Why Trey Sermon's pass protection earned him a key role for Anthony Richardson

INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts were riding All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor for a seventh quarter in a row to start the season. Playing time at the position was hard to find.

But when the fourth quarter started in Green Bay, Trey Sermon was on the field and ready to get the ball. And even after that play ended in disaster, with a speed option pitch from Anthony Richardson to Sermon getting swarmed for a four-yard loss on 3rd-and-1, the Colts took the field for the next drive and had Sermon back out there.

Despite running for 103 yards on 12 carries, Taylor didn't play after the third quarter ended. The reason became clear in the days that followed:

“We weren't really scheming up passes for the running backs there in the fourth quarter when we were throwing it," coach Shane Steichen said. "So, we had Trey in there."

MORE: 'We wanted to give Trey some reps': Colts Shane Steichen on not using Jonathan Taylor in 4th

The Colts decided to play with only backup running backs for the fourth quarter in a 16-10 loss to the Packers to fall to 0-2. Though the decision has come under fire in the week since, it's rooted in the most essential part of who the Colts are going to be in 2024.

This is Richardson's team, after all.

"If you can't protect the quarterback, you're not going to be able to play," Sermon said. "That's just how the game of football goes."

This is the key trait Sermon offers to the Colts, above the rushing that caught their eye in a win over the Steelers last season. When Zack Moss left for the Bengals in free agency, the door opened for Sermon to take on a critical role.

Pass protection was a focus of Sermon's when he was a bigger back playing in pass-happy offenses at Oklahoma and Ohio State. But after he was cut just one season after becoming a third-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, he turned it into his meal ticket to find employment in a brutal running back market.

"I feel like that's just another way to earn the trust of not only the coaches but my teammates, so they know I can go out there, pick up blitzes and protect the quarterback," Sermon said.

Taylor won the NFL's rushing title in 2021 and has averaged 5.0 yards per carry across five seasons, making it hard to give many carries to other running backs. The Colts made him the third-highest paid running back in average annual value last year on a three-year extension for $42 million.

But his struggles in the passing game, and particularly in pass protection, have extended back to the 2022 season.

During the first half Sunday, Taylor was asked to turn a play-action fake into a block on a blitzing linebacker so Richardson could attempt a deep shot, but Taylor missed and Richardson stepped off his back foot and powered a throw over Alec Pierce's head for an interception.

"The hardest part at this position is that every single down, you're always taking hits. Every single down," Taylor said. "So you've got to be able to stay focused every single down, down and distance, knowing what's the call in the run game, where's the point at, where your blockers are, where the double teams are at.

"Every position has things that are tough about it."

Taylor was taken out of the game before the Colts got into a pass-first mindset, though. The Colts brought Sermon in for the 3rd-and-1 speed option, hoping to catch the Packers off-guard, but Green Bay was ready for it and send a defensive end right to Richardson.

"We weren't in good pitch relationship," Sermon said. "I was too close."

But the Colts kept faith in Sermon as a pass protector based on what he's shown them in practice and dating back to last season. They threw the ball on 19 of their final 20 plays in an effort to erase a two-score deficit, and Sermon took a 2:1 share of the running back workload ahead of Tyler Goodson.

"A lot of the linebackers we have to pick up, they're usually a lot bigger than the running backs, so you have to be sound in your technique," Sermon said. "Even when you're picking up an edge blitzer, like a DB, your technique has to be right because they're more quick and agile. It goes back to understanding the defense, understanding your opponent and recognizing their blitzes so you can play faster, see everything quicker and go execute the block."

The Colts want to get back to running the ball more with Taylor and Richardson after calling just 13 designed runs for the two on Sunday. But they also want to make use of their wide receivers and Richardson's arm strength on deep shots, and Sermon is going to remain in their plans.

"It's really all about the mentality: I'm not going to let that guy beat me and hit the quarterback," Sermon said. "You've gotta protect the quarterback at all costs."

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on X @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Why Trey Sermon played 4th quarter Sunday over Jonathan Taylor