Colts' Run Game Finds New Way for Success against rivals

The Indianapolis Colts attacked an aggressive Raiders’ defensive front in the run game on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 23-20 to improve to 9-7 on the season. Only one game stands between the Colts and a position in the 2023 NFL playoffs.The Indianapolis Colts faced a tough Raiders defensive front on Sunday.

The Colts’ offense carried them to win in this game, averaging over 10 yards per pass attempt and 4.6 yards per carry against a tough Raiders defense. The Raiders entered this game as the greatest defense in football since Week 9, but Shane Steichen and the Colts’ offense had little trouble with that.

The run game was a significant contributor to the Colts’ offensive success. In the three games preceding this Colts game, the Raiders have allowed just 3.14 yards per carry to running backs. The Colts, on the other hand, were able to erupt for 131 yards on the ground (4.8 yards per carry for running backs) against this stout defensive front.

How did the Colts pull it off? To counterbalance the Raiders’ aggressiveness in the trenches, they significantly altered their rushing identity.

Wham/Trap Plays

In run defense, the Raiders use an aggressive front seven. Their defensive line, led by Maxx Crosby, shoots gaps with the goal of disrupting, and their linebackers are athletic run fillers with some pop in their pads.

This sort of run defense is problematic for teams like the Colts, who rely heavily on inside zone runs as their major source of offense. The Raiders aggressively adjust blocking angles in the trenches, easily stopping inside zone runs and duo calls.

Fortunately for the Colts, they have encountered a couple teams with a similar attitude this season, including the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4. In the first quarter, the Rams’ aggressive front line shut down the Colts’ run attack.

Steichen was ready from the first drive of this game against the Raiders. Steichen used many wham/trap calls to get running back Jonathan Taylor going on inside rushes against the Raiders’ tough front seven.

This first wham design is just stunning, sending the Raiders’ defensive tackle to the ground before the wham block ever arrives. The Colts’ wham design also has a stylish wrinkle that corresponds wonderfully with their regular inside zone mainstay.

Nowadays, defensive linemen are taught to sense wham blocks more than they used to. The Colts countered this change by adding a zone step to the wham motion from the guard over the trapped defensive tackle. For example, Quenton Nelson (discussed further below)

That first step is enough to fool the defensive lineman into thinking it’s a zone run (it isn’t). Nelson left him grasping for air as the wham comes inside and Taylor bursts for a large gain after that tackle commits to the one gap:

The Colts’ wham design worked wonderfully on Sunday, as the Raiders’ front line had no idea how to defend it. The offensive line for the Colts was simply superb in this scheme, and tight end Mo Alie-Cox did an excellent job of washing out the defensive tackle all game.

This run is a demonstration of how to execute a wham call. Taylor is able to break through the hole unharmed since every block is excellent across the board.

Mixing In Outside Runs

To keep the Raiders’ defensive line honest, the Colts used trap and wham runs, but they still had to contend with the Raiders’ speedy linebackers firing downhill on inside runs. Attacking the defense’s edges is one approach to keep that position group honest.

The Colts normally restrict their runs to the inside (behind Nelson and center Ryan Kelly), but in this game, they chose to mix in a couple toss plays to the edge. This tactic paid off handsomely, as both Taylor and backup running back Trey Sermon broke off large gains on these runs.

While the Colts’ play-callers deserve credit for incorporating this strategy into the game plan, the whole Colts offense deserves even more credit.