{"id":178868,"date":"2024-06-23T09:30:39","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T13:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=178868"},"modified":"2024-06-22T22:56:17","modified_gmt":"2024-06-23T02:56:17","slug":"anthony-richardson-and-indianapolis-colts-could-have-nfls-top-rushing-offense-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/23\/anthony-richardson-and-indianapolis-colts-could-have-nfls-top-rushing-offense-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Indianapolis Colts Could Have NFL\u2019s Top Rushing Offense in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson are healthy and ready to go. That improves the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 chances of having the NFL\u2019s best rushing offense.<\/p>\n<p>A season ago, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/22\/kelvin-joseph-cut-candidate\/\" target=\"_self\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> led the league in rushing yards with 2,661. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/39488311\/ravens-qb-lamar-jackson-wins-2nd-career-nfl-mvp-award\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second career MVP award<\/a>, led the way with 821 yards and five touchdowns. Gus Edwards had 810 yards and a team-leading 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, fellow running backs Keaton Mitchell (396 and 2) and Justice Hill (387 and 3) contributed as well.<\/p>\n<p>Already possessing the league\u2019s top rushing offense last year, the Ravens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/39715941\/ravens-sign-ex-titans-rb-derrick-henry-sources-say\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acquired Derrick Henry<\/a> earlier this offseason. The former Tennesee Titans star of course is one of the best running backs in football. While Baltimore is the league\u2019s most dangerous running team on paper, can the Colts still emerge as the No. 1 rushing attack in 2024?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Indianapolis Colts Could Have NFL\u2019s Top Rushing Offense in 2024<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>Jonathan Taylor-Anthony Richardson Duo is Must-See TV<\/h3>\n<p>When healthy, there aren&#8217;t many running backs better than Jonathan Taylor. Unfortunately, the former Wisconsin Badger has battled injuries the past two seasons. He missed seven games last season and six the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor was incredible in 2021. He led the league in both rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18). He also received First Team All-Pro honors and <a href=\"https:\/\/coltswire.usatoday.com\/2022\/02\/11\/rams-colts-cooper-kupp-jonathan-taylor-offensive-player-of-the-year-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">finished as runner-up<\/a> for Offensive Player of the Year. If Taylor can stay healthy and return to MVP form, the Colts offense will be dynamic this upcoming season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Colts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Colts<\/a> QB Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor \u2014 two snaps together last season. Two. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fqHZMwbrml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fqHZMwbrml<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RomeovilleKid\/status\/1793337098071576730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of staying healthy, that&#8217;s what Anthony Richardson must do. Indy\u2019s franchise quarterback played just four games as a rookie last season <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colts.com\/news\/anthony-richardson-season-ending-shoulder-surgery-injury-update-2023\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">due to injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But when Richardson was on the field, he showcased his electricity running ability. He\u00a0produced three rushing touchdowns in four games, which is quite impressive. He had two rushing TDs against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/04\/07\/stefon-diggs-dynasty-outlook\/\" target=\"_self\">Houston Texans<\/a> in Week 2. If his season wasn\u2019t cut short, he certainly would\u2019ve competed with C.J. Stroud and Puka Nacua for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Eventually, Richardson will probably join Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick as one of the greatest running quarterbacks of all time. He&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/nfl\/news\/nfl-second-year-qb-projections-stroud-young-richardson-levis\/3f63f51520da941ccdc2d0d1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projected<\/a> to rush for 720 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. That sounds realistic.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson have only been on the field together for two snaps thus far. Indy fans can&#8217;t wait to see them play for a full season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">cannot wait to see more of the QB run game that Shane Steichen comes up with for Anthony Richardson.<\/p>\n<p>these are back-to-back plays for touchdowns. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/P4EM5EP3C8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/P4EM5EP3C8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Nate_Tice\/status\/1803461389752869281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>No Zack Moss, No Problem?<\/h3>\n<p>Zack Moss did a fantastic job, serving as Taylor\u2019s primary backup last year. He had a team-high 794 rushing yards to go along with five touchdowns. However, he left this offseason and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/utah\/football\/former-utah-star-zack-moss-signs-with-the-cincinnati-bengals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signed a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, the Colts didn&#8217;t replace Moss via the draft or in free agency. Evan Hull, who\u2019s coming off a season-ending meniscus injury, and Trey Sermon will be Taylor\u2019s backups. Although both players are unproven, they could prove to be valuable contributors in 2024.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">TREY SERMON.<\/p>\n<p>The power\ud83d\udcaa<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ForTheShoe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#ForTheShoe<\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2L3Bi6mLC9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/2L3Bi6mLC9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Indy Colts (@IndyColts__) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IndyColts__\/status\/1736179398917673107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Can the Colts finish as the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL? It\u2019s certainly a possibility. Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson could be unstoppable. Plus, the team has one of the league\u2019s best offensive lines. All five starters of the OL (Quenton Nelson, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/04\/18\/ryan-kelly-free-agent-contract-colts\/\" target=\"_self\">Ryan Kelly<\/a>, Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith, and Will Fries) are returning. The Colts offense will be fun to watch if everything goes right.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo: [Mykal McEldowney] &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a healthy Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson leading the way, the Indianapolis Colts might have a dangerous rushing attack in 2024. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4890,"featured_media":179000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,12],"tags":[50,9564,56,6237,3548,7517],"class_list":["post-178868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-colts","tag-afc-south","tag-anthony-richardson","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-jonathan-taylor","tag-quenton-nelson","tag-trey-sermon"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4890"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}