Week 17 preview: Colts @ Titans

The game is a story of perseverance. Both teams have had their highs and lows during the season, but no matter the outcome of tonight’s game, they will both end with winning records.

The Colts’ first half of the season was a low note, as they fell to 1-5 out of the gate. The message boards and Facebook comment sections were a battlefield between those who screamed to, “Fire Reich” and “Bench Luck” and those who remained cautiously optimistic that their team still had a chance due to the rough shape of the entire AFC South at the time. (Houston led the division at just 4-3 at the time)

Now the Colts have come roaring back, and have placed themselves in a position to steal the AFC South crown, should the other two contenders slip up. Winning 8 of their last 9 games, Indy has become the hottest team in the league. They’ve killed winning streaks, beat playoff teams, and stifled premier running backs on their way to 9-6.

Tennessee began the year on a roller coaster ride. With 6 of their first 7 seven games being decided by a touchdown or less, the Titans managed to go 3-4 at the beginning of their 2018 campaign. Then, they dug in a little deeper, winning their next two against the Cowboys in Dallas and coming home to dismantle New England 34-10! Then another hiccup, as they dropped their next two to Indianapolis and Houston on the road, but they didn’t lose sight, and have managed to win their last 4 games on their way to 9-6. So, the big question for Tennessee is which version of their team will show up? Will it be the team that couldn’t seem to win the close games, or the more recent Titans who have won 6 of their last 8?

You can see a lot of similarities in these two teams. For example:

Both have forced a shutout

Both have been shut out

Both have had winning streaks of 4+ games

Both have losing streaks of 3 games

Both have top 10 defenses over the second half of the season.

Both defenses are holding teams to an average of 13.5 points or less in the last 4 weeks

There are differences though. These are the most lopsided of those differences:

Passing TD’s – Luck 2nd (36) > Mariota 29th (11)

PPG- IND 7th (26.7) > TEN 26th (19.5)

Rushing YPG- IND 21st (104) < TEN 5th (128.7)

Passing YPG- IND 6th (278.9) > TEN 29th (187.3)

PPG allowed- IND 13th (21.8) < TEN 2nd (18)

I think this will be a hard fought battle. I believe that the Titans of week 11 are a thing of the past, and they will show up in prime time in front of their home crowd at Nissan Stadium. That being said, the Tennessee has a lot of players playing banged up or missing the game due to injury. To me, there are two big things to watch for in this game. The first will be Marcus Mariota. If he does in fact play, what level will he be at? Stating that he was numb throughout his body last week raised eyebrows, and it will be interesting to see how effectively he will be able to grip and throw the football. The second, is watching how effective the Titans rush defense will be without starters Jurrell Casey and Brian Orakpo in the lineup. Colts’ running back Marlon Mack has shown great ability in many games this season, as he’s racked up nearly 800 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns on the year. With the run stopping Casey out of the lineup, will that mean a big night for Mack?

My prediction:

I think this game has the potential to be a shoot out. Titans running back Derrick Henry has been in a zone the last 4 weeks, but on the same token, the Darius Leonard and the Indy defense contained two of the NFL’s best backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley. I say the Colts get the edge and the win for their ability to put points on the scoreboard and that they have a top 10 defense against a bottom 10 Titans offense. The Colts have a top 10 scoring and passing offense, and I think that will show on Sunday night. Indianapolis wins this one 31-20.

Photo Credit: AP Photo – Darron Cummings

Who to root for as a Colts fan in week 17

This year has been full of ups and downs for Indianapolis. Starting off 1-5 to begin the season, the Colts have managed to pull off a historic season saving comeback. Now, having won 8 of their last 9 games, the Colts control their own fate, as they travel to Tennessee to battle the Titans on Sunday Night Football.

Everything that needed to go right for the Colts in week 16, did! Last week, the Colts needed a win and a bit of help. With the Steelers falling to the Saints 31-28, the Colts got exactly the help they needed, and now face a, “win and you’re in” scenario in week 17. The Philadelphia Eagles also helped out, keeping the Colts’ divisional hopes alive, while beating the Texans 32-30 at Lincoln Financial Field. Should the Texans lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, the Colts could capture the AFC South title and potentially the 3 seed. This result would give Indy a home game in the playoffs, and they would most likely host a 6th seeded Texans team.

