Should the Colts Be Worried About Their Running Back Situation?

One particular area of the Indianapolis Colts stuck out in a bad way in the team's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and may need to be addressed.

The Indianapolis Colts pushed for a divisional win on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars but fell short by a score of 31-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, the story for the Colts was rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and how well he played in his first NFL game.

Richardson went 24-of-37 passing (64.9%) for 223 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception. He also ran the ball 10 times for 40 yards (4.0 avg.) and another score with his feet. Richardson’s rushing yardage led Indy. However, that’s not a good thing when seeing how the running backs played around him.

With an abysmal performance from the backfield committee in Week 1, should the Colts start worrying that this group may not be efficient enough to put around Richardson?

Three runners would take the backfield against the Jaguars: Deon Jackson, Evan Hull, and Jake Funk. Each contributed but in forgettable fashion. 

Starting with Funk, he would get 2 attempts for 10 yards and a long run of 7. He would also snag a quick catch from Richardson for 12 yards. While Funk didn’t play much, he’s also a recently promoted practice squad player who isn’t expected to shine. However, with his limited usage, he did what he could and filled his part. 

Next is the rookie Hull. Despite being new to the NFL, it was assumed that Hull would start with some decent usage. However, he would only see 1 carry for a lone yard. He would also catch 1 target for 6 yards. Despite his knee injury in the third quarter sidelining him for the rest of the contest, it was a bit disappointing that he wasn’t used more up to that point. 

Hull is a rookie and will need to adjust to the league’s fast defenses, so there’s plenty of time to iron things out. However, it’s still the hope that it happens sooner, rather than later with Richardson needing running back assistance to grow as a passer.

That may have to wait, as head coach Shane Steichen told reporters on Monday that Hull may have to miss some time with his injury. 

Lastly, and the most shocking, was Jackson. The third-year veteran would tote the pigskin 13 times for only 14 yards on the ground (1.1 avg.). He would get a nice 5 catches, but for a minimal 14 yards, putting his all-purpose contribution at 28 for the day. 

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What was worse was the 2 fumbles from Jackson that would result in Jaguar recoveries, essentially halting momentum for the Colts. Jackson will likely get another chance, but seeing that his career average is only 3.0 yards per carry and hasn’t eclipsed 3.5 in a season might mean that Jackson is the finished product here and now. 

It’s still too early to tell, but it’s not a good sign having little impact and multiple turnovers in a position where the Colts need some help.

Given that Jonathan Taylor’s contract issues don’t seem to be ending soon, the Colts may need to explore free agency. Taylor is also still rehabbing his ankle injury, playing into the overall dispute with the team. 

Kareem Hunt has been a popular name for Indy to sign. While this initially seemed silly, now it might be more possible than ever after the showing from this running back group. Outside of Richardson, they would tally a measly 25 rushing yards on 16 carries. With Richardson being so inexperienced, the Colts can’t rely on him to shoulder the entire offense. 

Something else to note is the offensive line. The protection played well enough with run blocking to notch grades from 53.2 (Bernhard Raimann) to 67.2 (Braden Smith) with six eligible linemen, per Pro Football Focus. These numbers are around sub-par to good.

Now, the grades aren’t stellar, but they’re also good enough to give running backs a chance to do something better than what the Colts showed Sunday afternoon. The hope is that the blocking continues to improve, but the ball carriers also need to have better vision from the backfield to help the ground game and the linemen. 

Outlook

Regardless of what is done with the running backs, they need to be better as a committee than what was shown in Richardson’s first game. 

The blocking wasn’t bad enough to average less than two yards per carry and Richardson’s mobility was enough to deceive defenders into some possible opportunities for the ground game that weren’t found at all. 

Look for Zack Moss’ return to help with this, but it likely isn’t going to result in a meteoric improvement. Could the Colts turn to Hunt? Could they end up extending Taylor once he’s healthy? We’ll have to see as the Colts’ young season progresses in the early stages.

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