Buccaneers vs. Colts: Full Indianapolis Game Preview

For all the talk of Andrew Luck as a sleeper MVP candidate before the season started, it has been his backup, Matt Hasselbeck, who has the perfect record as a starter and has been the better player to this point in the year.

What the Colts veteran quarterback has been able to do this season deserves all the praise in the world. Despite not being a relevant NFL player in nearly half a decade, Hasselbeck improved to 3-0 this season as a starter coming off the 24-21 win against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.

Hasselbeck is the oldest starter in the league and, ironically enough, looks to improve his record to 4-0 as the starter this week against the youngest starter in the league, Jameis Winston.

The No. 1 overall draft pick is coming off the biggest performance of his career, a five-touchdown day against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he is arguably the league’s hottest quarterback right now. The clash of young superstar versus veteran backup is ripe with storylines, but who will come out on top?

Let’s take a look at the battle between the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.

Viewing Info

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Date: Nov. 28

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Week 11 Results and Recaps

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Anyone casually watching the Indianapolis Colts this season, occasionally tuning in to see how things were going each week, could have been forgiven if they thought this week’s episode was a repeat except with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback instead of Andrew Luck.

As has been the case time and time again this year, the Colts were impacted by early turnovers and dug themselves into a huge hole. But unlike so many times before, the dramatic late comeback was successful this time.

D’Qwell Jackson's pick-six in the fourth quarter tied the game at 21, and an Adam Vinatieri field goal gave Indianapolis its second consecutive win against a team with a winning record—24-21 against the Falcons—and kept the team at the top of the now hotly contested AFC South.

With wins by both the Texans and the Jaguars, the division race is tighter than anyone could have predicted, but with wins against Denver and Atlanta on their resume, the Colts have to be pleased with where the season is right now after such a rough start to the year.

There were a lot of negatives to take away from the win against the Falcons, but more important for the Colts' season is the fact that they got the win. If the playoff streak is to stay in tact, it could come down to the next couple of weeks.

AFC South Standings

Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

Houston Texans (5-5)

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)

Tennessee Titans (2-8)

News and Notes

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The undefeated Matt Hasselbeck

It isn’t often you see Matt Hasselbeck’s name up there with the Tom Bradys, Cam Newtons and Tony Romos of the league, but after his third win in as many starts it is hard to argue the impact he has had coming off the bench for an injured Andrew Luck.

It is still relatively ridiculous to entertain the idea of him replacing Luck in the starting lineup once the young starter is healthy, but the Colts can’t be complaining about what they are getting out of their veteran backup this season.

Hasselbeck has already dramatically changed the Colts season, keeping the team ever so slightly in the lead in the AFC South, and a win against Tampa Bay this Sunday will only further his growing legend amongst the Indianapolis faithful.

Injuries continue to pile up in the secondary

We’ll talk about this in a later slide a little bit more in depth for each of the players, but this has not been the best season for the Indianapolis Colts defensive backs in terms of health. After losing Greg Toler, Darius Butler and Vontae Davis for a stretch in the early part of the year, things finally looked to be on the up around the middle part of the season despite how bad the performances as a whole were.

But over the past two weeks, things have taken a dramatic turn. First Mike Adams, the league leader in interceptions, was hurt and unsure of a return date, then Davis went down and did not return against the Falcons.

As easily the two most important players in the Colts secondary, the team can hardly afford for them to miss any time—let alone with Jameis Winston on the schedule for this Sunday.

The rise of the AFC South

Through the first half of the season, there wasn’t much question as to which division was the worst in football. With all four teams under .500, including two of the league’s bottom dwellers in Jacksonville and Tennessee, the AFC South was the laughing stock of the league.

These poor records were all that kept postseason hopes alive for the Colts throughout their early season struggles. In recent weeks, things have turned around dramatically for the Indianapolis Colts, but the AFC South as a whole has seen a similar transformation.

Indianapolis is on a two game winning streak against some of the league’s best teams and sits atop the division, but both Jacksonville and Houston are on winning streaks of their own with the Texans tied for first with the Colts. Were it not for its perfect record against the AFC South this season, Indianapolis could be in an even worse position, but as it stands, every win matters more and more in the race for the division title.

Latest Injury News

David Goldman/Associated Press

QB Andrew Luck (abdomen/kidney), did not practice

At this point in his recovery, discussing Andrew Luck is largely a pointless endeavor other than to say he isn’t going to play this week and likely will be out for at least a couple more.

S Mike Adams (ankle), did not practice

It has been a pretty rough year for the Indianapolis Colts secondary, ranking in the bottom four in the league in terms of passing yards allowed per game, but one of the highlights of the year has been safety Mike Adams.