So, in week 17, here are the games to watch:

Colts @ Titans: It’s win or go home on Sunday Night Football. A game that was originally slotted for 1pm, was flexed due to both teams battling for at least a 6th seed. The Titans are a bit banged up this week, as quarterback Marcus Mariota and defensive lineman Jurrell Casey suffered injuries in week 16. While Mariota is optimistic that he’ll start in week 17, he is still listed as questionable.

The Colts are arguably the hottest team in the NFL right now, having won 8 of their last 9 games. A week 11 trouncing of the Titans in Indianapolis, gives the Colts a lot of optimism in this road matchup. With a final score of 38-10, it was one of Indy’s more convincing wins on the season. Quarterback Andrew Luck brings a career record of 10-0 against Tennessee, and his last performance against this Titans team was one of his best. Luck finished that game 23 of 29 for 297 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He also posted a passer rating of 143.8 (the second highest of his career). The Colts won the game so convincingly, that Luck was able to hand the reigns over to backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the final 10 minutes. Will it be another blowout this week, or does Tennessee have a music city miracle up their sleeves?

Houston vs Jacksonville:

Colts fans should be cheering for a Jacksonville team that shut them out just a few weeks ago. Blake Bortles is set to return to the starting lineup after somehow worse quarterback play with Cody Kessler at the helm. With any luck, Bortles will be the good version of himself this weekend, and help keep the Texans from taking AFC South crown. While it is unlikely, given the poor performances of Jacksonville this season, it’s not impossible. The Jaguars have won against the Colts, and managed to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots earlier this year. Perhaps Jacksonville create some of the magic that helped them in those wins, to overthrow the Texans in Houston.

Week 16 preview: Colts vs Giants

This week the New York Giants bring a 5-8 record to Indianapolis, and while they have been eliminated from the playoffs, they are still very capable of pulling off an upset. The Giants started off in a slump, beginning the season with a 1-7 record. Now, they have won four out of their last 6 games, and hope to finish on a strong note heading into the offseason. Two games this year by the Giants include going on the road to beat the current AFC South leading Houston Texans, and besting the NFC North champion Chicago Bears at home. It’s also worth noting that 6 of New York’s losses have been by 7 points or less.

As the season has gone on, quarterback Eli Manning and rookie running back Saquon Barkley have built solid chemistry, as Barkley has caught 82 passes from Manning, for 654 yards and 4 touchdowns. Barkley has also had a very successful rookie campaign running the ball, as he has tallied 1,155 yards (3rd in NFL) and 9 touchdowns (tied for 5th in NFL). Barkley will be the second top 5 running back the Colts will face in as many weeks.

There are a couple items of concern for the Giants. The first, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been out for last two weeks, is trending towards missing this week’s game as well. The second, the Giants missed OBJ last week, as the New York offense put up a goose egg against the Tennessee Titans, falling 17-0 and effectively knocking them out of playoff contention. Not having OBJ would be a huge loss for a Giants team that will have to face a top 10 Colts defense this Sunday. In fact, since week 7, the Colts are the number 1 defense in yards against, and only have one game all season in which they haven’t forced at least 1 turnover. Over the last three games, they’ve been even more impressive, as they’ve averaged just 9 points against. This week will feature a unique battle of rookie of the year candidates when Saquon Barkley faces off against Darius Leonard. Leonard is currently leading the NFL with 146 tackles to go along with his 7 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 6 pass deflections, and 1 interception.

On the offensive side, Indianapolis is operating like a well oiled machine. They currently rank 8th in points per game (26.6) and total yards per game (381.5), as well as 7th in passing yards per game. (273.6) Andrew Luck ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 34, and the Colts’ offensive line is tied for first in the NFL with just 16 sacks given up on the year. Indianapolis also has 2 Pro Bowl selections. The first is veteran Eric Ebron, who is having not only a career year for himself, but has set Colts franchise records for receiving touchdowns and total touchdowns as a tight end (12 and 13 respectfully). The other Pro Bowler is rookie guard Quenton Nelson, who made headlines earlier this season as the NFL offensive rookie of the month in October. This was the first time the award had been given to a guard in NFL history, which certainly speaks volumes about his level of play and character on and off the field.

