No game this season will have more playoff implications for these two teams than this one. They are exactly one spot away from each other in the playoff hunt, with the Colts holding the advantage. But that doesn’t mean the game is any less crucial for them than it is for the Raiders fighting to get back among the playoff seeds.
Which team is able to get this critical win and set themselves up for a playoff run could come down to these five match-ups.
Clelin Ferrell vs Anthony Castonzo
Jon Gruden said this week that he needs to see Ferrell string together more than one good game before he’ll believe his two-sack game against the Jets was him turning the corner in his young career. That’s a challenge to see if he can do it again against the Colts.
That challenge gets more difficult with Anthony Castonzo looking like he could return from an MCL injury he suffered two weeks ago. Then again, if Castonzo isn’t 100%, Ferrell needs to be able to take advantage of that. Maxx Crosby has been a one-man show getting to the quarterback much of this season. Ferrell needs to prove he can show up in more than just one-offs and this game is the game to do it.
Nick Kwiatkoski vs Philip Rivers
Rivers is in his 17th NFL season. There’s nothing you can throw at him that he hasn’t seen. And he is very good at reading defenses and changing the play at the line.
Kwiatkoski will be playing a combination of chess and chicken against Rivers all game long. He must try not to tip the hand of what the defense has planned while also making changes on the fly when Rivers makes his audibles. Not an easy task for the first-time full-time starting middle linebacker.
Trent Brown vs Justin Houston/Denico Autry
Hard to imagine Jon Gruden not giving the go-ahead to Brown to return. Not in a game this crucial. Houston leads the Colts with 7.5 sacks and is coming off a monster game last week in which he put up three sacks, one a strip-sack, and another for a safety. While Autry’s six sacks had led the team prior to last week.
They will often work in tandem on the right side, with Houston on the outside and Autry inside of him. The safety last week had Autry line up inside, then rush the edge at the snap and Houston stunt to the inside. Other times it’s just straight up. No reason Brown shouldn’t be able to handle it if he’s in game shape and ready to go. And that could be big for Derek Carr’s ability to sit in the pocket and find a receiver.
Trayvon Mullen vs TY Hilton
At 31, Hilton isn’t the receiver he once was. But he’s having a bit of a revival now that he has a decent quarterback again. He’s definitely the best receiver the Colts have.
Mullen is easily the best defensive back the Raiders have. His skills will be needed more than ever because the Raiders will be shorthanded in the secondary. Cornerback Damon Arnette and safety Jeff Heath are both out with concussions while safety Johnathan Abram and cornerback Isaiah Johnson are both questionable.
Darren Waller vs Xavier Rhodes
Coming off a historic game in which Waller caught 13 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, there is no way the Colts sit back and allow him to do the same thing to them. They have a stout secondary led by former All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes. At 6-1, he’s also their tallest defensive back which would be helpful against the 6-6 Waller.
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