The Indianapolis Colts will be looking to carry their momentum following last week’s upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs into their Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
Mike Vrabel’s squad is also coming off their first win of the season, knocking off the Las Vegas Raiders. This is an essential early matchup for the division foes as they look to keep pace with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South standings.
The Colts have a 4-4 record against the Titans since Frank Reich has taken over as the head coach. But, Indianapolis has lost its last three games against Tennessee. This rivalry has taken importance over the last few years and Jim Irsay understands that his franchise needs to get back on the winning side of it.
It will be a feisty contest in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, here are five things to watch for when the two teams clash:
1
Defending Derrick Henry
There might be new faces in the Titans’ passing attack but there is one remaining presence in their offense. To no surprise is Derrick Henry. During the Frank Reich era, Tennessee’s running back averages 104 rushing yards per game against Indianapolis. To their credit, they did hold Henry to only 68 rushing yards in their overtime loss the last time these two teams played.
It has been a slow start to the season for King Henry. He is currently averaging 64.0 rushing yards per game. But, he is coming off his best game of 2022. Against the Raiders, he had 143 total yards and a touchdown. He is still the engine that drives the Titans’ offense so it is important to take away his ability to make an impact on the game.
Even though it is a small sample size, the Indianapolis defense has been one of the best against the ground game. They give up 77.0 rushing YPG, which is the third best in the NFL. Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner have done a great job at winning inside the trenches. Their success has done wonders for the linebackers, despite missing Shaquille Leonard.
Only time will tell when their defensive leader will return but Bobby Okereke, Zaire Franklin, and E.J. Speed have done a solid job in run support this season. This part of the defensive unit will be tested on Sunday but it will be an 11-man effort to make sure Henry doesn’t take control and creates explosive plays all afternoon.
2
How does the offensive line fair?
The state of the offensive line for the Colts is off to a rocky start in 2022. The main culprit has been the pass protection issues that have plagued the offense. In only three games, Indianapolis has given up 12 sacks and 28 quarterback hits. That also isn’t counting the number of times that Matt Ryan has been pressured by opponents.
But not all the blame should be put on the line for the protection issues. There have been communication errors between the quarterback, running backs, and the men up front. That showed against the Chiefs when three of the five sacks given up came off of blitzes.
The #Colts gave up another 5 sacks.
– 3 came off blitzes (1 strip-sack)
– Matt Ryan held the ball too long which led to the Carlos Dunlap strip-sack
– Danny Pinter got bullied by Frank ReichIndianapolis needs to figure this out sooner than later. pic.twitter.com/PV0COULi5u
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 27, 2022
This is an issue that needs to be fixed sooner than later and the coaching staff understands that. “What we’ve got to be is more consistent,” offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said. “Yeah, we did pick up some pressures, got in the right call, picked them up nice and clean, and completed a pass. But too many times where we’re not picking it up. What you’re looking for as an offense in production is consistency and we’ve got to be better there.”
Outside of communication, there have been leaky holes in the line with Matt Pryor and Danny Pinter. Pinter is coming off a rough performance against KC and it won’t get any easier when the Titans line up Jeffrey Simmons across him as often as they can. Mike Vrabel will have his defense looking to take advantage of that matchup on Sunday.
Not only do the Colts need to fix their pass protection but they need the line to be more dominant in the trenches in the ground game. Jonathan Taylor has been working with small rushing lanes which have hindered his ability to make an impact on the game. They can’t afford to limit their star back.
There are plenty of issues across the board on the offense that is a work in progress but if they can at least improve the play of the offensive line then that will help Indianapolis sustain drives and start putting points on the board.
3
Can the front four get after Ryan Tannehill?
One of the biggest keys that led to the Colts’ upset over the Chiefs was their ability to create consistent pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Despite only being able to register one sack, Gus Bradley has to be proud of the way his front four was able to get after the quarterback last Sunday.
I just loved how the #Colts front four got after Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/krgJKFw7Us
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 27, 2022
We got a glimpse at what this defense can be when the defensive front played as they did against KC. But that is in the past and they now have to prove they can do it consistently. While they aren’t facing a quarterback on Mahomes level, they are facing one who has had their number since taking over in Tennessee.
