Saints vs. Colts: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
Ten days removed from their last outing, the New Orleans Saints will return to action Sunday, as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the home-standing Colts.
The Saints (2-4) dispatched the divisional rival Atlanta Falcons in impressive fashion last Thursday night, and they’re looking to start their first winning streak of the 2015 season come Sunday afternoon.
In Indianapolis (3-3), coach Sean Payton’s squad faces a formidable opponent that started slowly but reeled off three straight victories. The Colts’ winning streak ended last Sunday with a Week 6 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots.
Despite the loss, coach Chuck Pagano’s club performed well, at times, against the unbeaten Patriots, and the Saints will need a solid all-around performance in order to return to New Orleans with a victory.
Let’s take a closer look at a few things to watch for in this matchup, which kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT.
Offense
New Orleans was able to topple Atlanta last Thursday without the help of a consistent ground game. Mark Ingram powered across the goal line a couple of times in short-yardage situations, but with just 81 yards on 32 carries, the Saints running game was largely ineffective.
While a one-dimensional offense can be serviceable in certain situations, it can only go so far over the course of a season, and Payton will undoubtedly look to get the No. 31-ranked New Orleans rushing attack up and running against the Colts.
As for the passing game, New Orleans should be able to have some success against the Colts, especially with Drew Brees coming in fresh off his best performance of the season. Indianapolis ranks No. 28 in the league against the pass, and the middle of the Colts defense has been particularly suspect in coverage.
In order to slow down Brees, Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky could opt to go with some of the same tactics he employed against the Patriots. Like the Saints, New England prefers to attack a man-to-man defense with intermediate crossing routes as well as with short passes into the flat.
Last week, Manusky sometimes dropped an edge defender into coverage, thereby challenging the Patriots’ quick-hitting crossing patterns while also clogging up the flats.
The results were positive for Indianapolis at first, but in time, Tom Brady and the Patriots were able to adjust to the wrinkle. Instead of forcing throws into the flat, Brady stepped up in the pocket and pushed the ball down the field, still going after the Colts’ defensive middle but with more of a vertical attack.
Indianapolis could try this same tactic against New Orleans Sunday, if only for a few snaps early on, just to see if Brees will make the same adjustment Brady did.
Of course, with Robert Mathis expected to see an increase in snaps, the Colts are most likely to pin their ears back, come after Brees and try to force turnovers. According to Mike Chappell of Fox59 (h/t Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk), the Colts intend to give the veteran pass-rusher more snaps than he received a week ago, when he was in on just 18 plays.
With Mathis on the prowl, Brees should benefit from the return of two starters to the offensive line. According to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com, left tackle Terron Armstead plans to play Sunday after missing the last two games with a knee injury, while left guard Tim Lelito (shoulder) is also eyeing a return to action.
Despite the recent outbreak of injuries, the Saints' makeshift offensive line rose to the challenge and performed well in pass protection a week ago. Armstead and Lelito will no doubt be welcomed back with open arms by Brees, however, and they should also provide a shot in the arm to the stagnant Saints running game.
Defense
While the Saints have struggled to run the football, they’ve also had major difficulties stopping the run, as they rank No. 30 in the league in rush defense.
Meanwhile, the Colts have gone 45 games without the luxury of a 100-yard rusher.
Frank Gore gives the Indianapolis backfield more punch than it’s had in a while, but the Colts became a bit too pass-happy last week against New England. Gore churned out 78 yards in 13 carries, and the argument can be made that Pagano should have gone to the well more often, especially with Brady on the opposing sideline.
On Sunday, look for Indianapolis to give Gore a substantial amount of opportunities, and slowing him down will be the first order of business for the New Orleans defense. The Saints linebackers will have to shed blocks and fill gaps on a consistent basis, and they’ll need to be intense and aggressive in their pursuit of the veteran back.
In the passing game, there’s no doubt the Saints will have their hands full with Andrew Luck and his talented group of receivers. Whether in man or in zone coverage, Delvin Breaux, Brandon Browner and the New Orleans cornerbacks will be challenged by the fleet-footed T.Y. Hilton, the sure-handed Andre Johnson and others.
As for the weak link in the Indianapolis offense, that would be the offensive line, which has struggled this season with respect to pass protection. The young New Orleans defense’s best chance for success lies with its ability to pressure Luck.
The Colts, like the Saints, have gone with more of a quick-hitting approach to the passing game recently, as they’ve tried to protect their prized signal-caller from opposing pass-rushers as best they can. Nevertheless, the hits keep on coming for Luck.
Just last week, Patriots pass-rushers nailed him 10 times, and defensive end Chandler Jones collected 2.5 sacks.
New Orleans end Cam Jordan had three sacks of his own last Thursday, and he enters this week's contest with the hot hand on the Saints defensive front. Jordan will have some needed help in the form of rookie linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha and second-year linebacker Kasim Edebali, both of whom are developing into fine pass-rushers in their young careers.
Of course, just getting to Luck is only half the battle, as the 6’4," 240-pounder can often be quite difficult for defenders to bring to the ground.
In addition to his physicality, Luck also possesses outstanding escape ability. He’s not merely a serviceable runner; he’s a good one, and safety Kenny Vaccaro, along with the rest of the secondary, must be ready to come up and pursue if Luck evades the New Orleans pass rush.
Prediction
Given these two teams’ defensive struggles this season, there’s a good chance the points will be plentiful in this one.
Offensively, New Orleans would love to be able to come out and pound the ball between the tackles, but if the running game isn’t clicking, Brees will likely reach for his familiar crutch and lean on the short passing game.
If the Colts crowd the flats, look for Brees to stretch the field with more of a vertical attack.
Defensively, the Saints will give up some points to Luck and Co., but if they can follow last week’s blueprint and come up with timely stops on third down, they should be right there in the fourth quarter.
Saints 30, Colts 27
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