Colts cruise to convincing win over Jets

Jonathan Taylor rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns, while Carson Wentz passed for 272 yards and threw three TDs as the Indianapolis Colts cruised to a 45-30 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Story of the Game

Taylor scored on chunk runs of 21 and 78 yards for the Colts, while Nyheim Hines also had a 34-yard touchdown run to open the scoring in the game – Indianapolis had 260 total yards rushing.

Wentz also connected on touchdown tosses to Michael Pittman Jr., Jack Doyle, as well as offensive lineman Danny Pinter as the Colts opened up a massive 45-10 lead in the third quarter before the Jets added some consolation scores late.

The Jets lost quarterback Mike White – so impressive in winning his first career NFL start last week – to a forearm injury in the first quarter. His replacement, journeyman Josh Johnson, threw for a career-high of 317 yards and three touchdowns (along with a fumble and an interception), but the Jets were never really competitive in the contest.

With victory, the Colts move to 4-5 on the season, still sitting in second place in the AFC South, while the Jets drop to 2-6 in the AFC East.

Stats leaders

Jets

Passing: Josh Johnson, 27/41, 317 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INTMike White, 7/11, 95 yards, 1 TDRushing: Michael Carter, 13 carries, 49 yards Receiving: Elijah Moore, seven catches, 84 yards, 2 TDs

Colts

Passing: Carson Wentz, 22/30, 272 yards, 3 TDsRushing: Jonathan Taylor, 19 carries, 172 yards, 2 TDsNyheim Hines, six carries, 74 yards, 1 TDReceiving: Michael Pittman Jr., five catches, 64 yards, 1 TD

Scoring Summary

Key Plays

Indianapolis struck first in the game when Hines exploded for a 34-yard scoring run on their opening offensive series.

White answered back, levelling the score with a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Elijah Moore for his first career NFL touchdown. But, a few plays earlier, White had taken a hit from DeForest to his throwing arm which would subsequently keep him out of the remainder of the game.

The Colts took the lead for good courtesy of a Taylor 21-yard run on their next possession and they stretched their advantage to 21-7 as Wentz found tight end Doyle with a one-yard shovel pass following a Johnson fumble for the Jets.

New York’s Matt Ammendola kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut the gap slightly but Indianapolis held a 28-10 lead at the half after Wentz threw his second touchdown in quick succession, this one to Pittman with 12 seconds left before the interval.

The Colts piled on the misery for the visiting Jets in the third quarter as offensive tackle Pinter caught Wentz’s next scoring throw and, a mere 52 seconds later, Taylor ripped off a stonking 78-yard touchdown run to make it 42-10.

Only then did Indianapolis begin to ease up a little on their opposition, with Johnson finding the endzone three times in the final 18 minutes of action, though the Jets quarterback’s final act was throwing an interception inside the final minute as the Colts came away with a convincing victory.

What’s Next?

The Colts (4-5) are next in action on Sunday, November 14 in an AFC South clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6). The Jets (2-6), meanwhile, have a somewhat trickier task ahead in their own AFC East divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills (5-2).

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