Overall, I believe Indianapolis is the more complete team in this matchup. Especially if Odell Beckham Jr. misses his third straight game to a quad injury, look for Indianapolis to pull ahead early and stay there. With the Tennessee Titans likely looking at a win against the banged up Washington Redskins this weekend, and the Baltimore Ravens facing a tough opponent in the Los Angeles Chargers, the Colts and Titans could be playing for a wildcard spot in week 17. This week, I’ve got Indianapolis winning this one 28-17.

Photo Credit: Michael Hickey-Getty Images

Game Preview: Colts @ Jaguars

After their bye week and three straight home games, the Colts are taking their first road trip since traveling to Oakland in October. The forecast for tomorrow calls for thunderstorms in the Jacksonville area, so it will be interesting to see if the elements play a factor, especially for an indoor team like the Colts.

Since their week 10 matchup in Indianapolis, this Jaguars team has a wildly different look. Earlier this week, quarterback Blake Bortles was benched in favor of Cody Kessler, they fired their offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Leonard Fournette landed a 1-game suspension after landing a couple punches against the Buffalo Bills, Guard Andrew Norwell was placed on the Injured Reserve, and last but not least, cornerback Jalen Ramsey is questionable (due to injury) to play after starting every game in his NFL career.

As you can see, that’s a lot of changes so I’ll break them down one at a time.

Bortles: Pulling Bortles this week is a bit puzzling to me because, Bortles has historically put up solid numbers against the Colts. Even in the week 10 loss, Bortles threw for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bortles career stats against Indianapolis are 187 of 302, 61.9% completion percentage, 2384 yards, and 14:3 touchdown to interception ratio. He does have a losing record against the Colts overall (4-5), but boasts a 3-1 record in home games against Indy. Cody Kessler has one game of regular season action this year (against Houston Texans), and the results were so-so. On that day Kessler finished 21-30, for 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble, and was sacked 4 times in a 20-7 defeat.

Nathaniel Hackett: After coaching a sixth ranked offense that propelled the Jaguars to the AFC championship, many people expected more out of Hackett this year. Unfortunately for him, his offense took a nosedive this year. Falling to 22nd overall in total offense, having to fight through numerous injuries, and overcome poor quarterback play, Hackett just couldn’t hack it in Jacksonville. This Sunday, his former duties will be taken over by quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich.

Leonard Fournette: Well, it seems as if the Jaguars’ season of frustration materialized in the form of a Fournette fist fight last week. The second year running back, who has spent much of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury, lost his temper during a loss against the Buffalo Bills. Losing is tough at any point. Jacksonville started out 3-1, and had Super Bowl aspirations to begin the year, but they have now fallen to 3-8, and are in the mix for a top 10 draft pick. The raw emotion of that disappointment has reared it’s ugly head, and the Jaguars are no better for it.

Andrew Norwell: The highest paid guard in the NFL, will unfortunately be sidelined for the rest of the 2018 season. An ankle injury sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills adds to the seemingly never ending list of injuries to the Jacksonville offensive line. Left tackle Cam Robinson, Center Brandon Linder, and backup left tackle Josh Wells were all critical losses. Norwell seems to be the final nail in the coffin for this beat up o-line. Good luck back there Cody Kessler!

Jalen Ramsey: One of the NFL’s most talented young cornerbacks could miss the first game of his career on Sunday. Starting the week off with back-to-back “Did Not Practice” designations, the All-Pro finally logged a limited practice on Friday. Ramsey will be listed as questionable, with no word on whether he will even be available.

