Thursday Night Football top plays: Wentz, Colts dominate Jets at home
Week 9 of the NFL season kicked off on FOX with an AFC battle as the New York Jets fell to the Indianapolis Colts 45-30 on Thursday night.
The Colts were able to bounce back after a crushing 34-31 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans last week, and Jonathan Taylor was the star of the show, picking up 172 yards and two TDs.
The Jets were once again without starter Zach Wilson, who remains sidelined with a knee injury, and misfortune struck in the second quarter when backup Mike White left the game with a forearm arm injury. New York's third-string QB Josh Johnson, who came off the practice squad this week, replaced White for the remainder of the game. The 13-year NFL veteran went 27-for-41 for 317 yards and three TDs.
Here are the top plays from Thursday's matchup:
Indianapolis Colts 45, New York Jets 30
FIRST QUARTER
The Colts were first on the board when Nyheim Hines broke off for a season-long 34-yard rush on Indy's opening drive …
… And added a backflip for good measure!
On the ensuing drive, the Jets wasted no time charging downfield.
The Colts' lead didn't last long, as the Jets responded with this dazzling TD catch from rookie receiver Elijah Moore.
SECOND QUARTER
Indianapolis regained the lead early in the second frame, thanks to this run by Taylor. With the score, he became the first Colt with a rushing TD in six straight games since Hall of Famer Edgerrin James in 2005.
Prior to Thursday, backup QB Johnson had just eight career starts, but that doesn't mean trick plays were out of the question. Check out what the Jets pulled off on Johnson's first drive:
The Jets weren't able to capitalize on their momentum, however, and the Colts took over after coming up with this huge forced fumble midway through the frame.
The turnover resulted in another score for the Colts, this time from Carson Wentz to tight end Jack Doyle.
The Jets did their best to keep putting it all on the field after getting the ball back.
Check out this incredible catch from Tyler Kroft to move the chains.
The Jets almost got away with keeping it an 11-point game heading into halftime, but Michael Pittman Jr. had other plans.
Headed into the break, the Colts led 28-10.
THIRD QUARTER
The Colts came up with another TD midway through the second half from an unlikely source: offensive lineman Danny Pinter.
With that touchdown, the Colts have now scored 30 or more points in four straight games.
After going three-and-out, New York turned the ball over once again, and Indy's offense continued to dominate. Taylor turned on the jets (pun intended) on this monster run to put the Colts up 42-10.
Taylor now has the two longest touchdown runs of the season — this one and an 83-yard run in Week 6 – and the two fastest speeds by a ball carrier this season (22.05 mph on this run and 21.83 mph in Week 8).
The Jets cut the Colts' lead to 42-16 on this TD catch from Moore, good for his second score of the night.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Jets added two TDs in the final frame, one from tight end Ryan Griffin and another from Ty Johnson, but it wasn't enough to ignite a comeback, and things ended there.