Jets vs. Colts: Full Indianapolis Game Preview
With title aspirations running rampant in Indianapolis, the Colts laid a massive egg in their season opener, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of fans one game into the season.
Week 1 against Buffalo was ugly. Really ugly. From a completely inept offense to a defense that couldn’t slow down inexperienced quarterback Tyrod Taylor, nothing went right for Indianapolis in their season opener against the Bills. Even Adam Vinatieri—Mr. Reliable in the kicking game—missed his lone chance of the game.
But the season is long, and fortunately for the Colts, Week 2 is just around the corner with a shot at redemption against the New York Jets in the team's home opener.
Viewing Info
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Date: Sept. 21
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Week 1 Results and Recap
1 of 6
Team | Record |
1-0 | |
0-1 | |
Indianapolis Colts | 0-1 |
0-1 |
Things didn’t exactly go as planned with the Colts' trip to Buffalo last Sunday in a 27-14 shellacking. The Bills shut down Indianapolis entirely in the first half, and only a pair of late touchdowns prevented the final result from looking worse than it did.
Indianapolis struggled to get anything going offensively throughout, while Tyrod Taylor led the Bills offense to a surprising amount of success against a thin Colts defense.
But even with a poor offensive line, a lack of depth in the secondary, an injured T.Y. Hilton and a suddenly inexplicable malaise over Andrew Luck, there is still plenty of football left to be played. Indianapolis shouldn’t be too worried about failing to claim the top spot in the AFC South.
As one of the worst divisions in football, the AFC South went 1-3 on the opening weekend, with a surprise win by Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans as the lone victory. Until they prove that success can be sustained over the long haul though, the Colts—in spite of their numerous flaws—remain the favorites to run away with the division.
News and Notes
2 of 6
Colts Struggle Against the Blitz
It didn’t take long to notice that something was wrong for the Indianapolis Colts against the Buffalo Bills. Rex Ryan, the new head coach of the AFC East outfit, is well-known as a blitz-happy man, and that reputation was on full display in Week 1.
Time and time again the Bills sent extra players against a Colts offensive line that didn’t look up to the task of handling a normal pass rush, let alone one as extreme as the Bills were sending.
Though blitzing is typically a risk-reward system, as you sacrifice a couple of extra players in pass coverage with the hope they will get to the quarterback quickly, it was all reward with no risk for the Bills last Sunday, as noted by head coach Chuck Pagano, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star:
"You’ve got to make them pay. We had opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of. But I feel like our guys did a good job of handling it. (Rex Ryan) threw everything but the kitchen sink at us. I think our guys responded…But you have to make plays. You have to make contested catches with guys all over you. You have to burn them. You have to talk them out of (the blitz).
"
Odds are the Colts won’t see that level of blitzing again this season, even with the stellar defensive line the Jets sport in Week 2. But for any team watching film of the loss to the Bills, the signs are clear. Blitzing is a strategy that works against Indianapolis.
Vick Ballard Released
With the addition of Frank Gore, the drafting of rookie running back Josh Robinson and the signing of undrafted free agent Tyler Varga this offseason, the Indianapolis Colts did a lot to bolster what has been one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL over the last few years.
The last bastion of that running attack, Vick Ballard, was expected to be Gore’s backup heading into the season, but injuries cost him an appearance in Week 1—and now it appears his job as well. Per Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, the Colts have decided to release the fourth-year back who has played sparingly since his rookie year:
"The Colts hoped to get something out of Ballard this season, but he missed significant time in training camp with separate hamstring injuries. It was a modest surprise that Indy opted to keep Ballard on the 53-man roster, a decision the organization has since reconsidered.
"
Ballard tallied 814 rushing yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season, but he hasn’t played since Week 1 of 2013. It appears the Colts are ready to shift their short-term focus to Gore and long-term outlook to Robinson or another option not currently on the team.
Interest in Colts Bringing Back Ahmad Bradshaw
After cutting one injury-prone running back in Ballard, the Colts are apparently interested in signing another by possibly bringing back Ahmad Bradshaw.
Bradshaw, who the team elected not to re-sign in the offseason after the acquisition of Gore, hasn’t signed with another team as of yet, and according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, the running back is healthy and has piqued the Colts' interest:
"With Vick Ballard waived, here's a running back to keep in mind: Ahmad Bradshaw. He's healthy acc to source and Colts have some interest
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 15, 2015"
Bradshaw was productive for the Colts last season, rushing for 425 yards and two scores and catching 38 passes for 300 yards and six touchdowns before going down with a broken leg in the second half of the year. He is another injury-prone running back who the Colts should be wary of, but if Bradshaw is healthy, he can be a vital weapon for Indianapolis.
