Colts go bully-ball on opening drive against Texans; every play is a run

Last week, after the Colts’ 38-31 loss to the Buccaneers, head coach Frank Reich was vivisected by a lot of “experts” who wanted to know why Reich didn’t call more run plays for Jonathan Taylor, who was fresh off a franchise record five-touchdown performance against the Bills. Those not in the know about Tampa Bay’s run defense missed out on the story, which is that very few teams are able to run on that defense, especially when gargantuan defensive tackle Vita Vea is on the field.

Reich tried several times this week to explain his thought process, but the proof is in the doing, and the coach was evidently out to prove a point in Week 13 against the Texans. Kenny Moore’s interception of a Tyrod Taylor pass on the opening play of the game put the Colts at the Houston 29-yard line. And from there, the Colts went on a six-play touchdown in which every play was a run, and Taylor got the ball on four of those plays, including the one-yard touchdown run on a direct snap.

Clearly, Reich doesn’t see Houston’s defense as an equivalent threat against his run game, and why should he?