Jonathan Taylor, Gardner Minshew help Colts stay in playoff chase with win

Last updated: 2023/12/31 at 10:17 PM

BigP Published December 31, 2023

Gardner Minshew threw one touchdown pass, Jonathan Taylor ran for another score, and two late defensive penalties helped the Indianapolis Colts stay in the AFC playoff chase Sunday with a crucial 23-20 victory over Las Vegas.

Indy (9-7) now heads into its regular-season finale with three straight home wins. The Colts host Houston next week with both teams tied atop the AFC South. Meanwhile, defending division champ Jacksonville also holds a share of the division lead and visits Tennessee.

The loss ended Las Vegas’ two-game winning streak and eliminated the Raiders (7-9) from postseason play.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Colts played effective ball control. Minshew finished 15 of 23 passing with 224 yards. Taylor had 21 carries for a season-high 96 yards.

On the flip side, Aidan O’Connell was 30 of 47 with 299 yards and two TDs, both to Davante Adams, who had 13 receptions for 126 yards.

The Colts needed only six plays to take a 7-0 lead, capped by Taylor’s 5-yard TD run.

Las Vegas answered with a 40-yard field goal before Minshew fooled the Raiders late in the first half on third-and-1, hooking up with a wide-open Alec Pierce running for the 58-yard score that made it 14-3.

The Raiders cut their deficit to 14-10 after a roughing the kicker call eventually led to a four-yard TD pass from O’Connell to Adams midway through the third quarter.

However, Indy used three second-half field goals from Matt Gay — the final kick set up by pass interference and offside penalties against Jack Jones — and recovered an onside kick to seal the victory after Adams’ second TD catch to seal it.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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