Here are three things to watch for from the Indianapolis Colts in their final 7 games of the season.
After a very strong start from the Indianapolis Colts this season, what should we be watching for from this team coming out of the bye week?
At 8-2 on the season, the Colts are the current No. 2 seed in the AFC following a Thursday Night win by the New England Patriots.
In their return to the field next week, here are three things to keep our eyes on moving forward as they look to continue their push for the AFC’s top seed.
Offense is able to take care of the football
Through the Colts’ first eight games of the season, they were quite good at not giving the ball away. However, over their last two games, that has been an issue.
Indianapolis would turn it over six times against Pittsburgh and then twice against Atlanta, but it could have been four turnovers had the Colts not recovered two fumbles.
Losing the turnover battle is not an easy thing to overcome. It takes away possessions and potential points from the Colts’ offense, while the opponent gets added scoring opportunities.
The season-long sample size says this is just a blip on the radar, but it’ll be worth watching coming out of the bye week.
The reshaped Colts’ secondary
Cornerback was a big question mark for the Colts, but now it is a potential strength. Along with having Sauce Gardner in the mix moving forward, Charvarius Ward is eligible to return from injured reserve after the bye week.
Along with the individual production that Gardner and Ward are capable of putting up, having two cornerbacks who are comfortable playing on an island changes how Lou Anarumo calls games.
This Colts’ defense could be much more aggressive in the second half of the season, with those two defenders on the outside. The impact of Gardner and Ward on the field goes beyond the stat sheet – their presences can lift everyone around them.
Can the Colts generate more steady pressure on the quarterback?
The Colts’ overall pressure numbers this season are just fine. However, in part, that could be attributed to many of their opponents playing catch-up for large portions of games, which gives the Indianapolis defense more pass-rush opportunities.
In terms of the consistency with which the Colts are able to win their pass rush reps and generate pressure, Indianapolis ranks 29th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric.
As mentioned above, with Gardner and Ward at cornerback, that could allow Anarumo to call a more aggressive game within the front seven, helping to generate more pressure opportunities.
With DeForest Buckner on injured reserve, the Colts will have to find a way to get after the quarterback without him for the time being.
In today’s NFL, the name of the game is creating pressure.