
Bleacher Report: 20th – up one spot
NFL.com: 22nd – same as last week
CBS Sports: 16th – up one spot
Pro Football Talk: 19th – same as last week
FOX Sports: 20th – up one spot
Sharp Football: 19th – up two spots
