Colts vs. Falcons: Full Indianapolis Game Preview
The good news for the Indianapolis Colts is that they are still coming off their most impressive win of the season when they return from the bye week, after handing the Denver Broncos their first loss of the season at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The bad news, well, is pretty much everything else. The Broncos' win doesn’t look nearly as impressive after Kansas City obliterated them last week, Andrew Luck is out for a few weeks and the AFC South is no longer a foregone conclusion. But other than that things are going great in Indianapolis.
Coming out of the bye weeks the Colts need yet another change in fortune if they want to continue their run of playoff appearances, and with the Atlanta Falcons coming up this Sunday, things could get even tougher on the road ahead.
But are the Colts capable of shutting down the powerful aerial attack of the Atlanta Falcons, and will Matt Hasselbeck be able to build off of his strong performances from earlier in the season? Let’s take a look at Sunday’s matchup between the Colts and the Falcons.
Viewing Info
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Date: Sunday, Nov. 21
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 10 Results and Recap
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The bye week is typically used for a team to have a break from the constant wear and tear on the players' bodies that accumulates as the season wears on. Teams often use it as a time to get healthy and rest before the grind of the season starts back up.
It is supposed to be a relaxing time for players and fans alike, but apparently someone forgot to tell the Indianapolis Colts that bye weeks are supposed to be a good thing.
In their week off not only did the Colts lose Andrew Luck for an extended period of time, with the burden shifting back to the shoulders of Matt Hasselbeck, but they saw their slim lead in the division evaporate entirely.
Still technically on top of the AFC South because of head-to-head matchups, the Colts are followed closely by the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, who have both found a bit of form in the second half of the season.
The victory against the Broncos was supposed to signal a turning point. But heading into their next game, the Colts are in more dire straits than they have been so far this season and find themselves in an intense playoff battle in the weeks to come.
AFC South Standings
Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
Houston Texans (4-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)
Tennessee Titans (2-7)
News and Notes
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Matt Hasselbeck back in the starting lineup
We’ll get to Andrew Luck on a later slide, but the biggest news of the week and season for the Colts doesn’t come without its positives. The team’s franchise player might be out for an extended period of time, but with Matt Hasselbeck waiting in the wings to take over once again, things aren’t all that bad.
Earlier this season, when Luck was injured, Hasselbeck led the team to two wins and put in a pair of great performances. With no turnovers, three touchdowns and more than 200 yards in both games, the Colts offense clicked under the veteran signal-caller. Against the Falcons he will be called on to put in another top-tier performance.
Can the strong defensive performances continue?
Defensively Indianapolis has been pretty tough to watch all season. Unable to get any pressure on the quarterback and absolutely brutal against the pass, The Colts’ defensive struggles have been a big part of their failure to live up to expectations so far this year.
But against the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, there were signs of life for a defense that was on life support for most of the year. The Colts need to build on that momentum moving ahead if they want to stay in charge of the division.
This week, though, that might be easier said than done. The Falcons come in with a top-five passing attack and one of the most dangerous quarterback-receiver duos in Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, and it could be yet another long day.
What will Frank Gore’s role be Sunday?
While the Falcons remain in the bottom half of the league in pass defense, one area in which they have improved drastically under Dan Quinn is run defense. Only allowing 88.9 points per game, Atlanta is ranked third in the league in run defense and poses a huge problem for Frank Gore.
Against Denver and Carolina, Gore’s role was increased, and he produced in response. But even without Luck, the veteran back might not be given the chance to shine if the Colts decide to air it out and take advantage of a soft Falcons secondary.
Latest Injury News
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QB Andrew Luck
Just as Andrew Luck was starting to return to the player he had been in his first three seasons, instead of the turnover prone liability he had become this year, this happens. Ruled out for two to six weeks with a lacerated kidney and partial abdominal tear according to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, the star quarterback will have to watch from the sideline as the team fights for its life in the AFC South race.
The schedule isn’t too tough beyond Atlanta moving forward, and having Matt Hasselbeck as your backup is an NFL team’s dream, but losing Luck now is terrible timing for Indianapolis. If the Texans continue their good run of form and the Colts can’t overcome the loss of their quarterback, the franchise’s playoff run could be coming to a close.
S Mike Adams
Despite how poorly the Colts secondary has played as a whole this season—with the exception of a rain-logged night against Carolina—Mike Adams has been having a fantastic year.
