Sep 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back(34) runs with the ball and avoids a tackle Philadelphia Eagles linebackerat Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts lost in an incredibly disappoint game last night to the Philadelphia Eagles by a final score of 30-27. They were the better team all night until late in the second half when the defense got too tired to get stops on LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. While the loss is extremely deflating for the Colts and their fans, they still saw some things throughout the course of the game that were major bright spots.

One of the biggest bright spots for the Colts was the play of third-year running back Trent Richardson. He has struggled ever since the Colts traded away a first round draft pick for him last season, and finally came through with a solid game. Unfortunately, he did fumble the football twice and lost one deep in Indianapolis territory late in the game.

Despite the two turnovers, Richardson finally showed up and performed to a level that brings hope back to Colts fans.

Richardson ended up carrying the football 21 times for 79 yards and also caught a pass for 16 yards. It may not seem like a big game, but it is a lot better than what he has done in the past. The Colts haven’t been utilizing him the right way in Pep Hamilton’s offense, and Ink on Indy talked about that prior to the game last night.

It seemed that the Colts finally figured out that Richardson isn’t fast enough to beat defenders to the outside, and the offensive line isn’t fast enough to get outside in order to block. They used Richardson as more of a power back running through the line, and it was extremely effective. Hopefully the Colts are able to use him in a similar way on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and last night could be the beginning of what the Colts envisioned with Richardson in the backfield.

There hasn’t been any doubt that Richardson has the potential to put up consistent numbers, but he just hasn’t been able to produce with the Colts. He had a great rookie year with the Browns, which raised expectations up a bit too high. Now that he has had a full offseason under his belt with the Colts, it’s possible that he begins breaking out of the rut that he has been in.