Redskins vs. Colts: Complete Week 13 Preview for Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts will be looking to add another win in Week 13 to maintain their lead in the AFC South, and they'll be trying to do it against Washington.

At 7-4, the Colts hold a two-game lead in the division. While the Houston Texans haven't had the best season, the Colts have yet to clinch the AFC South, and they can't just coast to the end of the regular season with five games remaining.

However, this week should be a favorable one for the Colts, who take on a 3-8 Washington team that will be starting Colt McCoy over Robert Griffin III. Fans may have been wanting to see a quarterback battle between the two top picks from the 2012 NFL draft in Andrew Luck and RG3, but Washington coach Jay Gruden told the media on Wednesday that McCoy would be starting under center.

“The reports are accurate: Colt is going to start this week at quarterback,” Gruden said, according to Andrew Walker from the team's official website. “We're going to play Colt. He's done some good things in his time as a starter. I felt like he deserved a bit of a promotion.”

McCoy will have a tough task trying to lead his team to a win, but he has played surprisingly well in limited time, completing 85.7 percent of his passes for 427 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky will likely be trying to put as much pressure as he can on McCoy, so it will be interesting to see if the former Texas Longhorn can hold his own.

McCoy won't be the only player the Colts have to plan around, so let's take a look at a complete team preview for the Colts in their Week 13 matchup against Washington.

Colts Week 12 Recap

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Despite getting a 23-3 win last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Colts fans felt anything but confident in their team after what was an extremely slow first half.

Starting in place of Gosder Cherilus at right tackle, Joe Reitz was worked early by Chris Clemons, who had three sacks in just the first half. The offensive line as a whole couldn't find a way to protect Luck, who was sacked five times in the first two quarters, fumbling the ball away twice.

Running back Dan Herron got his first chance to shine but also fumbled the ball away in the red zone to start the second quarter. Fortunately, the defense did a good job of shutting the Jaguars down on the other side of the ball, and thanks to a couple of Adam Vinatieri field goals, the Colts held a 6-3 lead at halftime.

Indianapolis finally started to turn things around in the second half offensively. Luck wasn't sacked again, and although he still had pressure in his face, it wasn't nearly as often. Indianapolis was able to put up a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, including a one-yard run from Trent Richardson followed by a two-play drive that ended with a 73-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton.

It was an emotional day for Hilton, who became a father just before kickoff, and he made sure to have a big game for his baby daughter, finishing with 122 yards and that score on just four receptions. After the game, Hilton was overcome with emotion, crying during the postgame interview.

Another late field goal from Vinatieri helped the Colts seal their 23-3 win, but the story of the game was the defense, holding its own when the offense couldn't get going. Sure, it was against Jacksonville, but holding any team to 194 yards of offense is good to see.

News and Notes

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Dan Herron May Keep Starting at RB

It's become quite clear that Richardson isn't the long-term answer at running back, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry with six touchdowns since coming to Indianapolis. There's a chance the Colts will be looking at another running back in this coming draft, but for now, they've turned to Herron to see what he can do.

Herron was the starter last week against the Jaguars, and he showed promise splitting reps with Richardson, even if he did have a fumble in the second quarter. He finished with 65 yards on 12 carries.

Now, there's a chance Herron could get the start once again, although head coach Chuck Pagano was still hesitant about making an official decision, according to Stephen Holder from the Indianapolis Star:

"

We went through the week of practice (last week) and Boom practiced well so we started Boom we're going to see how the week goes. They both practiced well last week. We all know that Trent missed Wednesday. He was out sick. But they both practiced well and we'll see how they practice this week and make a decision.

"

Bleacher Report's Kyle Rodriguez believes that Herron should continue starting over Richardson, and so do I. He's a more aggressive runner who doesn't hesitate at the line of scrimmage, and with Ahmad Bradshaw out for the rest of the year, he's their only in-house option to try and find offensive balance.

Colts Waive Loucheiz Purifoy

Undrafted rookie cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy had seemed to have found a home in Indianapolis, making a solid impact on special teams while occasionally getting reps on defense. However, due to injury concerns at the position, the Colts decided to bring in a more established veteran who can make an impact on defense.

According to Stephen Holder from the Indianapolis Star, the Colts waived Purifoy on Thursday while bringing in Jalil Brown, who was previously with the team during the 2013 season. Along with needing more depth at corner, one of the other reasons Purifoy was waived was reportedly due to minor, in-house disciplinary issues.

It's unclear what the future holds for Purifoy, but hopefully he can correct whatever mistakes he made during his time with the Colts so that he can try and keep his NFL career alive.

Shaun Phillips Looking to Help Colts Pass Rush

Brown wasn't the only player the Colts added this week. In an attempt to help their pass rush, the Colts also brought in 33-year-old veteran linebacker Shaun Phillips, according to Josh Alper from Pro Football Talk.

After spending the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers, Phillips spent time with the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans before joining the Colts. His best season came back in 2010, when he racked up 11 sacks while being selected to go to his first and only Pro Bowl. 

