If you’re in the green, you’ll get Colts vs. Panthers on TV

The game airs on FOX.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) are just about set to host the Carolina Panthers (5-9) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium as the season enters its final two weeks.

For those watching the game at home, the green region of the TV map (courtesy of 506 Sports) is where the Colts and Panthers matchup will be available on cable. Instead of the usual viewing on CBS for Colts fans, this one will be on FOX.

Both teams are in a massive rut right now. The Colts have lost four in a row and six of their last seven games while the Panthers have lost six in a row and seven of their last eight.

Both squads have been knocked out of the playoffs in their respective conferences, which has forced most of the attention to shift to the upcoming offseason. Addressing the quarterback position will be on the docket for both teams.

The Panthers must figure out what they want to do with Cam Newton while it would be wise for the Colts to begin searching for a new quarterback to usurp Jacoby Brissett when his contract expires following the 2020 season.

This is a game that will feature two teams with lost season but if you’re in the green region of the TV map, the game will be on cable.

Colts preparing for unique talent in RB Christian McCaffrey

Indy prepares for a unicorn.

Even though the season is just about over for the Indianapolis Colts, there are still games to be played. This week, they will be challenged by the Carolina Panthers and the league’s most dynamic running back in Christian McCaffrey.

The Colts have faced their share of solid running backs this season. But they have yet to game plan for a talent like McCaffrey. Both purely as a runner between the tackles and as a pass-catcher in space, McCaffrey is a truly unique talent.

Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus knows just what his unit is getting into when the third-year back takes the field.

“Very unique, very unique. This guy is super strong for his size. He is maybe one of the quicker guys that you have seen since a lot of good backs in the league,” Eberflus told reporters Thursday. “His contact-balance is excellent. So we will have to do a good job with him and also in the passing game. He runs great option routes and different types of routes. He is a handful.”

Currently on the season, McCaffrey has taken 265 carries for 1,307 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. That is a Pro Bowl season for any running back in the league. Then add in his 94 receptions for 814 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and you’ve got a unicorn on your hands.

In relation to the rest of the league, McCaffrey is third in rushing yards, tied for the most rushing touchdowns, third-most receptions (most among running backs) and has the second-most receiving yards for a running back.

McCaffrey’s 18 total touchdowns entering this week currently leads the NFL as does his 2,121 total yards.

The Colts have seen some bruisers like Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry. They’ve seen some pass-catchers in Austin Ekeler and Alvin Kamara. But they haven’t seen a player like McCaffrey this season.

Fortunately, the Colts will be facing Will Grier making his first career NFL start. There’s a chance he leans pretty heavily on McCaffrey as the third-round pick hopes to leave a good impression.

Regardless of who is under center, McCaffrey is the league’s most potent weapon. Indy will certainly have their hands full.

Who are the most disappointing Colts of 2019?

These Colts failed to live up to expectations.

Now that the 2019 Indianapolis Colts’ season is coming to a close it’s time to evaluate the roster. It’s time to take a look at some guys who played above expectations and those who were a major disappointment this season.

With the Colts’ season spiraling out of control, losing six of their last seven, it’s only appropriate to look at the players who failed to live up to the expectations during the 2019 campaign.

Here are the three most disappointing Colts from this season:

TE Eric Ebron

In 2018, Ebron had his best season in terms of catches, yards and touchdowns in what was his first season in Indianapolis. Before the stunning retirement of Andrew Luck, Ebron said he wanted to break the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history, which was set by Rob Gronkowski in 2011 with 17.

After the retirement of Luck, it was all-but-certain that Ebron’s numbers would take a hit with Jacoby Brissett taking over as the QB, but nobody expected a fall as hard as Ebron had.

In just 11 games, Ebron had 31 catches (on 51 targets), 375 yards and three touchdowns. All would be second-lowest in his career and after having ankle surgery after the Houston Texans game in Week 12, Ebron was forced to shut it down for the rest of the season.

Coming into a contract year, Ebron needed to not duplicate what he did in 2018 but just be consistent, and he wasn’t. What Ebron did this season was a major disappointment, especially due to the fact that the Colts lacked playmaking from their pass-catchers.

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Colts vs. Panthers: NFL experts make Week 16 picks

Who are the experts siding with this week?

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) are preparing to host the Carolina Panthers (5-9) for their final home game of the 2019 season on Sunday afternoon.

Opening the week as relatively solid favorites at home, the Colts are also being chosen by most of the experts around the league this week despite having lost four in a row and six of their last seven.

Here’s how the experts view the outcome of the Week 16 matchup between the Colts and Panthers:

Expert	Pick	Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY)	Colts	23-10
Mike Jones (USA TODAY)	Colts	22-18
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY)	Colts	27-17
Mike Clay (ESPN)	Colts	N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News)	Colts	27-17
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports)	Colts	23-15
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports)	Colts	N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News)	Colts	26-20
NumberFire	Colts	N/A
Pro Football Focus	Colts	N/A
Bleacher Report	Colts	28-17

This game doesn’t hold any weight in terms of playoff implications. Both teams are already eliminated and will simply be playing for pride. Still, there is a game to be played, and the Colts are favored pretty heavily.

