Even with Donald Brown, his primary competition for carries, suffering a stinger in the first quarter, Colts running back Trent Richardson was as ineffective as usual in the first half Week 15 against the Texans, carrying the ball eight times for 5 yards. And after 10 carries, he had just 4 yards.
But from that point forward, he was a different player. Looking to run out the clock with a big lead, the Colts kept handing him the ball in the second half, and he found some room to maneuver, delivering runs of 8, 14, 22 and 9 yards. He finished the game with 64 yards on 19 carries.
Of course, his biggest play came in the passing game. Midway through the second quarter, he caught a short pass from quarterback Andrew Luck and weaved through the defense for a 9-yard touchdown. In all, Richardson had four catches for 38 yards. He was targeted six times.
Brown's status for Week 16 at Kansas City is unknown as of now, but if he's forced to miss the game, Richardson figures to carry the load for the Colts.