Titans vs. Colts: Complete Week 4 Preview for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts will attempt to even their record at 2-2 on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and after last week's dominating performance, it's no surprise that they're the favorites to win.
Last week's 44-17 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars showed that, although this team has had to deal with numerous injuries, the offense is talented enough to keep it in almost any game. The Colts dominated nearly every aspect of the game last week, but now they need to show that they can maintain that level of consistency.
The Titans come into this game after an ugly 33-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. They were able to start the season with a win against the Kansas City Chiefs, but losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Bengals have them at 1-2 heading into Sunday.
Because of the loss the Houston Texans suffered to the New York Giants, the Colts are quickly back in the AFC South race once again. With upcoming games against the Baltimore Ravens and Texans after Sunday's game against Tennessee, the Colts could retake the division lead in the near future.
Here's a complete preview of Sunday's game against Tennessee as the Colts try to get their second win of the season.
Colts Week 3 Recap
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The Colts could do no wrong last Sunday in Jacksonville, coming away with a 44-17 win thanks to huge plays from both the offense and the defense.
Statistically, Andrew Luck had one of the best games of his career, going 31-for-39 with 370 yards and four touchdowns. He made sure to spread the ball around to all his weapons, with nine players catching at least two passes and T.Y. Hilton leading the way with five receptions for 80 yards.
Because of his dominance, Luck was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
But the passing game wasn't the only thing that was helping the Colts move the ball. The ground game got going for the second straight week, with the team running for 144 yards while averaging five yards per carry. Ahmad Bradshaw was especially productive, running for 65 yards on just nine carries while adding 18 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
Defensively, the Colts were able to shut down Chad Henne and forced the Jaguars to bring in rookie Blake Bortles. The former Central Florida quarterback played quite well, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns, but he also made a couple of mistakes Indy's Vontae Davis and Greg Toler recorded interceptions.
Everything the Colts did on Sunday went right, but a lot of that is because Jacksonville may very well be the worst team in the NFL. Now it's up for the Colts to prove that they can do much of the same for the rest of the season if they want to be legitimate contenders in the AFC.
News and Notes
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A.Q. Shipley To Start At Center
After weeks of waiting for Khaled Holmes to return from an ankle injury, the Colts are set to finally have him back for Sunday's game. However, with how well A.Q. Shipley has been playing at center, the Colts faced a tough decision on whom to start.
However, according to Kevin Bowen from Colts.com, the team has decided to keep Shipley in the starting lineup. The entire offensive line has played surprisingly well through the first three weeks, and Shipley has seemed quite comfortable at center.
“I think getting back to my natural position at center has been big for me," Shipley told Bowen. “This is where I feel comfortable. It’s where I played in college. It’s where I succeeded in the NFL.”
Shipley deserves to stay in the starting lineup with how well he's played, and that means Holmes will be the backup. The Colts have had very few offensive linemen on the bench the past few weeks, so having Holmes back is good to see, even if he won't be starting.
Erik Walden Trying to Be More Than Edge Setter
The loss of Robert Mathis has left the Colts with few options to get to opposing quarterbacks, but so far, Erik Walden has been one of the bigger surprises on defense.
So far, Walden leads the Colts with two sacks and five tackles for loss. He struggled mightily in his first season with Indianapolis in 2013, and while he hasn't been perfect this year, he definitely looks a lot better. As one of the leading pass-rushers so far, Walden has set out to prove the he's more than just an edge-setter, according to Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star, who wrote:
"You just have to do your preparation. You're looking for any kind of tendency. You apply those things when you're watching film and in practice. In the game, when you see that and it looks familiar, you have to take a chance a try to make a play.
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With Bjoern Werner unable to fill Mathis' shoes, Walden is doing what it takes to share the load with his fellow outside linebacker. Walden has been productive so far, but he needs to continue being disruptive for the rest of the season if the defense is going to be successful.
Donte Moncrief to Get More Action
Wide receiver Donte Moncrief was able to see his first significant action against the Jaguars, and after such a strong performance in Week 3, expect to see rookie from Ole Miss to get more snaps as the season goes on.
According to ESPN's Mike Wells, head coach Chuck Pagano told the media on Friday that the team plans on getting Moncrief more touches, saying:
"From the minute he got here, we knew we had a long, athletic guy that could run, a guy that was mature beyond his years. We’re getting him a little bit of burn, he’s going to continue to get a little bit more action as we move forward. Obviously he’s got play-making ability and again, the game’s not too big for him. A lot of rookies you can’t say that about but it’s not too big for Donte. He goes in and he just plays and he’s a good football player. He’s going to be really good for us.
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Last week, Moncrief caught four passes for 55 yards, including a beautiful catch on a back-shoulder throw down the sideline, somehow keeping his feet in bounds on the play. His ability to make plays in open space could complement the skills and abilities of Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Hakeem Nicks.
