The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) are looking to continue their first winning streak in the Shane Steichen era as they are set to host the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) in Week 4.
These two franchises hardly face each other. They’ve only played each other six times since 2000. The last time the Colts beat the Rams came back in 2009. The last time Indianapolis won at home against the Rams was in 2005 so they have yet to beat them in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Buy Colts TicketsHere are five things to watch for when the Colts and Rams battle it out on Sunday:
1
Samson Ebukam and Matt Gay's revenge game
There are a couple of players for the Colts who will be looking to show out against their former team. Samson Ebukam spent his four seasons with the Rams before signing with their divisional rival the San Fransico 49ers. In four games as a 49er against LA, he has a total of eight tackles (six solo tackles, one TFL, one QB hit, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Ebukam has been on fire for Indy’s defense the past two games. In the last two weeks, he’s collected seven tackles (six solo), three TFLs, three QB hits, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Samson Ebukam utilized his initial burst and closing speed to get the 3rd down sack to force the three-and-out for the #Colts. Forced the fumble but Lamar Jackson was able to jump on top of the ball.
This was the fastest sack (2.4 seconds per @NextGenStats) of the game. pic.twitter.com/INeBJcqtHK
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 25, 2023
He could be in line for a mismatch since he could be facing a backup left tackle for the third game in a row. Alaric Jackson hasn’t practiced this week due to a hamstring injury. Even if he can give it a go, Jackson will likely be less than 100% on a short week for Los Angeles.
After flaming out in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a brief stint on Indy’s practice squad in 2020, Matt Gay was able to revitalize his career with the Rams. He spent the last four seasons with their franchise but Los Angeles elected to not re-sign him which led to the Colts giving him a record contract.
Gay is coming off his historic game against the Baltimore Ravens, proving that his deal was worth it for Indianapolis. Gay will now get a chance to show why LA made a mistake in letting him leave this past offseason.
2
The return of Anthony Richardson
After missing last week’s game against the Ravens due to a concussion, Anthony Richardson is poised to make his return to the lineup on Sunday. The last time that we saw Indy’s franchise quarterback, he was about to have an explosive day on the ground after getting two 15-plus-yard touchdown runs on the first two drives.
Anthony Richardson's first touchdown run was perfectly executed by the QB + oline. pic.twitter.com/N4Mjl6ggnF
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 18, 2023
One thing I was looking forward to seeing after his Week 1 performance was seeing Richardson taking more deep shots. He didn’t have the opportunity since he left the game at the beginning of the second quarter but he did make an impressive third-down throw (it didn’t count) prior to exiting the game.
Anthony Richardson's second to last throw before exiting the game. Didn't count (Braden Smith hold) but still think this was his best one in his limited action.
Connects with Josh Downs in a soft spot in the defense and would've picked up a first in a third-and-10. pic.twitter.com/pwe4aMpNKn
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) September 18, 2023
Richardson will be facing a pass defense that has been better than expected to start the season. The Rams’ defense has only allowed 181 passing YPG, which is the seventh-best across the NFL.
One thing that will be interesting to see is if AR took away anything in watching Gardner Minsew running the offense. Minshew did a solid job managing the games with Richardson out of the lineup.
There have been minimal explosive pass plays for the Colts in their first three games so we will see if Shane Steichen has something in store to open up his passing attack with Richardson back as the starting quarterback.
3
Keeping Matthew Stafford out of rhythm
The last thing that Gus Bradley’s defense can afford to do is to allow Matthew Stafford to sit back in the pocket and get in a flow with his receivers. He’s the type of quarterback that can dice up a defense with time to throw.
The Rams have leaned into their passing attack to start the season. They are averaging 284.0 passing YPG, which is the fourth-highest mark in the league. Despite being able to move the ball through the air, Stafford does only have two touchdowns and four interceptions.
This past Monday night was an example of how a defense can disrupt Stafford’s rhythm if they can get consistent pressure on him. The Cincinnati Bengals finished with 10 QB hits and six sacks against the Rams.
Stafford finished the game going 18-of-33 for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. It was by far his worst performance through the first three weeks.
This game can be won by a ferocious pass rush by the Colts defense.
4
Don't let Aaron Donald take over
Anytime you have one of the best defensive players in NFL history on the field, he can wreck a game on any given Sunday. Aaron Donald was a big factor the last two times these franchises faced back in 2021. AD finished that game with seven tackles (three solo), a TFL, and three QB hits.
On one of Donald’s QB hits, he would end up knocking out Carson Wentz, which led to Jacob Eason finishing the game in a 27-24 loss. Obviously, the Colts are in a better backup quarterback situation, but with Anthony Richardson exiting his two career games with an injury, they can’t afford to let Donald get close to him.
Donald is coming off his best performance in 2023. He had seven tackles (five solo), two TFLs, and a sack against the Bengals. This will be a group effort by the Indy offensive line but the matchup to watch for is when Donald lines up against Quenton Nelson.
Nelson has looked like he’s getting back to his All-Pro form and keeping Donald in check will solidify that the Big Q of old is back.
5
Run defense continuing their success
The Colts’ defense has been led by their front seven through the first three weeks. They have the most TFLs (23) across the NFL entering Week 4. If you take out all QB runs (mainly Lamar Jackson), they have held running backs to 73.3 rushing YPG.
Gus Bradley’s unit has also yet to allow a single back to run over 80 yards. This is a strength vs. weakness matchup that favors Indianapolis. They are facing an LA rushing attack that has averaged 84.0 rushing YPG to start the year.
The most rushing yards in a game that one of their running backs came in their Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Kyren Williams ran the ball 15 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
Indy’s defense can set the tone by dominating the trenches and forcing the Rams into third-and-long situations. This also can help lead into the defensive front pinning their ears back and getting after Matthew Stafford.
Eliminating the run and disrupting Stafford’s rhythm is key to the Colts putting themselves in position to win the game in the fourth quarter.
