In Week 14, the Las Vegas Raiders will host the Indianapolis Colts in a critical AFC matchup. To get you prepared for that contest, we talked to Kevin Hickey, the managing editor of the Colts Wire, about this matchup. Here are his thoughts on the Colts this season and how they might fare against the Raiders on Sunday.
1. How has Philip Rivers performed in his first year in Indianapolis?
He’s been great in all honesty. There have been some bumps in the road but for the most part, he’s raised the level of play for the entire offense. He’s showing off consistent accuracy to all levels of the field and has been surprisingly accurate on corner routes, something I expected to decline in 2020.
Rivers is still limited in mobility, but he’s still showing solid pocket manipulation in evading pressure, and his willingness to keep his eyes downfield has led to the Colts’ offense being much more explosive this season.
2. Jonathan Taylor has had an up and down rookie season. How do you think he’s played recently?
Recently he’s been impressive. Taylor was making strides early in the season as the Colts entered their Week 7 bye. But a three-game rut essentially halted his development as the Colts rode the hot hand in the backfield. However, he’s recently taken over the backfield.
In Week 11 against the Packers, Taylor had 114 total yards and a 20-yard touchdown run called back. He then missed Week 12 due to being a close contact to a positive COVID-19 test but rebounded greatly against the Texans in Week 13 for 125 total yards and a touchdown.
The Colts likely to keep Nyheim Hines in the game plan but with the way the backfield has trended lately, Taylor seems to be taking over.
3. Give us one under-the-radar player to watch in this game?
DT Grover Stewart. He may not be under the radar any more after signing a three-year extension a few weeks ago, but he’s one of the most underrated reasons why the Colts defense has done so well. His 23 defensive stops are 10th among all interior defenders. He lines up at the one-technique and can win in a variety of ways.
He has an extremely quick first step off the line and upper-body strength allows him to win at the point of attack with consistency. The Colts defense has forced a lot of offenses to be one-dimensional because of the production they get from Stewart.
4. How big of a difference as DeForest Buckner made for this defense?
While Stewart has been a key cog for the Colts, it has been Buckner who is responsible for the elevation of the defense. The Colts will line Buckner at the three-technique for the most part but don’t be surprised if he’s in the A gap at times as well. Buckner’s sack totals might not be all that impressive, but hes seventh in pressures and fourth in quarterback hits among interior defenders this season. That’s including missing a game due to COVID-19.
The Colts pass rush predicates itself on getting home with four. They will occasionally blitz, but Buckner gives them the chance to do what they want foundationally. He commands a lot of double teams as well, which allows the rest of the line to see more 1v1 matchups.
5. Who wins this game and why?
The Raiders are a tough team to predict and even though they are at home, the Colts should come away with a win on the road. They should be getting left tackle Anthony Castonzo back from a knee sprain, which will be huge for the offense after he missed Week 13. With the Colts mostly healthy and playing well, I’ll take them in a close outcome. Colts, 28-24.
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