The Colts are not without their own set of injuries this week. Jack Doyle’s season came to an end this week, as he suffered a kidney injury that came at the end of Indianapolis’ win against the Miami Dolphins. The tight end spot, which had been a great position for depth, became much more shallow this week. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox is listed as OUT for this week’s matchup as well. This leaves Indy with Eric Ebron, and either Ryan Hewitt or Eric Swoope to fill the TE2 gap. Center Ryan Kelly will miss this week as well. After sustaining a knee injury against Miami, Kelly was unable to practice all week. Quite a few names are listed on the “questionable” designation, but most names in the list should play. The biggest concern of the “questionable” list is probably running back Marlon Mack, who is making his way back from a concussion.

Now that you’re all caught up, let’s talk about this weekend’s game. With all of the changes that Jacksonville has endured just over the course of this week, I have trouble believing they’ll be as competitive as a Bortles-led team. Granted, Kessler has some playing time this year, but changing coordinators and having to deal will several key injuries/suspensions to offensive players will be Cody Kessler’s bane this weekend. I’ll be looking for Darius Leonard, Malik Hooker and the rest of the Colts’ defense to force several turnovers.

For the Colts offense, sticking to fundamentals and just finding a way to move the chains will be critical. It’s supposed to be rainy and sloppy and gross. This week Indianapolis has to protect the ball and figure out a way to be effective on the ground. I think the rain might slow down this fast paced offense a little bit, so maintaining possession with slow methodical drives will be imperative. Andrew Luck has thrown at least 3 touchdowns in 8 straight games. This week however, Luck might need to take a back seat to his running backs and let them keep the ball dry. In week 10, Colts running backs ran for 85 yards on 16 carries, including a big 53 yard scamper by Jordan Wilkins. They’ll need that kind of big play production this week against a defense that still ranks 9th overall.

I think this game might be a lot closer that many may want to believe. If the elements play a factor in this game, Indianapolis’ fast offense, may have to take what the conditions give them. That being said, I don’t think a banged up Cody Kessler-led offense out duels Andrew Luck and company. I’ve got Indianapolis winning their 6th straight to stay close behind Houston in the AFC South hunt.

Indianapolis: 24 Jacksonville: 13

Photo credit: Colts.com

Injury Update: Jack Doyle

Tight end Jack Doyle has been placed on the injured reserve with a season ending kidney injury. This is a tough loss for the Colts. After missing extended time with a hip injury earlier in the season, Doyle had come back to be an effective part of the Colts offense during their 5 game winning streak. Since returning against the Oakland Raiders on October 28th, Doyle had compiled 17 receptions for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. While Doyle has been known to be an effective pass catcher, his true value is as a pass blocker. Pro Football Focus rated Doyle as the #1 pass blocking tight end in the NFL this season. Doyle finishes the year with 26 receptions, 245 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Luckily for Indianapolis, they have good depth at the tight end position. Eric Ebron is having a career best year, as he’s racked up 11 receiving touchdowns (tied for first in NFL). Eric Swoope and Mo Alie-Cox have also been good in limited action. Alie-Cox has collected 6 receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year, while Swoope has come off the practice squad several times this season to grab 7 catches for 83 yards and 3 scores. Both Alie-Cox and Swoope were injured during last week’s game against Miami, but head coach Frank Reich is hopeful that at least one of the two returns this Sunday when the Colts face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Photo Credit: Indianapolis Star

Week 6 preview: Colts (1-4) @ Jets (2-3)

With their fourth away contest in the first six games, Indianapolis will travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Awaiting them will be a young Jets team coming off a big, 34-16 win against the Denver Broncos in week 5. This Jets team, led by rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, is a bit of a mystery. After destroying the Detroit Lions in week 1 by a score of 48-17, the Jets had been on a 3 game slide before their win against Denver.

Sam Darnold has just been so-so since taking the reins in week 1. His first career game started off great. Completing 76% of his passes and throwing 2 touchdowns in his debut, he seemed to be making a smooth transition to the NFL. Now having completed just 55.7% of his passes on the season, those stellar week 1 numbers have heavily declined. Darnold ranks 33rd among eligible quarterbacks in completion percentage, 21st in passing yards (1,066), and is tied for 20th in passing touchdowns with 7.

