The Indianapolis Colts offense relied heavily on the run game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears to secure their first win of the 2024 season.

This week’s performance followed a disappointing loss a week earlier to the Green Bay Packers, where the run game seemed to have been inexplicably forgotten.

In that game, Taylor, despite having 103 total rushing yards, had only 12 carries. Anthony Richardson also had only one designed run in that game.

This week, however, there was a concerted effort to get both sides involved in the run game. Excluding the kneel-downs at the end, the Colts ran the ball 30 times in the game. Taylor had 23 of those carries, Richardson had five rushes on various designed runs, and Trey Sermon had two.

Taylor was again quite efficient, with 110 yards, including a touchdown run of 29 yards, at 4.8 yards per pop. Richardson had 28 yards on his five carries, and Sermon had a 15-yard run that brought the offense close to the goal line.

That being said, we do want to point out that the Colts led the entire game and trailed Green Bay by a score or two, so there was more opportunity to run the ball today.

But whether we’re 10 points ahead or 10 points behind, what we saw against the Bears should be the blueprint for the future for now.

As Richardson continues to navigate the learning curve that comes with gaining NFL experience, there will be ups and downs, as we saw on Sunday. Richardson was able to generate two more explosive pass plays, but also had two interceptions and other off-target throws.

The Colts offense needs something to help them sustain drives and relieve Richardson and the passing game of the burden of playmaking.

The one-two punch of Taylor and Richardson in the backfield can be a real stressor for opposing defenses. This in turn can help open up opportunities in the passing game to be exploited, whether that be through the RPO game or the rushing offense creating short down-and-distance situations.

Every week looks a little different and game flow will dictate whether the Colts need to play more run-heavy or pass-heavy at certain times. But looking forward, what we saw against the Bears should be the general formula, and unlike Green Bay, the run game shouldn’t take a back seat.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts Offense Relies on Run Game to Secure First Win