Latest Injury News
3 of 6
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
T.Y. Hilton | WR | Knee | Day-to-day |
D’Joun Smith | CB | Knee | Day-to-day |
Robert Mathis | LB | Achilles | Day-to-day |
All injury reports via ESPN.com.
The initial reports from owner Jim Irsay on the status of superstar wide receiver T.Y. Hilton were less than stellar. (I'm not sure when we started weighing the words of team owners over those of doctors, but that’s a story for another day.)
After coming off the field late in the third quarter against the Bills, Hilton was ruled out for the rest of the game. However, even if the initial X-rays were negative, the bruised knee was supposedly going to keep him out for a few weeks.
But the news around Hilton’s knee was much more positive Monday, with the wide receiver being upgraded to day-to-day, making a Week 2 return possible. Coming back against the Jets would be a big boost, as the sooner a player of Hilton’s caliber returns the better.
On the other side of the ball, Robert Mathis was still out for Week 1 despite a few promising reports of a possible return from his Achilles injury. With another week of rest under his belt, though, it looks like the former All-Pro linebacker is nearly ready to go. His return would bolster a pass rush that wasn’t nearly as bad against Buffalo as the rest of the defense was.
.jpg?w=256 "49ers Giants Football")
Key Matchups
4 of 6
Colts Secondary vs. Jets Receivers
If the Colts defensive backs thought they had it bad last week facing off against a group of Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin, things are about to get absolutely brutal against the New York Jets.
As there will be all season, no one can be sure that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be able to confidently get them the ball, but Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are a lot better than people give them credit for and provide a huge problem for Indianapolis.
Many expected the Colts secondary to pan out how it did against the Bills—Vontae Davis was incredible with a large gap in quality behind him—but not to the extremes that were on display. Outside of Davis, the performance by the defensive backs was appalling, and Buffalo took advantage early and often with its receivers being wide-open.
The Jets may be a run-first team, like Buffalo was last week, but unless the Colts secondary improves by leaps and bounds the passing game might be where the real danger comes from.
Colts Offensive Line vs. Jets Defensive Line
One week after watching the offensive line get beaten up time and time again by one of the best defensive lines in the league, it looks like Round 2 isn’t going to go any differently.
Even without superstar Sheldon Richardson, New York has one of the best defensive lines in the country, a unit that has to be salivating after watching tape of the Colts' abysmal Week 1 performance. The holes for Frank Gore disappeared quickly, and Andrew Luck was constantly dealing with pressure.
It wasn’t pretty, and the situation might repeat itself against the Jets. The quarterback might be the most important position in football, but if he doesn’t have a decent set of blockers, it is hard for even someone as good as Luck to find success.
Matchup X-Factors
5 of 6
Colts X-Factor of the week: WR Phillip Dorsett
Things didn’t go as planned in rookie wide receiver Phillip Dorsett's debut. Despite all the hype surrounding the first-round selection in the lead-up to kickoff, it was clear his place in the pecking order wasn’t what many had expected.
Already behind the duo of T.Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson, Dorsett also found himself pushed to the side by Donte Moncrief, who played a surprisingly large role in the Colts passing game against Buffalo. But while he wasn’t involved in the passing game, the place he did make an impact was as the lead punt returner.
Muffing two punts in the fourth quarter, including one that was recovered by the Bills, ending any comeback hopes the Colts had, is not the way for a rookie to endear himself to the coaching staff, but Dorsett will be given the chance to atone for his mistakes against the Jets.
Although Hilton’s status has been upgraded after the initial diagnosis, there is still a chance he sits out in Week 2, leaving the door wide-open for Dorsett as the team’s third receiver.
If they end up playing catch-up in the game, like they did against the Bills, the Colts will lean heavily on Andrew Luck and the passing game, with Dorsett likely to see an increase in targets should Hilton miss the game.
Prediction: Colts 21, Jets 17
6 of 6
Week 1 was an all-around debacle for a Colts team that has aspirations of winning a championship this season, and some changes desperately need to be made heading into Week 2. The Jets are built similarly to the Bills with a stout defense and run-first offense, but lack the running threat of Tyrod Taylor with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center.
If the Colts offensive line can improve by even the smallest of margins compared to their poor performance in Buffalo, Indianapolis should have a much better time on Monday night against New York in the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium.
It will be a hard-fought battle, with the Jets built to take advantage of the Colts' biggest weaknesses, but Andrew Luck bounces back and leads Indianapolis to tight victory for their first win of the new campaign.
Prediction: Colts 21, Jets 17
.jpg?w=480 "49ers Giants Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Cardinals Bengals Football")
.jpg?w=600 "🚨 Bengals Extending Lawrence")
.jpg?w=600 "Coached Stunned by Lawrence Trade")