Where the Jets are succeeding however, is on the ground. New York has two of the top twenty running backs in Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell. Crowell, coming off a career high 219 rushing yards (15 carries) on Sunday, finds himself ranked 3rd in the NFL in yards (390), 2nd in yards per attempt (6.8), and tied for 2nd in touchdowns with 5. Powell adds another 264 yards (18th) on 59 carries, as a right hook in the Jets 1-2 punch.

The keys to success for Indianapolis, will be as follows:

1) Make the rookie throw: Taking away the running game, and forcing the Jets to be one-dimensional will be critical for a Colts defense who has given up 534 yards on the ground. With Sam Darnold’s passing stats not especially spectacular (7:6 TD/INT ratio), forcing him to throw is the Colts best chance at stopping this Jets offense. Hopefully, after a 10 day break between games, the Colts can return several starters. A brutal barrage of injuries has set them back for the past two games. With all of those injuries, Indianapolis only managed to get one quarterback pressure on Tom Brady in their week 5 game against the New England Patriots. After a few weeks of heartbreaking 4th quarter and overtime losses, the Colts are desperately searching for some good fortune.

2) Don’t drop the ball: Watching the Colts fall behind 24-3 in the first half of last week’s game was rough. Watching wide receiver Zach Pascal drop and deflect a pass that led to an interception on a potential game tying drive, was gut wrenching. Andrew Luck can’t be expected to catch his own passes, and this injury ridden Colts receiving core is dropping a lot of passes. Conservatively counting, the Colts have dropped over a dozen passes in the last two games. A few of those being first downs, while others were dropped in the end zone. Cleaning up the drops is a necessity any week, but especially now, due to Indianapolis being at the bottom of the AFC South and quickly falling out of playoff contention.

3) Control time of possession: Colts rank 30th in time of possession with an average of 27 minutes and 12 seconds, and over the last 3 games its hovered around 25 minutes. Less time with the ball, means less opportunities to put points on the board. What I think we would all like to see is a nice methodical approach, and long lasting drives that end in touchdowns.

4) Continued pass protection: Indianapolis has only given up 10 sacks this year, despite the carousel on the offensive line. Andrew Luck will see his fifth different offensive line this season on Sunday. Rookie guards, Quenton Nelson (6th overall pick) and Braden Smith (37th overall) have performed even better than anticipated and pass protection is excellent so far this year. Luck has had a clean pocket to pass from for most of the season. Solid run blocking however, has been hard to find. Indianapolis ranks 29th in average rushing yards per game (74.4), 27th in yards per attempt (3.7), and tied for 28th in rushing touchdowns with a single Nyheim Hines score. With the return of left tackle Anthony Castonzo and running back Marlon Mack this week, the Colts will hopefully have a boost in their rushing attack.

5) Rush the ball effectively: See point number 4. The Colts can’t seem to get out of their own way when it comes to running the ball. Sometimes it seems as if they’re being stuffed on every attempt, while other times they’ll be breaking off good chunks of yardage, but fumbles or holding penalties negate the good plays. The Colts need to find away to get pressure off of Luck so he won’t have to throw 50+ passes a game, and the easiest way to do that is finding a way tote the rock.

Overall, I think this game will be a grind, but as long as the defense can contain the run, I have Indianapolis squeaking out a win late.

I’m calling this one 23-20 Indianapolis.

Photo Credit: Colts.com

Inactive list for the Colts grows to 9

Both cornerback Nate Hairston and standout rookie linebacker Darius Leonard have been listed as OUT for Thursday Night Football. This leaves Indianapolis extremely vulnerable. Already missing other stars, such as wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle, Indianapolis has become a shell of what they were just a few days ago. The Colts are only able to dress 44 players tonight due to the barrage of injuries (46 are allowed).

Good news however, left tackle Anthony Castonzo will make is season debut, after missing the first four weeks with a hamstring issue. The Colts will need all the help they can get, as they go into Foxboro as 10.5 point underdogs.

