Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts needed a victory Thursday night over the New York Jets.
They got just that as Carson Wentz answered the call on a night when Josh Johnson had some real success against the Colts defense.
A 45-30 victory was the final and all Reich could do after the game was praise his quarterback.
“Carson Wentz was freaking flawless tonight. Flawless,” Reich said, as shared by NFL.com. “Complete command of the offense today. He played really good football.”
Reich is certainly not wrong as Wentz went 22/30 for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
Mistakes were nowhere to be found as the Colts beat a bad team, as they should, and improved to 4-5 on the season.
Thursday was Carson Wentz's 6th game of the season with multiple passing TDs & no interceptions.
That is the most he's had in any season of his career. pic.twitter.com/fZctkHx6Qh
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2021
An Offensive Explosion In Indy
The real story of the night was the way Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines ran wild over the Jets defense.
All Jets head coach Robert Saleh could do was stand with his arms crossed in anger as Taylor ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns on only 19 carries.
Hines was right behind him with six carries for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The Colts were the favorites in this game and were expected to win.
However, it was a great sign for Colts fans to see the offense thrive after a tough loss the week prior against the Tennessee Titans.
A loss to fall to 3-6, and one against the lowly Jets, would have turned the attention toward potentially benching Wentz in order to lessen his playing time and get the team’s first-round pick back from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Remember, the Eagles give the pick back if Wentz plays fewer than 75 percent of the snaps this year.
Carson Wentz has played 99% of the Colts' snaps through nine games.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 5, 2021
Instead, the Colts are 4-5 and right in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot.
Wentz also proved he can step up when he has to and the Colts have to be feeling good about his status as the starting quarterback.
Next up is a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which presents another test for Wentz to just play competent football and get his team to .500.
NEXT: NFL Analyst Says Carson Wentz's Career On The Line Against Jets
