Coming off a wild win, there is some optimism in the Circle City as the Indianapolis Colts prepare to host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Indy’s previous dominance in this division series has faded over the past three seasons, only winning one out of the last five games against Mike Vrabel’s squad.
This is sure to be a hard-hitting battle as both teams still believe they can turn their slow starts around and win the AFC South. If Frank Reich wants to get his team back on track, here are the keys to victory:
1
Stop "The King"
After missing the second half of the season with a foot injury, Derrick Henry is slowly returning to his dominant form. After finishing with 85 yards and a touchdown last week against the Raiders off 20 carries it looks like his workload is back to normal.
The difference this season has been his involvement in the passing game. Against Las Vegas, Henry caught five passes for 58 yards. If the Titans get him going through the air AND on the ground, it could be a long day for Gus Bradley’s defense.
It will be a big day for the Colts linebackers and they need Shaquille Leonard back and healthy for this one. Corralling Henry has been a key factor in slowing down the Titans’ offense and if the Colts can limit his productivity come Sunday, they should be okay, but it’s easier said than done.
2
Pound the rock
On the flip side, the Colts vaunted rushing attack has looked stagnant to begin the season. After a strong performance in Week 1, Jonathan Taylor has struggled to get going as of late. His 161-yard performance against Houston was followed up by a lackluster 54-yard outing against Jacksonville and a 71-yard finish against Kansas City. Running the ball is supposed to be the Colts offensive identity and it will be interesting to see if Frank Reich can correct some of the issues this offense has been plagued with.
Part of running the ball efficiently starts up front. The Colts offensive line as a whole has been shaky in pass protection and run blocking in recent weeks, feeding into some of these larger concerns. Hopefully, it will all click against Tennessee, who has allowed a league-high 5.8 yards per carry to start the year.
3
Get the young guys involved
Last week we caught a glimpse of what rookies Jelani Woods and Alec Pierce can bring to this offense. They both had impressive games against Kansas City which is going to be incredibly needed throughout the rest of the season. Both young players have the size to go up over defenders which will be necessary in the red zone. Look for both players to have a much larger role this week against a Tennessee secondary that has largely struggled to start the year.
4
Turn up the pressure
The Colts pass rush finally woke up last week against Kansas City, finishing with a sack, five quarterback hits, and constant pressure on Patrick Mahomes all afternoon. Now, more is expected, and Gus Bradley will need a lot more out of his front 7 in the coming weeks. Forcing Ryan Tannehill out of the pocket will be a crucial step in disrupting the Titans passing game which has been lackluster with a new group of receivers. Expect Yannick Ngakoue and Kwity Paye to step up in a big way this Sunday.