Colts hobble into Thursday as 7 players declared out

With fans still trying to cope with the questionable call that led to an Indianapolis loss on Sunday, another game has quickly arrived. Tomorrow evening, the Colts will face the New England Patriots. Well…most of the Colts. With a lengthy list of injuries, Indianapolis’ biggest obstacle on Thursday will be keeping their players healthy. Multiple positions have been spread thin due to injuries, not to mention the unfortunate loss of tackle Denzelle Good, who will miss an undisclosed amount of time while coping with the death of his brother.

Those missing time with injury are as follows:

T.Y. Hilton (chest/hamstring)- Hilton is Indianapolis’ leading receiver with 294 yards. Normally a picture of health, this will be only the third game Hilton has missed in his 7 year career. Wide receivers Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers are expected to split Hilton’s would be snaps. Running back Nyhiem Hines may find more time in the slot, to give more receiving options to Andrew Luck. He’ll look to build on Sunday’s team leading 9 reception, 2 touchdown performance.

Marlon Mack (hamstring)-Mack has only played in one game this season, but it was a good one. Playing in the Colts’ lone victory against the Redskins, Mack tallied 10 carries for 34 yards and a single reception for 2 yards. While the numbers aren’t impressive, his big play ability from last year has been, and will be missed.

Jack Doyle (hip)- Indianapolis’ leader in receptions from a year ago has had a rough start to 2018. After fumbling away the ball on a potential game winning drive in week one, Doyle had a very average outing against Washington where his injury occurred. Putting up just 9 receptions for 80 yards this year, Doyle’s production has been severely missed.

Quincy Wilson (concussion)-The injury bug has plagued this young cornerback his whole career. In just his second season, nagging injuries have limited Wilson to just 9 games (out of a possible 21). In two games played this season, he has tallied just one tackle.

Kenny Moore II (concussion)-Moore has logged an interception, 1 pass deflection and 14 tackles this season. Starting all 4 games for the Colts this year, Moore will be missed in a group of inexperienced group of corners that will try to slow down the likes of Patriots receivers Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman (who makes his return from a four week suspension this week).

Hassan Ridgeway (calf)-A preseason stud who hasn’t stayed healthy, Ridgeway just hasn’t been lucky so far this season. After tallying 4 sacks in the first two weeks of the preseason, Ridgeway’s only regular season action came during substitution work in a week 2 win over the Washington Redskins. Ridgeway hasn’t logged anything on the stat sheet yet this season, but when healthy, he can be a valuable rotational player on the defensive line (3 sacks in 2017).

Colts sit at 1-3 as they prepare to face Patriots on Thursday night

This past Sunday, head coach Frank Reich may have made the best, bad decision in the history of Colts football. Facing a 4th and 4 on their own 43 yard line in OT, Frank Reich chose to gamble. He chose to put the game in his best player’s hands, but unfortunately Luck (and Chester Rogers) couldn’t deliver. Three plays later, the Houston Texans would take the victory on a Ka’imi Fairbairn 37 yard field goal.

Sometimes though, it’s what you learn in losses that make you a better, more resilient team. By taking that shot, and putting his confidence in the offense to go make a play, Frank Reich now has everyone on the same page. This head coach doesn’t want to dwell on the what if’s, he wants it black and white. Win or lose, no grey areas. He wants his team to be aggressive. He wants his team to have, “an obsession to finish”.

With the Colts now at 1-3, it’s left many fans disgruntled. Critical turnovers, some key injuries, and costly penalties have shown that missing a couple of the little things are what can turn a spotless record into one that’s sub par. In week one, it was a Jack Doyle fumble, in week 3 it was penalties and poor execution in the red zone, and week 4 it was 14 points given up off of turnovers.

Now the Colts will go to Foxboro, and kick off week 5 action Thursday against the New England Patriots. This will be their toughest test so far. It won’t be tough for the obvious reasons of New England playing at home, or because Tom Brady is under center for the Pats. The game will be tough because there’s an urgency to win, and a stigma that says the Colts can’t/won’t win this game. The media says they won’t, the fans say they won’t, the casinos say they won’t, and history says they won’t. The Colts haven’t beaten the Patriots this decade, as New England has gone 7-0 in their matchups since 2010. Andrew Luck, who entered the league in 2012, is 0-5 in those matchups.

