The Colts enter into week three of the regular season looking to snap a two game losing streak which has garnered much attention from news media cycles. The team was seen to be a Super Bowl favorite by many before the start and now it looks like it might be more difficult than expected. Rumors of infighting and dysfunction within the organization also have helped feed the flames. So what can the team do to quiet all the off the field stuff? Simple. Start with a win over the Tennessee Titans.
Keys to the game:
Obviously it starts with the team’s most important player, Andrew Luck. Luck has come out and took the criticism and has indicated that he must play better, namely reduce the number of turnovers (6 so far this season). Some of it can be placed on the poor performance of the offensive line as well as his supporting cast not making big plays, but far too often Luck has resorted to just being careless with the football. That is the double edge sword of his make up; he can sustain plays after they have broken down, but right now the offense is sputtering and Luck needs to just let the play die until the offense can figure things out. Three touchdowns is not enough for the talent on this team. Luck knows all of this and just needs to play smart football and not push things that aren’t there. Expect a renewed emphasis on ball protection against the Titans.
Maybe more of a factor than Luck is Colts Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton and the poor performance of his duties as play caller this season. As stated above, Luck has played poor so far this season, but Hamilton has done a poor job getting the offense on track. There seems to be no change in philosophy whether things are working or not. The team has depended upon chunk plays and so far that hasn’t been working for various reason (poor line play, players dropping the ball, penalties, and facing two top tier defenses). Pressure has been forcing Luck to make bad decisions because the plays have not been there. Pep should be looking at what he can do to help in that area and learn to adjust. A run game, which has been pretty good, and getting the ball out fast should be a big emphasis until things start flowing.
The Colts offensive players need to make plays for Luck. Yes, this sounds extremely simple, but this has not been happening up to this point. Andre Johnson has not lived up to hype of the off season signing and has not been able to make the most of his opportunities so far. Johnson has looked bad and broken, but he has plenty of time to turn things around this season.
Frank Gore has made nice runs only to be negated by penalties. He has looked good when given the ball, the biggest knock against him has been the inexcusable fumble near the goal line against the Jets. He just needs a continued push by the team to help out Luck until things can get rolling with the rest of the team.
Donte Moncrief needs to get the ball as he has continued to be one of the bright spots in a very difficult period for the team. He has been able to make grabs and then get some extra yards after the catch with some nifty moves. Moncrief should be one of the focal points as he has size and strength and has proved to be viable option for Luck up to this point.
The cornerbacks on the defense will need to be an area of focus for a win to happen. The unit has been decimated by injuries. The team did reveive some good news in Vontae Davis being cleared after passing concussion protocol and he will be available to play against the Titans. Davis has not been an issue and has lived up to his big contract signing, but with his concussion symptoms during the Jets game the team was forced to go with inexperienced players. Until both Greg Toler and Darius Butler return, Davis will have to hold the fort down along with Jalil Brown and Eric Patterson.
One player to watch whom I’m adding for reasons not on the positive side is Adam Vinatieri. To say that he has been struggling is somewhat of an understatement. He has missed from 52 yards and 29 yards this season and really it goes all the way back to week 17 of the 2014 season. Hopefully this is a fluke instead of a precursor of things to come for one of the greatest clutch kickers of all time.
As bad as the team has looked for two weeks, they get an opportunity against an improving Titans team that is led by rookie sensation, Marcus Mariota. Mariota has looked impressive, yet has also struggled at times. Meaning that the Colts should be prepared for either case. The defense of the Colts looked improved in their loss to the Jets, especially against the run. Rookie lineman Henry Anderson has stepped in and played really well while steadily gaining talk for rookie of the year consideration at this stage. Not bad for a third round pick who was drafted as a rotational player. Rookie David Parry has also played well along with offseason signing Kendall Langford.
Will the Colts roll into Tennessee and steamroll the Titans? At this point I’d be happy just with a win no matter who close the score ends up being. Sure a blowout would be great, but something to build off would do wonders for a team that is clearly struggling. I think this is the week where the team gets in the win column. Colts 28 – Titans 21.