The league’s leader in interceptions has been at his ballhawking best when he has been healthy, which hasn’t been nearly often enough this year.

Having missed last week with an ankle injury, missing practice on Wednesday isn’t a great start and could be the sign for another missed game. Missing Adams for the game against the Buccaneers will be tough, but it might not be the biggest loss in the secondary.

CB Vontae Davis (hamstring), did not practice

In case you missed it last week, Jameis Winston threw five touchdown passes. At the same time, the Colts secondary was getting eaten alive by Julio Jones, with Vontae Davis in particular playing one of his worst games of the season before leaving in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.

His status is up in the air still for Sunday’s game, but against Winston and the Buccaneers receivers, Indianapolis will be desperate to get its best cornerback back or risk getting torn apart through the air.

RB Frank Gore (ankle), did not practice

Last week wasn’t the best game for the Colts on the ground, with the Falcons living up to their status as one of the league’s best run defenses, but Frank Gore still managed to find decent amount of success as a receiver when the team turned to a shorter passing game.

But after missing practice on Wednesday, even that might not be an option for the veteran running back this Sunday. The Colts will be alright at running back with Ahmad Bradshaw back in the fold, but losing Gore is not ideal—especially for a team that finds itself in a surprising playoff battle.

Key Matchups

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Jameis Winston vs. Colts Secondary

This one is going to be talked about this week, but there is no more important matchup in this game than Jameis Winston against the paper-thin Colts secondary.

As one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league right now, anybody stopping the No. 1 overall pick seems like a tough task, let alone for the Indianapolis defensive backs.

Ranking No. 29 in the league in passing yards allowed per game, the Colts have been one of the easier teams in the league to pass the ball against this season, and Winston could have a field day.

With both Mike Adams and Vontae Davis not 100 percent healthy as well, things could go from bad to worse quickly.

If they can hold out against Winston, it will largely shape how the final score turns out, but with Vincent Jackson likely back, it could be a long afternoon for the Colts.

Tampa Bay Defensive Line vs. Colts Offensive Line

The Indianapolis Colts did a fantastic job of hiding their deficiencies in the late game against the Atlanta Falcons. After watching the pass protection get beat time and time again in the opening half, Indianapolis turned to a shorter passing game to alleviate the pressure on Hasselbeck some and eventually win the game.

But if the Falcons were able to get pressure on Hasselbeck with such consistency that it forced the Colts to change their entire game plan, the Buccaneers should have no trouble getting to the quarterback.

With one of the most players in the league in Gerald McCoy clogging up the center, Hasselbeck could find himself on his back a lot, not a place he can be if the Colts are going to continue their winning ways.

Matchup X-Factor

David Goldman/Associated Press

QB Matt Hasselbeck

After what he did last week, it couldn’t be anyone other than Matt Hasselbeck, could it?

Despite finding himself in an incredibly difficult situation, having to replace Andrew Luck who was out injured and trailing by a score of 21-7 in the second half, Hasselbeck led the Colts to a shocking comeback against the Falcons to keep their grip on the AFC South lead alive.

Almost exclusively using short routes, Hasselbeck didn’t light the stat sheet on fire but overcame a number of mistakes and did what Luck has been unable to do so many times this season and win.

Luck is still out, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the Colts head into their matchup this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—as long as Hasselbeck is calling the shots.

The Buccaneers are about league average against both the pass and the run this year, which means the team could turn to Frank Gore more than they did last week. But if Hasselbeck is given a fair shake, he will be more than capable of improving his record this season to 4-0.

Prediction: Colts 27, Buccaneers 21

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Watching the tape from last week must have been a disheartening experience for the Indianapolis Colts. After getting torched by Julio Jones, but relatively holding up against the rest of the passing attack, the Colts face a quarterback coming off a five-touchdown performance.

Jameis Winston didn’t start the season all that well, but he has more than lived up to his high draft stock in recent weeks, capped off by his huge game against the hapless Philadelphia Eagles.

Things have been getting better for the Colts secondary, even in the face of injuries to both Vontae Davis and Mike Adams, but it is tough to be overly confident in the unit with Winston as hot as he has been.

The Indianapolis offense will be more than up to the task of scoring on the Buccaneers, and the run defense shouldn’t get torched by Doug Martin quite to the level the Eagles did, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the Colts secondary against Winston and the receivers.

The young quarterback will put up numbers, like everyone else has against the Colts secondary, but Indianapolis is on a roll and will do enough to survive atop the division for another week, keeping Hasselbeck’s perfect record this season in tact.

Prediction: Colts 27, Buccaneers 21