So it's safe to say that the Colts have depth at the position.
Injury Report
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Note: All injury statuses are from Friday's practice via Colts.com.
The Colts had more than a few names on the injury report as of Friday, but fortunately, there didn't appear to be any major surprises.
Perhaps the only surprise was seeing that Hugh Thornton is doubtful for Sunday. He was injured and went down against the Jaguars, but he quickly returned to the game and finished it out. Unfortunately, it appears that he should have just sat out and let his ankle heal.
While there hasn't been an official replacement yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe Reitz fill in at right guard. Now that he's finally healthy, Reitz appears to be the team's best option to replace Thornton for this week.
Hilton also suffered an ankle injury last week, but it doesn't appear major enough to force him to miss any additional time. Still, the Colts may want to limit his snaps on Sunday and give players like Moncrief or Griff Whalen chances to step up and get some work in against a weaker opponent.
Jerrell Freeman will once again miss some action, and that's starting to become a pretty big concern since he hasn't played since Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. Josh McNary will get the start again, but the Colts needs Freeman back to at least have a more established presence alongside D'Qwell Jackson at inside linebacker.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Colts Linebackers vs. Delanie Walker
Before Sunday's game against Jacksonville, the Colts linebackers were getting completely manhandled by tight ends and running backs in the passing game. Julius Thomas was able to catch three touchdowns in Week 1, then Darren Sproles put up 178 total yards and a touchdown in Week 2.
The linebackers have struggled in pass coverage, and the absence of Freeman hasn't helped things. This week, McNary and Jackson will be trying to help cover Delanie Walker, who is well on his way to putting up even bigger numbers than he had last season. So far, Walker has caught 17 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
At 6'0'' and 248 pounds and a lot of speed for the position, Walker could be a real mismatch, so the Indianapolis linebackers are going to have to slow him down.
Erik Walden vs. Michael Oher
Walden has a chance to continue his early hot start to the season, and he could be doing it against a struggling right tackle in Michael Oher.
Oher left the Baltimore Ravens after a brutal 2013 campaign, in which he allowed 42 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). So far in 2014, Oher has already given up two sacks in three games and allowed five quarterback hurries to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Due to the team's lack of pass-rushers, this is a terrific opportunity for Walden to prove that he can force opposing quarterbacks into bad decisions. If Walden can make defenses change their game plan to focus on him, then that should be able to take some pressure off Bjoern Werner.
Colts Interior Offensive Line vs. Jurrell Casey
Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey had a breakout season in 2013, racking up 10.5 sacks with a forced fumble and recovery. This season, he's off to another strong start, putting up two sacks in Week 2 against the Cowboys.
The Colts will most definitely be coming up with ways to try and limit Casey's effectiveness in Week 4, and a lot of that will depend on the interior of Indianapolis' offensive line. A.Q. Shipley and Jack Mewhort have been solid additions to the line, but with Thornton most likely out for Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if the Titans try to attack the weak point at right guard.
Casey is a strong pass-rusher, so the offensive line will need to step up in order to keep him away from Andrew Luck.
Colts' X-Factor of the Week: LaRon Landry
After a tough start to the season for LaRon Landry, the starting safety finally was able to make some plays last Sunday against the Jaguars, picking up a sack while making a few big plays in the game.
Landry needs to be the same explosive player on defense this week to help stop the run or drop back into coverage in the passing game. He got burned in Week 1 by allowing four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, but over the past two week's quarterbacks have gone just 3-for-9 with 46 yards when throwing his way, according to PFF.
Now that Antoine Bethea is gone, the Colts have turned to Landry to be the enforcer in the defensive backfield. Hopefully he can do just that against Tennessee and gain some confidence now that the season is in full swing.
Prediction
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Last season, the Colts were able to win both of their games against the Titans but did so by combined score of just 11 points. The Titans still don't look like a playoff contender in the AFC as of right now, so I expect the margins of victory in the two games this year to be a bit bigger in Indianapolis' favor.
There's a chance that the Colts put this game away early, especially if Jake Locker isn't able to go. Josh Alper from Pro Football Talk reported that Locker missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday with a wrist injury, and if he can't go, Charlie Whitehurst will be taking snaps under center.
Offensively, the Titans already ranked 31st in the NFL with just 14.3 points scored per game. Potentially losing Locker for the game while going against an elite quarterback in Luck definitely isn't going to help things.
On defense, the Titans rank second in the NFL with just 170 passing yards allowed per game, but they haven't yet gone against Luck and his plethora of weapons. Teams haven't felt obligated to pass against Tennessee so far, yet the Titans are still giving up 23 points per game.
It's been a slow start to the season for the Colts, but with another win against an AFC South opponent on Sunday, they could be gearing up for a nice winning streak.
Prediction: Colts 27, Titans 10
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