The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) are set to take on the New Orleans Saints (10-3) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night for a primetime Week 15 matchup.
Ahead of the game, we caught up with Saints Wire editor John Sigler to get the scoop on the Colts’ opponent this week. Be sure to follow John and Saints Wire for all of your Saints needs this week.
Here are five questions behind enemy lines:
Colts Wire: Drew Brees is having another excellent season outside of his thumb injury. How much more does he realistically have left?
John Sigler: Brees looks like a quarterback playing the twilight of his career, but he’s still a dangerous force for defenses to reckon with. He doesn’t have the arm to lob passes 40 or 50 yards downfield with consistency anymore, which works out because he doesn’t have the receivers to go get those passes anyway. What he does well is the same as always: navigate pressure from the pocket and find the open receiver, striking them with accuracy on passes that defenders struggle to close in on. Often, that open receiver has been all-star wideout Michael Thomas, but in recent weeks the connection between Brees and veteran tight end Jared Cook has been heating up, giving him another option to hurt defenses with.
CW: The Saints will be without two key defensive linemen in Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins. How will they look to replace their production?
JS: The Saints signed two free agents off the street to replace them in edge rusher Noah Spence and defensive tackle T.Y. McGill, but I wouldn’t expect either of them to play meaningful snaps. New Orleans has run eight-deep along the defensive line this year and they can replace the production lost (to an extent) by promoting high-upside players like defensive end Trey Hendrickson and breakout rookie nose tackle Shy Tuttle (he of the “Matt Ryan stiff-arm” fame). There’s no underselling what the Saints have lost in Davenport and Rankins, but their roster is built to absorb these injuries better than most.
CW: What is the key to slowing down Michael Thomas, if there even is one?
JS: Thomas’s worst game this year came against the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving, in which he caught just six of his eight targets and gained 48 yards. Why did the Saints go his way so rarely that day? Taysom Hill torched Atlanta with two touchdowns, giving the Saints an early lead that they never relinquished. The Saints defense suffocated the Falcons offense with nine sacks. This isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but the best way to limit the impact Thomas can make is to just let his teammates go out and have a field day. In all seriousness, it would take the efforts of bracket coverage between your best cornerback and a top safety to contain him; the way Thomas has played this year, he just might be unguardable by conventional means.
CW: Who has been the unsung hero of the Saints season thus far?
JS: That’s a great question, because everyone has had a chance to shine. Teddy Bridgewater saw the Saints through a five-game stretch without Brees, winning each of his starts. Alvin Kamara put himself on the map by lighting up a tough Seattle Seahawks defense. Cameron Jordan had a career day in prime-time against Atlanta on Thanksgiving, and Thomas is doing his thing week in and week out. So I’ll settle on linebacker Demario Davis, who has really asserted himself as a center of leadership in the locker room that almost matches the respect Brees is given. Davis leads with example on and off of the field. He makes heady plays in coverage and rarely whiffs on a tackle, and is a dynamic pass-rusher when the Saints dial up a blitz.
CW: Prediction, final score?
JS: I really like how the Colts have built their team, and I think their future may be brightest among their peers in the AFC South. But they’re banged up and the difference in top-end talent between them and the Saints may be too much to overcome under the bright lights. I’m expecting a Saints win with a final score around Saints 24, Colts 15.