Colts vs. Dolphins: What's the Game Plan for Indianapolis?

There is no more guarantee of a playoff spot if the Colts win out, no more winning streak against the AFC South to fall back on and a strong possibility of no more Andrew Luck this season.

But despite all of this the Colts can’t allow themselves to get down for their last two games of the season. Indianapolis might not be in control of its own destiny anymore, but there is still hope for a playoff berth, and to get it the Colts need at least a win.

Their quest to sneak into the playoffs ahead of the Houston Texans starts Sunday against the struggling Miami Dolphins who, despite sporting some of the most talented players in the NFL, have limped to a 5-9 record this year.

So how can the Colts go about pulling off the win and ending their brutal losing streak that has the team on the outside looking in at the playoff race right now? Let’s take a look at the game plan for Indianapolis heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Offensive Game Plan

AJ Mast/Associated Press

If the Indianapolis Colts want to keep their season alive, it all starts with the performance on offense. As was on display last week, the defense has turned a corner and can do enough to win games, now it falls on the offense to follow suit and step up.

For the Colts, putting in a strong offensive performance is twofold against the Miami Dolphins. First and foremost, bench Matt Hasselbeck. The veteran quarterback might be significantly better than Charlie Whitehurst, but adding to his already significant health woes isn’t worth it, and it isn’t like Hasselbeck has brought anything to the table the last three weeks either.

Second, Indianapolis has to follow the advice of its star wide receiver, T.Y. Hilton, and launch the ball down the field more often than it has so far this year.

With so many speedy receivers, the Colts need to take advantage of their biggest asset by going deep against the Dolphins. It is worth risking the offensive line letting through a few pass-rushers—which it will—to get the ball down the field to the likes of Hilton and Donte Moncrief.

Hit a few of those passes and the rest of the playbook should open up too, with holes easier to come by for Frank Gore and Andre Johnson and the tight ends able to find space over the middle of the field with safeties preoccupied with the outside receivers.

Defensive Game Plan

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What will get lost in the Colts' defeat at the hands of the Houston Texans last week was it was another strong performance from a defensive unit that has significantly improved in the second half of the year.

Indianapolis shut down the Texans, but the offense was unable to get anything going, and the team dropped down in the AFC South as a result. Sure the secondary still gave up big yards to DeAndre Hopkins, but at this point that is par for the course.

So against the Dolphins, it should be more of the same for the Colts, who need the defense to keep playing well while the offense rediscovers its identity.

Plenty of pressure on Ryan Tannehill is key, with heavy blitzing more than necessary, but leaving a safety to help Vontae Davis cover Jarvis Landry isn’t the worst idea in the world. The linebackers should be more than up to the task of stopping Lamar Miller, so the game comes down to Indianapolis pass rush.

It hasn’t been consistent, and the Colts have flopped after good weeks getting to the quarterback before, but if there is any sort of a pass rush Indianapolis should be able to stop the pedestrian Dolphins attack and set themselves up for a win.

Key Matchups and Players

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WR T.Y. Hilton

All eyes were on the stud wide receiver when he made his critical comments about the team’s play-calling earlier this week and it will be the same when he takes the field Sunday in Miami.

Hilton is one of the league’s best young receivers and has the skill set to back up his words if the Colts do elect to throw the ball deep, but if the team elects to ignore one of their top playmakers and keeps the throws short it could hinder what Hilton is able to do.

RB Frank Gore

With a lot of question marks in the passing game—will the Colts throw the ball deep? Is Hasselbeck really healthy enough to play? Is Whitehurst a better option if he isn't?—Indianapolis will look to its veteran running back to provide a solid base for the offense.

Gore hasn’t had the season many were hoping for since joining the Colts, but he is still one of the best running backs of the past decade and has a little left in the tank for a late-season stretch. Now it just remains to be seen whether or not the Indianapolis offensive line is able to open the holes he needs to succeed.

S Mike Adams

No one of sound mind could argue that the Colts deserved to have a Pro Bowl player offensively, but there could have been a discussion about a couple of guys making it on the defensive side of the ball. Despite a season hampered by injuries, safety Mike Adams was one of those who could have made a case.

As one of the best ball hawking safeties in the league—he recorded five interceptions in 11 games played—Adams can change a game with a turnover at any time and will be necessary for the Colts to stop Tannehill and Landry Sunday.

LB D’Qwell Jackson

The other defensive player who might have just missed out on the Pro Bowl was linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. As the league’s leader in tackles so far this year, the veteran linebacker has been the Colts' defensive MVP this year and needs to play to that level against the Dolphins.

Lamar Miller isn’t the greatest threat the Colts have faced this year, but with Jackson being relatively poor in pass coverage, it will come down to him to shut down the Miami running back and keep the ground game of the Dolphins in check throughout.

Prediction

AJ Mast/Associated Press

There are so many different factors that go into each NFL game that it is tough to narrow any contest down to a single aspect, but this is one that feels like it will come down to one simple thing: whether or not the Colts are mentally up to the task of playing their best football.

In each of their last three games the Colts have hit new lows, with back-to-back 35-point losses to the Steelers and Jaguars being topped by a six-point defeat against the Houston Texans that makes winning the division and earning a playoff berth difficult.

So showing up for a game that might not matter if the Houston Texans can win out has to be an incredibly difficult task, especially with such a huge bounce-back needed. Although Hilton’s comments signaled some strife in the locker room, they might have been exactly what the team needed to rally.

Often teams are at their best when they are playing mad, and Hilton can’t be the only one upset with the team’s performances the past three weeks, so even if there is no guarantee of a playoff spot if they win out, it is hard to imagine the Colts failing to play better than they have.

Indianapolis should be able to shut down the Dolphins offense and, whether or not Hasselbeck is able to go, the offense can’t perform any worse than it did last week which means the Colts should pull out a tight one in Miami to keep their AFC South title hopes alive one more week.

Prediction: Colts 21, Dolphins 17