Jonathan Taylor rushed for three touchdowns and Daniel Jones threw for two more as the Indianapolis Colts blasted the visiting Las Vegas Raiders 40-6 on Sunday.
Jones completed 20 of 29 passes for 212 yards for Indianapolis (4-1), which bounced back from a Week 4 loss at the Los Angeles Rams by scoring 40 consecutive points in the middle two quarters.
Geno Smith hit 25 of 36 passes for 228 yards and two interceptions for Las Vegas (1-4), which lost its fourth straight game. Rookie Ashton Jeanty rushed 14 times for 67 yards for the Raiders, who were blown out despite Indianapolis’ modest 317-296 edge in total yards.
Daniel Carlson put Las Vegas ahead 3-0 with a 24-yard field goal at the 3:21 mark of the first quarter, capping an 80-yard drive that lasted 9:50. That was just about it for the Raiders’ highlight package from this game.
Jones capped the ensuing possession by finding rookie tight end Tyler Warren for an 11-yard touchdown with 11:33 left in the first half. It was Warren’s first NFL receiving score.
Taylor made it 14-3 on a 3-yard run with 7:56 remaining, four plays after a blocked punt that knocked out Las Vegas punter A.J. Cole with an ankle injury. Colts kicker Spencer Shrader was sidelined after suffering a knee injury — the Raiders were flagged for roughing the kicker — following his extra point.
The Colts went for two the rest of the game, but the lack of a kicker didn’t hinder them. Jones hit Michael Pittman Jr. for a 4-yard touchdown 15 seconds before halftime, giving the Colts a 20-3 lead at the break.
Twenty third-quarter points in a span of less than 4 1/2 minutes put the game out of reach for Las Vegas. Taylor, who rushed for 66 yards on 17 attempts, sandwiched 1- and 6-yard scoring runs around a 2-yard touchdown run by Ameer Abdullah for a 40-3 cushion with 2:27 remaining in the period.
Carlson, who handled punting duties after Cole’s departure, tacked on a 37-yard field goal with 11:39 left in the game.
–Field Level Media
