Going into halftime with a 20-3 lead, the Colts used the ground game to churn out yards and take time off the clock. In the second half, Taylor and Ameer Abdullah combined for three rushing touchdowns, and rookie running back DJ Giddens averaged over four yards a carry.
Halfway through the third quarter, as Smith looked for Dont’e Thornton Jr. in double coverage, Mekhi Blackmon caught Smith’s second interception in this contest – his ninth of the season.
Within the quarterback duel between Jones and Smith, the Colts quarterback went 20-of-29 for 212 yards, two touchdowns and a 113 passer rating. Smith finished with 228 passing yards, completing 69 percent of his throws and a recording 63.2 passer rating.
“We didn’t execute the way we were supposed to. It’s the reality of it,” Smith said postgame. “We’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to go to work and figure it out.”
“I’m never discouraged,” he added. “I think you guys know that about me. I don’t have it in my body to be down or feel bad or feel sad. I don’t have no pity in me. I’m going to grind it out and figure it out, that’s just how I am. If something doesn’t look right out there, put it on me. Offense, defense, special teams. If it ain’t looking right, it’s on me. I’m gonna figure it out.”
The play of the Raiders rookie running back is about the only positive thing the team can take away from this outing. Jeanty accumulated 109 scrimmage yards on 19 touches, averaging nearly six yards per play in which the ball was put into his hands.
Now dropping four straight games since their Week 1 victory, the Silver and Black will be tasked with turning things around against a young Tennessee Titans team next week.
“I’m just kind of waiting for that moment where we kick it in, we have the answers, we make the right choices, we make the right plays, the right calls,” Carroll said. “It’s on all of us. It’s not on the players, it’s on all of us to get that right, myself totally included in all of that.
“Then we go and that’s how I’ve always seen it. … I told them I’m going to keep believing and I hope that you guys will do the same thing until we get this thing right.”
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