Ryan Tannehill has a 4-1 record against the Colts as the Titans quarterback. In the five matchups, he has only averaged 202.4 passing YPG but has 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He does a good job at protecting the ball which helps his team win games but those four picks did come in the last two games these teams faced. Indianapolis just couldn’t take advantage of them.
If Indianapolis can successfully take Derrick Henry out of this game, then it is going to be on the front four to get after the quarterback again. Tannehill can not only pick you apart in a clean pocket but he has the mobility to pick up first downs with his legs. Similar to the Mahomes attack, the front needs to do a good job at collapsing the pocket from the inside and winning on the edge.
4
Who's the X-factor on offense?
Everyone knows at this point that Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. are the focal points of the Colts offense. Ideally, there would be a consistent third option in the offense but to start the year, Frank Reich may need a different x-factor every week to help his offense move the ball. The obvious answer should be Nyheim Hines.
While there has been a slight disappointment in the running back’s usage to start the season, Hines has seen the second most targets on the team. Could this be the game he turns his touches into production? Recent history against the Titans says it might be possible.
Hines has gone over 79+ total yards in three of his last four matchups against Tennessee. He has a total of three touchdowns in the four games. In the last game, Hines didn’t get at least 79 total yards. He only touched the ball 5 times. This could be a big game not only for Hines but for his counterpart, JT.
The Titans are giving up 145.0 rushing YPG, the fourth-highest average in the NFL. But, if Mike Vrabel can put together a gameplan that effectively takes away the ground game, who helps Pittman Jr. out in the passing attack?
Hines certainly can, but look for Alec Pierce to build off his best game in his very short NFL career. The rookie receiver showed up at a crucial point of the game against the Chiefs and it looks like he has earned the trust of Matt Ryan.
All 3 catches by Alec Pierce.
– 17 yards
– 30 yards (contested catch)
– 14 yards (sets up game winner)#Colts have to love the rookie shaking on his first game and delivering in his second showing. pic.twitter.com/T3SQ6VEGtL— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 26, 2022
Outside of Pierce, could we see some veterans turn their playing time into some production this week? Parris Campbell has played 80.75% of the offensive snaps but only has five receptions for 47 yards on six targets. His speed is meant to open up things for the offense and with how much he is playing, I’d like to see Ryan look to connect with Campbell more often.
The only other players outside of Taylor, Pittman Jr., and Campbell that account for over 50% of the offensive snaps are Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson. The pair of tight ends could see that number drop if the coaching staff decides to expand Jelani Woods’ role after his game-winning touchdown against Kansas City.
Both of Jelani Woods touchdowns for the #Colts.
– 1 yard
– 12 yards (game winner)The rookie is going to grow his redzone role going forward. pic.twitter.com/xH5ivKdJ4U
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 26, 2022
The whole offense has to show improvement this week but seeing some production from role players will be needed to knock off their divisional foe.
5
Will the offense put it together?
Lethargical first halves can kill a team’s chances at pulling off the victory and especially when that is coming from the offense. As you can tell throughout this article, the biggest concern about this Colts team is that part of the roster. All the problems that are scattered throughout the unit have led to poor performance for 11 of the 12 quarters (12/13 if you count overtime) they have played.
Their best quarter came in Week 1 when they scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to tie the Houston Texans. Last week was better but their only long touchdown drive came off the back of a questionable unsportsmanlike penalty that kept the drive alive. The first step in the right direction is sustaining drives to start the game and finding a rhythm early.
The inability to keep the chains moving has crushed them in the first three weeks. It has led to terrible starts. In all three first halves, the Colts have been outscored 41-13. The win over KC shouldn’t have come down to the wire if the offense was able to put up more points in the first two quarters.
One thing the offense needs to do is put themselves in favorable situations on third downs. They find themselves in long down situations when they need to pick up a first, which led them to 14/40 (35%) on third downs. Plus, everyone knows that Frank Reich won’t back down from going for it on fourth.
But, it hasn’t worked out for him this year so far. The Colts are 1/6 (16.6%) in fourth-down situations. The offense has been a mess in the first three weeks for the most part but it’s on the coaching staff and players to put it all together. Not only for this important divisional game but going forward if they want to stay pace in the AFC.
