Jonathan Taylor rushed for 123 yards and the go-ahead touchdown Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts rallied in the fourth quarter to edge the visiting Arizona Cardinals 31-27.
Taylor scored on a 1-yard run with 4:32 left as Indianapolis (5-1) took a one-game lead in the AFC South on Jacksonville, a 20-12 loser at home to Seattle. Quarterback Daniel Jones added 212 yards passing on 22 of 30 accuracy, throwing for two touchdowns and one interception.
Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, starting in place of injured Kyler Murray (foot), completed 27 of 44 passes for 320 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. It wasn’t enough to prevent Arizona (2-4) from losing its fourth straight game.
The Cardinals drove to the Colts’ 9-yard line on their last possession, but Brissett’s fourth-down pass for Trey McBride fell incomplete with 53 seconds left. Taylor clinched the outcome two plays later by ripping off a 16-yard run.
Arizona outgained Indianapolis 400-355, but the visitors failed to score twice in the red zone.
Coming off a 40-6 rout of Las Vegas last week, Indianapolis looked ready to blow out another opponent at home when it took the opening kickoff and ripped off an instant touchdown drive. Jones hit rookie tight end Tyler Warren for an 8-yard strike.
But Arizona responded on its second possession, chewing up 6:12 and tying the game on Bam Knight’s 1-yard run at the 1:42 mark. Jones regained a 14-7 lead for the Colts on a 3-yard run around right end that capped an 87-yard drive.
The Cardinals clicked into rhythm offensively by scoring on their next three possessions bridging the halves. Chad Ryland brought them within 14-10 at the half on a 40-yard field goal. Brissett gave them their first lead on a 1-yard touchdown pass to McBride with 8:39 left in the third.
After Michael Badgley connected on a 45-yard field goal for Indianapolis, Brissett found Greg Dortch for a 12-yard scoring strike at the 1:22 mark of the third for a 24-17 advantage.
The Colts pulled even about three minutes later, when Jones found Josh Downs for a 5-yard TD toss early in the fourth quarter. Ryland then put Arizona ahead 27-24 on a 44-yard kick with 9:31 to play.
–Field Level Media