Phillips was still a productive pass-rusher last season in Denver, putting up 10 sacks, but took a big step back this year in Tennessee. Some of that may have to do with the players around him, and the Colts are hoping that he can turn things around in time for a playoff run.

Bjoern Werner and Erik Walden will still be the starters, but look for Manusky to start bringing in Phillips in pass-rushing situations, perhaps even giving the veteran more reps than rookie Jonathan Newsome.

Injury Report

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Player	Position	Injury Status
Dwayne Allen	TE	Out
Colt Anderson	S	Questionable
Darius Butler	CB	Questionable
Gosder Cherilus	OT	Probable
Vontae Davis	CB	Probable
Josh Gordy	CB	Probable
Xavier Nixon	OT	Out
Cory Redding	DE	Probable
Andy Studebaker	OLB	Out
Hugh Thornton	OG	Out
Greg Toler	CB	Probable

Note: All injury statuses are from Friday's practice via Colts.com. 

There were more than a handful of players on this week's injury report, and that's not the best thing to see as the postseason nears. A good amount of them were probable, but this team really needs to stay healthy if it's going to compete against the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.

Dwayne Allen will miss his second straight game, and that will make things harder in the running game. Coby Fleener should be able to handle the duties in the passing game, but Allen is a much better run-blocker.

Hugh Thornton is also out this week, with Joe Reitz starting in his place. Reitz may have struggled at offensive tackle last week, but he's better suited to play guard. Still, he'll need to have a good game to help open up lanes for the running backs.

Numerous players in the secondary were banged up this week, including the top four cornerbacks. Fortunately, three of them are probable, but Darius Butler's status for Sunday is uncertain. It is crucial to the defense that Vontae Davis stays healthy, so he hopefully isn't pushing his foot injury.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

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Bjoern Werner vs. Trent Williams

Putting pressure on Colt McCoy will be crucial for the Colts, which means that this will be a big test for Werner to show that he's really taken the next step in his second NFL season.

But he will have a tough matchup going against two-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams. Although Williams is questionable to play, according to the team's official website, signs point to him playing since he was a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday.

Werner has put up four sacks this season, but even if he doesn't get another one Sunday, he'll at least need to try and collapse the pocket on McCoy.

Jack Mewhort vs. Jason Hatcher 

The offensive line struggled to protect Luck last week, and if the unit is going to protect him against Washington, then it is going to need to keep Jason Hatcher away from the third-year quarterback.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hatcher has hurried opposing quarterbacks 25 times this season, and that's impressive coming from a defensive end in a 3-4 defense.

Rookie Jack Mewhort will have a tough assignment trying to contain Hatcher. If Mewhort can hold his own for the most part in pass protection, he should give the Colts some sort of comfort in their offensive line situation.

Vontae Davis vs. DeSean Jackson

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has been a deadly deep threat for Washington, although he's slowed down the past two games, catching just six passes for 74 yards. His numbers overall this season have been solid, with 42 receptions for 858 yards and four touchdowns.

Davis will try to shut down Jackson like he has most receivers this season. Opposing quarterbacks haven't done much when throwing Davis' way, posting just a 40.8 passer rating, according to PFF. 

Even with the foot injury, Davis should limit Jackson from doing too much in this game. 

Colts' X-Factor of the Week: Dan Herron

Fumble issues aside, Boom looks ready to take on the bulk of the running responsibilities. Richardson just hasn't panned out, and it's time for another player to get a chance to try and get the running game going.

Along with providing a spark in the rushing game, Herron looked like a good replacement for Bradshaw as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. He caught five passes for 31 yards last week, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Colts looked his way even more this week.

Overall, I expect the same amount of work for Herron compared to last week, but if he has another good game, there's a good chance they continue to increase his workload in time for the playoffs.

Prediction

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This week is a good time to reflect back to the 2012 NFL draft and what could have been had the Colts drafted RG3 instead of Luck. 

Luck has taken the next step this year, posting a 99.4 passer rating and a solid 7.85 yards per attempt. He'll have a chance to have another big game against a weak Washington pass defense that ranks 31st in defense adjusted value over average, or DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.

That means plenty of big-play opportunities for all of Luck's weapons. Washington has serious depth concerns in the secondary, especially at cornerback, and that gives depth receivers like Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief a chance to get some big catches.

The key for the Colts defense will be to stop Alfred Morris and make Washington a one-dimensional offense. Morris has already run for 826 yards and seven touchdowns this year, but if Washington is forced to rely on McCoy and the passing game, that would give Manusky the opportunity to call creative blitzes and force the opposing quarterback to make mistakes.

This is a game that the Colts are supposed to win if they really are a legitimate AFC playoff team. They've gone to the playoffs twice already in the Luck era, but if they're going to make a run to at least the AFC Championship, they'll need to win games like this one in convincing fashion. I don't think it will be perfect, but the Colts should at least get a comfortable win.

Prediction: Colts 28, Washington 13