We will see what happens at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday but the Colts are expected to snap the losing streak that ended their season.

3 Colts who should see more playing time in final two games

Get these players some more game action.

Having already been knocked out of the playoff race, the Indianapolis Colts have two games remaining before the offseason begins. While they will be trying to win those games, this is also a crucial time for some depth players to show what kind of impact they can make.

There is nothing like getting live reps in a game. No training can ever truly replicate that. So while the starters won’t be benched for the final two games, the Colts must also find a way to get some of their younger depth pieces more playing time so the front office and coaching staff has a better idea going into the offseason.

Here are three Colts who should see more playing time in the final two games:

WR Chad Williams — Snaps played: 6 (0.6%)

A recent call-up from the practice squad, Williams isn’t a player that needs more game-action because he’s lighting it up. He’s a depth piece, and the Colts need to know what they have in the former third-round pick entering the offseason.

Given the massive need at the wide receiver position the Colts face this season, they have to get a better idea of what Williams can do against NFL defenses. He shouldn’t be expected to turn into a WR1 but if he can prove to be another solid depth piece like a Marcus Johnson, that could change how the Colts go about offseason.

Zach Pascal has emerged in a breakout year, Johnson has been solid and we already know what Dontrelle Inman brings to the table. It’s time to see if Williams is actually a future piece of the team.

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Colts offense to experiment with subtle changes in final games

Colts will be experimenting a bit.

The Indianapolis Colts have just two games remaining in the regular season before the madness of the new league year arrives, and they are hoping to learn something before changes to the roster are made.

While they have certainly learned more about their team and the roster during the first 15 weeks of the regular season, head coach Frank Reich will be experimenting with some subtle changes to the offense now that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

“I mean I have one subtle thing in mind that I obviously don’t want to share for game-planning reasons but it would be a both/and Kevin (Bowen).” Reich told reporters. “It would be maybe something philosophically and it could be a couple subtleties of things off playbooks or maybe things that are in but we haven’t emphasized that maybe we need to emphasize a little bit more and see how we respond as an offense.”

The Colts offense saw major regression in 2019. Injuries decimated the wide receiver corps and Jacoby Brissett’s play under center didn’t push the needle to make the Colts a consistently productive offensive unit.

However, the games now mean nothing in terms of playoff implications. This gives Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni a chance to try some new installs into the offense that they may have thought were too risky while fighting for a playoff spot.

Even so, the Colts will be doing what they can to come out with a win in these final two games of the season.

“Like I said, we are really committed to winning these last two. We talked about that. We had a very spirited team-meeting this morning. We acknowledged that we had to reset our goals because our goal was to win our division, get in the playoffs and win a world championship,” Reich said. “That is not happening this year so you have got to be a man and face that. So now what are our goals? So we reset those goals and talked about what we are going to try to do the next two weeks.”

It will be interesting to see what the Colts change either from a schematic standpoint or a philosophical point, but some changes should be expected in the final two weeks.

5 Panthers the Colts must game plan for in Week 16

These Panthers must be accounted for.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8), after being eliminated from playoff contention, look to put one in the win column for the first time in four weeks. They host a Carolina Panthers (5-9) team that has also struggled greatly in the second half of the season.

Carolina fired their longtime head coach Ron Rivera a few weeks ago, which has had a negative effect on the team. The Panthers players have shown signs of just giving up and are playing with little to no life.

While Carolina is a depleted football team, they are still a talented roster that can compete with many teams in the league. With a few additions in the offseason and some time to get healthy, Carolina can be right back in contention.

With a chance to turn things around going into next season, here are five Panthers the Colts must gameplan for in order to pick up a win:

RB Christian McCaffrey

As one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers, McCaffrey is a matchup nightmare for defenses. A dual-threat pass catcher and quick running back, he is dangerous every single play and can touch the ball any time.

With 1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground this year, McCaffrey has been in the MVP conversation in 2019. While also totaling 814 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the air, McCaffrey has a real chance to go over 1,000 yards receiving and rushing.

Stopping No. 22 will be priority No. 1 for the Colts defense that has struggled to stop the run in recent weeks. Matt Eberflus must make sure to have a spy on McCaffery all game, preferable Darius Leonard who has the speed to stay with him.

LB Luke Kuechly

As one of the best linebackers in the league for the past four seasons, Kuechly is still going strong with 131 tackles in 2019. This high number of total tackles leads the team and is fourth in the NFL.

Kuechly’s toughness and speed makes him a special talent and he can be a great run stopper. His coverage skills are somewhat underrated as well which makes him a serious threat to offensive production on Sunday. Kuechly will have to be picked up in blitz coverage as well which should be a real challenge for the interior of the offensive line and running backs.