Leading the league in interceptions, the safety could be on course to repeat as a Pro Bowler again this season. That is, if he can stay healthy.
Having already dealt with an injury this year, Adams did not practice Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day because of an issue with his ankle per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com. Against the Falcons passing attack, the Colts need to play beyond themselves to keep things from getting out of hand. Losing Adams is not the optimal way to do that.
WR Phillip Dorsett
As a first-round draft pick, Phillip Dorsett had high expectations set for him this season. Even with a crazy amount of talent at wide receiver, the speedy rookie was expected to make an impact on the Indianapolis offense.
But after a less-than-stellar start to the year, the receiver picked up an ankle injury against the New Orleans Saints and has not played since. His return is getting closer, but after missing practice Wednesday and being listed as week-to-week, according to Bowen, it is hard to imagine Dorsett returning against the Falcons this Sunday.
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Key Matchups
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T.Y. Hilton vs. Desmond Trufant
The Colts were expected to have one of the deepest and most talented receiving corps in the league this season after a pair of offseason acquisitions and the growth of younger talent over the past couple of seasons.
But it's more than half of the way through the year, and things have not quite panned out that way. Andre Johnson has been a disappointment, Phillip Dorsett is hurt and Donte Moncrief has been inconsistent. The only constant has been T.Y. Hilton, who remains one of the league’s best pass-catchers.
Against the Falcons, though, Hilton faces a tough test in Desmond Trufant, one of the NFL’s top corners, who is more than capable of shutting down the young receiver. If Hilton can outplay Trufant, it will go a long way toward an Indianapolis win.
Julio Jones vs. Vontae Davis
Directly opposite the Hilton-Trufant matchup, Julio Jones and Vontae Davis will be doing battle in a matchup even greater than the one laid out before.
Jones is having one of the best single seasons in league history and is on the short list for best receiver in the NFL, while Davis—although inconsistent this year—is on equal footing in his standing amongst the league’s top cornerbacks.
The Colts have been brutal against the pass this year, and with Matt Ryan and Jones set to go on Sunday, it could be a long day unless Davis manages to step up and do what no one else has managed to do yet.
Matchup X-Factor
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WR Donte Moncrief
It isn’t fair to say that Matt Hasselbeck is going to need any help to get the offense going, especially when you compare the starts he has had against those of Andrew Luck.
Despite his age and status as a backup, the veteran quarterback is far from a liability, and the team is in a much better place than almost the entire league with its backup situation. That being said, Hasselbeck will be called on to have a huge game if the Colts want to keep on winning, and his receivers are vital in that aspect.
Expectations are that Desmond Trufant—one of the league's truly underrated players—will match up with T.Y. Hilton, a pairing football purists will be dying to watch. This means the Colts might have to look elsewhere for their production at receiver.
In recent weeks the tight ends have been stepping their game up drastically, but the player Hasselbeck is most likely to turn to is Donte Moncrief. The second-year receiver has been the Colts' No. 2 option all season and, even in the face of Griff Whalen’s increased role, should see a decent amount of the ball against Atlanta.
The Falcons don’t have a great secondary, ranking No. 19 in the league in pass yards allowed per game. If Moncrief can recapture his early-season form, he will be set up nicely for a big performance.
Prediction: Falcons 31, Colts 28
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The Falcons have not been on the best run of form in recent weeks, with back-to-back losses against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers putting a slight damper on what has been an otherwise promising season.
On the other hand, Indianapolis is coming off easily its most impressive win of the season—even if Denver’s humiliating defeat last week means the victory loses some of its sheen—and will be hoping to stay ahead of the surging Houston Texans in the AFC South.
Matt Hasselbeck has been fantastic in both of his starts this season and, against a mediocre Falcons defense, should be more than up to the task of leading the Colts into the end zone even if Frank Gore is held in check, as most backs have been against Atlanta.
But even if Hasselbeck goes off, it is going to be an uphill battle against the Falcons. Shutting down Peyton Manning seems much less impressive now than it did at the time, and the Colts secondary is still a weak spot that teams are more than willing to exploit.
There should be plenty of scoring in this one—fantasy players take note—but Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are too good to be stopped by the Colts pass defense and will lead the Falcons to another victory, putting the Indianapolis season back in jeopardy.
Prediction: Falcons 31, Colts 28
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