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INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson nearly brought the Colts all the way back from oblivion.

But the Colts couldn’t land the final blow on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, and the cagey veteran made the most of getting the ball first in overtime to beat Indianapolis 29-23.

Matthew Stafford takes advantage of Colts

For most of the first three weeks, the Indianapolis defensive line played well enough to mask the coverage issues of the team’s young secondary, a group playing inexperienced starters at outside cornerback.

Veteran Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford took advantage on Sunday.


Working fast and getting the ball out of his hands quickly, Stafford took most of the teeth out of the Indianapolis pass rush by repeatedly finding open receivers against an overmatched Colts secondary. Stafford completed 27 of 40 passes for 319 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but the play was better than the stat line, driving the Rams down the field for scoring opportunities on seven of their first nine series, although two missed field goals by Los Angeles kicker Brett Maher kept the game within striking distance.

Rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, in particular, gave the Colts problems, ripping off nine catches for 163 yards in the game, and ultimately killed them with a 22-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime.


The Indianapolis defensive line started making plays in the second half, led by a big day from tackle Dayo Odeyingbo, who had seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, a pass breakup and a fumble forced, to give the Indianapolis offense a chance to get back in the game.

Kenny Moore II made the next play, picking off Stafford near midfield, the first time the Indianapolis defense got a stop that didn’t involve a missed Maher field goal.

Once the Colts got back to overtime, though, Stafford got hot again, marching Indianapolis 75 yards in eight plays, then hitting a wide-open Nacua with the pocket breaking down for the 22-yard touchdown.

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Anthony Richardson’s return brings explosiveness, Colts offense back

There were moments of inefficiency for the rookie, particularly early in the game, when he started slow as a passer and lost a fumble at the end of a big run.


But there is an explosive element to the offense that isn’t present when veteran backup Gardner Minshew is in the game.

Richardson brought the Colts roaring back in the second half with his ability to make big plays, including a laser on the move to Mo Alie-Cox for a 35-yard touchdown, then again on a 38-yard pass to Alec Pierce that the quarterback released while leaping into the air to avoid an onrushing Aaron Donald.

The creativity that Richardson gives the offensive coaching staff was obvious, too. Richardson rushed nine times for 57 yards, scoring on a one-yard touchdown run after the Colts lined up in an inverted wishbone and motioned out of it, a play that would come up later.

Indianapolis did the same thing on the game-tying score, but instead of running Richardson, the Colts called a pass to Drew Ogletree for a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Richardson only completed 11 of 25 attempts, but the big-play possibilities when the rookie quarterback is in the game are easy to see as he threw for 200 yards, and it got the Colts back into a game that seemed lost on Sunday.



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Big mistakes put Colts in hole

The Indianapolis defense should have come away with a stop on its first series.

The Colts had the Rams in third-and-long, covered well and flushed Stafford from the pocket, a recipe for an easy third-down stop, and the veteran quarterback headed out of bounds short of the first-down marker.

But he was met there by E.J. Speed, who delivered a blow on Stafford out of bounds and drew a 15-yard penalty for a late hit, extending the Los Angeles drive, the key mistake on a nine-play, 75-yard drive.

Veteran cornerback Moore made the mistake on the next drive, delivering a blow to the head of Nacua at the end of a 26-yard gain to draw an unnecessary roughness penalty, leading to another score and a 14-0 lead for Los Angeles.

The third big mistake came from the hands of Richardson. Dicing the Rams early with his feet, Richardson failed to hold onto the football at the end of a big run, fumbling away a promising drive.

Put all together, the early Colts mistakes allowed Los Angeles to build a 20-0 halftime lead.