WR D.J. Moore

As the Panthers number one receiver this season, Moore has really broken out of his first-year struggles. With 1,174 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the season, Moore ranks third among all receivers in yards caught.

Moore is a speedy wideout that has found his fit in this Carolina system. Paired with other speedster Curtis Samuel, they combine for a solid one-two punch. This receiving corps is undersized but filled with talent.

Expect Rock Ya-Sin to be on Moore all game, which should be a great matchup for the two young players.

S Eric Reid

Reid is one of the NFL’s most underrated strong safeties. He came to Carolina in 2018 and has had a productive two years. He is the cornerstone of their secondary and can fly all around the field.

With 113 total tackles, four sacks, and two fumble recoveries this season, Reid has been an issue for opposing teams. He plays very similarly to Tyrann Mathieu and loves to fly off the edge on blitzes.

The Colts running backs will have to pick him up in pass coverage and keep him contained if they want to have success throwing the football.

DE Mario Addison

Leading the team in sacks with 9.5, Addison has had a dominant season at defensive end. He also has 31 total tackles and two forced fumbles which shows he is good at getting after the quarterback.

Having a guy that can constantly provide pressure off the edge is so dangerous and the Colts offensive line will have their hands full Sunday. This will be a good test for Braden Smith and Mark Glowinski who struggled last week against New Orleans.

Colts’ Frank Reich: Jacoby Brissett is our QB

Frank Reich has full confidence in Jacoby Brissett.

The Indianapolis Colts may be on the outside looking in for the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean any drastic changes will come in the final two weeks. Most notably, Jacoby Brissett will remain the quarterback under center.

Though there was a call to have Chad Kelly play the final two games, head coach Frank Reich shot down that notion quickly when speaking to reporters on a Tuesday conference call.

As expected, Reich put his full vote of confidence behind Brissett as the starting quarterback.

“Yeah, no Jacoby (Brissett) is our quarterback,” Reich said Tuesday. “Jacoby is a second-year starter and he’s done a lot of really good things this year. We have two games, that’s really an opportunity for him to work to get better.”

Brissett is coming off of his worst game this season. He completed 18 of 34 passes for 165 yards without a touchdown. He was wildly erratic with his throws to all areas of the field and continued the narrative that his play has regressed over the last two months.

There was never any chance the Colts were going to start anyone but Brissett as long as he’s healthy. Reich also mentioned that the Colts will dive a little deeper to see if there is anything they can change to benefit Brissett in the final two games of the season.

“But really for Nick (Sirianni) and I and the rest of the offensive staff to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got two games. Should we try a couple things? Might we try a couple things, experiment with one or two things?’ Let us learn, let us learn Jacoby,” Reich said. “Maybe there’s something that we haven’t been doing that is good for him. So we’ll look at some alternative schemes, introduce one or two new thoughts in the next two weeks.”

The Colts are officially out of the playoff race with two games remaining, but Reich is putting his full confidence in Brissett as the starting quarterback moving forward, which makes for an interesting offseason coming up.

Colts’ snap counts vs. Saints in Week 15

Snap counts from Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-8) suffered their worst loss of the season in primetime on Monday night when they got worked over in a 34-7 beat down at the hands of the New Orleans Saints (11-3).

Now out of the playoffs with two games remaining, the Colts will shift their focus to the development of certain players while finalizing what the biggest needs are this offseason.

Before that though, here’s a look at the offensive snap counts from the Week 15 loss:

With the offense, there weren’t any surprises. Potentially in the backfield with the split between Jordan Wilkins and Marlon Mack, but the offense has been the same for the majority of the season.

Here’s a look at the defensive and special teams snap counts from the game:

Four Colts played all 67 snaps on defense. Safety Clayton Geathers has been completely phased out of the secondary as he didn’t play a snap on the defensive side of the ball. Rookie defensive end Ben Banogu also hasn’t been able to step into a bigger role during the second half of the season.

Which Colts should be selected to 2020 Pro Bowl?

Can the Colts get any Pro Bowlers?

Even after losing their starting quarterback just before the regular season, there were still a handful of Indianapolis Colts players that were considered to be at or approaching a Pro Bowl level.

With two games remaining, the perspective has changed quite a bit as the team is officially out of playoff contention and won’t be able to finish with a winning record. Yet, there are still a few players that could make the Pro Bowl this season.

Here are four Colts that are worthy of being selected to the Pro Bowl:

G Quenton Nelson

Yup, it’s another Pro Bowl for the second-year left guard. Nelson had the difficult task of improving on an All-Pro rookie season, and he’s done just that. There aren’t many guards in the league better than Nelson and there likely isn’t an argument as to who is better than the Notre Dame product right now. He’s the kind of nasty offensive lineman that has a highlight reel. Name another offensive lineman that has one. We’ll wait.

Nelson is a stout pass protector and an equally strong run blocker. He’s the heart of the Colts offensive line and has been one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success in running the football.

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