Maybe it’s time for a Colts win. At 2-2, New England isn’t exactly playing their best football. They still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but something seems a bit off. Aside from their week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, they look out of sync. Taking losses to Detroit and Jacksonville, they’ve shown that they have weaknesses, and that they aren’t the super heroes they have been in the past.

If Indianapolis can play its best game of the season, they just might have a shot at taking out the Patriots and beginning a string of victories. After Thursday, they’ll have two games against rookie quarterbacks (Sam Darnold-Jets and Josh Allen-Bills), and then head to Oakland to play a Raiders team that seems to lack an identity since trading away Khalil Mack. Those 3 teams only have 3 wins collectively (3-9 overall). This could put Indianapolis in a more reasonable spot when they hit the bye in week 9.

Before the “easy” games though, the Colts have an opportunity to stick it to Josh McDaniels who left them at the alter during the off-season coaching search. Who better to help them, than the former Eagles offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, who beat them in the Super Bowl in February? They also have the opportunity to make this a rivalry again, because let’s be honest…there has been nothing resembling competitiveness in this series for almost a decade.

This week, I’m predicting more of the same in this series. Indianapolis came out of the Texans game really banged up. On Monday, they had 8 players who didn’t practice, and several more on a limited practice. That may seem natural for a Monday any other week, but knowing that they play Thursday night is cause for concern. It’s not rotational players getting injured either, it’s the starters. Notable injuries on the Did Not Practice list are as follows:

Wide Receiver-T.Y. Hilton (chest/hamstring)

Tight End-Jack Doyle (hip)

Linebacker-Darius Leonard (ankle)

Center-Ryan Kelly (hand)

Cornerback-Nate Hairston (ankle)

Defensive Tackle-Hassan Ridgeway (calf)

Cornerback-Quincy Wilson (concussion)

Cornerback-Kenny Moore (concussion)

With these big names here, and several others, such as left tackle Anthony Castonzo (hamstring) practicing on a limited basis, the Colts are in trouble if they can’t find a magic healing elixir by Thursday.

IND: 20 NE: 38

Photo credit: USA Today Sports

Castonzo, Autry, and Mack get updates on status for Sunday @ Redskins

After starting the week with high hopes and a confident demeanor, Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo suffered an unfortunate setback late Wednesday. He was listed as a non participant on Thursday, and was downgraded to OUT on Friday afternoon. Dealing with a nagging hamstring injury for much of the preseason and week one, the Colts starter will miss his second game in a row, after starting every game over the past two seasons. Week one was the first time Andrew Luck had been without his star tackle in Luck’s 71 game career. This puts Indianapolis in a precarious spot at offensive line. Injuries to tackle/guard Denzelle Good (knee/wrist), J’Marcus Webb (hamstring), and now Castonzo (hamstring), have limited the offensive line depth rather significantly. Joe Haeg may get his second career start at left tackle against the Redskins, although 3rd year man Le’Raven Clark is listed on the depth chart directly behind Anthony Castonzo. Clark has started just 8 games out of a possible 24 in his career. He did not see the field in week one against the Cincinnati Bengals.

One of the Colts’ offseason acquisitions was injured Wednesday. Defensive tackle/end, Denico Autry aggravated his ankle during practice. Last Sunday, Autry played as a rotational defensive end, as he tallied one tackle and two quarterback hurries. His status has been downgraded to OUT for the week two matchup. With Autry not playing, look for Hassan Ridgeway and Grover Stewart to fill in during his absence.

Saving the good news for last, Colts running back Marlon Mack took part in his first full practice of the 2018 regular season on Friday. After working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered in the Colt’s first preseason game, he will likely see his first game action in week two. Even if Mack does see the field this weekend, he’ll likely be splitting playing time with Jordan Wilkins (14 carries/3 receptions week one), and rookie Nyheim Hines (5 carries/7 receptions week one). The running back by committee approach should help Mack ease back into a larger workload, which will be especially relevant, given the potential of rainy field conditions at FedEx Field on Sunday.