Indianapolis Colts struggle to score in first half against the Detroit Lions

In Week 12, the Indianapolis Colts are facing what will likely be their toughest opponent of the year. The Detroit Lions are considered to be the best team in the league, and it's a game with many questions in the air. Can the Colts, who have struggled through much of the 2024 season, pull off an upset? Will Anthony Richardson prove that last week's performance was a sign of a real growth and not just one lucky game? It's also a must-win for the Colts if they want to have a chance at making the playoffs.

The Colts elected to receive, and Richardson immediately connected with Josh Downs for nine yards, and followed that up with a run from Richardson for the first down. Jonathan Taylor picked up another first down over two plays, taking the Colts into Detroit territory. Through the drive, the Colts focused on the outside, using Taylor heavily. On 3rd and 1, Richardson ran it himself and not only got the first down, but got close to the end zone - only to run it again and get to the third yard line. On 3rd and 1 again, Richardson was under pressure and had to throw the ball away. A late flag was thrown, with a penalty against the offense for an ineligible receiver downfield, calling for the third down to be replayed with six to go. Unfortunately, Richardson was forced to throw it away yet again when he was pressured, and Richardson looked noticeably frustrated.

Matt Gay was sent out for fourth down, and put the Colts on the board for three.

Jared Goff and the Lions then came out onto the field, and the defense was clearly looking to Zaire Franklin to lead them against the Lions offense. Amon-Ra St. Brown got a big catch for a first down in Colts territory, but on third down, DeForest Buckner put pressure on Goff, got the sack, and forced the Lions to punt the ball away.

The Colts offense came back swinging, attempting to throw a dime to Alec Pierce, who just barely missed the catch while Richardson took a big hit. He followed that up with a shorter pass to Michael Pittman, Jr. for a first down, and then another first down with a 21-yard completion to Kylen Granson, but that play was taken back for a holding penalty on Drew Ogletree, for 1st and 20. They ended up with little momentum, and on 3rd and 19, sent Taylor out to run, which did not get them to a first down.

Franklin put a strong stop to the Lions offense on their first play, leading to 2nd and 10, but Goff was able to get a completion, despite being under pressure, for a first down and more.

Now in the second quarter, Goff overthrew the ball, and the Lions ended up on third and long. But Jahmyr Gibbs ran over the Colts defense, who were clearly expecting a pass play, and Gibbs picked up 17. As the Lions continued driving into the end zone, Jaylon Jones was flagged with unnecessary roughness, giving the Lions 1st and goal, and Gibbs ran it in for a touchdown.

When the Colts offense came back on the field, they ran the ball twice and got to 3rd and 3. Richardson got an easy pass to Adonai Mitchell for a first down, and then another pass to Pittman for nine yards. Pierce then caught a stunning 40-yard pass from Richardson, getting the Colts deep into Lions territory. On second down, Richardson threw a pass right to Ogletree which would have been an easy touchdown, but it slipped right through his fingers. Richardson had no one open on third down, and the field goal unit came back out onto the field.

Gay nailed a 29-yard field goal, bringing the score to 7 - 6. Despite playing a much stronger team, Richardson was proving that his performance against the Jets doesn't appear to be a one-off, as he again showed improvement from earlier in the season. Most of the issues that prevented touchdowns were due to penalties or dropped passes.

The Lions offense quickly got to Colts territory with little pushback from the defense, with wide receiver Jameson Williams even taunting Julian Blackmon after a first down catch. The defense finally showed some life on second down, stopping a run from Gibbs, bringing the Lions to 3rd and 6. David Montgomery ran through the first down and, despite having multiple Colts defenders on him, ran to the six yard line.

Goff was pressured on first down, and threw the ball away, but Montgomery was able to run it in for a second touchdown, widening the Lions' lead to 14 - 6.

As the half ticked to a close, it became do-or-die for the Colts offense. With just over three minutes left, Richardson threw a bomb to Pittman, for a first down and a gain of 30 yards. A run from Taylor got no yards, and the two minute warning was called.

On 2nd and 10, head coach Shane Steichen called for another deep pass to Pierce, which was incomplete, bringing the Colts to 3rd and 10, and a short pass from Richardson to Mitchell was missed, bringing the punting unit back out.

Goff was swarmed with defenders, but still managed to throw for a first down. DeForest Buckner almost got a second sack, but Goff managed to spin away, though they still lost one yard; Franklin was credited with the sack. Goff had a completion on second down, but was short of the first yard, and he threw again, but this one was incomplete; Samuel Womack nearly had an interception. For the first time in this game, the Lions had to punt the ball away, which ended the half.

Time of possession seems to have been the biggest issue for the Colts today; they owned the ball in the first quarter, with significantly more run plays. The Lions didn't score at all that quarter, but were much more productive in the second quarter, where Steichen seemed to feel the pressure of scoring quickly and opted for many more pass plays. Richardson handled it well, but the time of possession for the Colts plummeted, which worked out in favor of the Lions.

Richardson ended the half with 7 of 14 for 117 yards, as well as five carries for 36 yards.