Colts vs. Saints: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 15

Key matchups in Week 15.

Following their last-minute 38-35 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts are back on the road as they’ll face the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Despite their 6-7 record, the Colts are technically still alive in the AFC playoff race.

If there’s anything that should give this AFC South competitor hope, it’s knowing the Saints are capable of being beaten at home. Since Week 10, the Saints are 1-2 at home, including their 26-9 upset loss vs. Atlanta.

Here are three key matchups to watch in the Colts’ Week 15 bout:

WR Michael Thomas vs. Colts’ injured secondary

After engaging in a dog fight with the Buccaneers’ receiving corps in Week 14, the Colts’ secondary is in store for another one as they’ll face the league’s best receiver right now. Whether it’s through his skill-set, size or historic production, the Saints’ Michael Thomas is producing a historic season by all means.

With three games remaining, Thomas is only 23 catches (121) away from surpassing Colts great Marvin Harrison’s all-time record for most catches in a season (143); while also being in a good position to finish with a top-10 highest season total of receiving yards, since he’s currently at 1,424.

Even if fully healthy, the Colts’ secondary was going to have a hard time defending the Ohio State product and now it’s likely the case given their state of injuries. Cornerback Kenny Moore II isn’t playing on Monday and the duo of Rock Ya-Sin and Pierre Desir are banged up with nagging injuries.

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Colts vs. Saints: 5 things to know in Week 15

Things to know in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) and New Orleans Saints (10-3) are preparing for the final game of Week 15 with a primetime matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night.

The Colts are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Saints are doing all they can to push forward toward the top seed in the NFC with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Here are five things to know entering the Week 15 matchup:

A loss ends the Colts season

As it has been well-documented on here and just about everywhere else, a loss would officially knock the Colts out of playoff contention with two games left. Obviously hoping to avoid that, the Colts face a tough challenge in doing so.

They already face a slim chance of making the playoffs as it stands. Entering this matchup, the Colts have a 2% chance of pulling off the miracle of making the postseason.

If they come out of Monday night’s game with a loss as expected, the 2019 campaign will officially be over for the Colts.

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Colts remain 9.5-point underdogs vs. Saints

Colts remain massive underdogs.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) have three games remaining in the regular season and will be fighting to keep their season alive Monday night when they visit the New Orleans Saints (10-3) for a primetime matchup.

The Colts opened the week as heavy underdogs against the Saints. The line hasn’t shifted one bit as Indy remains 9.5-point road underdogs for the Week 15 bout, per BetMGM.

The total sits at 45.5 points for the Monday night matchup. The Colts will be trying to find a way to get out of their recent skid, which has included five losses in the last six games. That stretch has forced most to shift their focus to the offseason moves and what might come in the future.

The Saints are riding high with three games left. They’ve already locked up their division and are competing for one of the top seeds in the NFC.

The Colts are hoping to see the return of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who has been battling a lingering calf injury. If he is able to play, the score might be closer than most think, but the Saints are heavy favorites for a reason.

With their season officially on the line, the Colts roll into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as massive underdogs.

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Colts vs Saints: 3 keys for the defense in Week 15

Keys for the Colts defense in Week 15.

After a few strong performances from the defense, it all came unraveled last week vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the past six weeks, the Colts defense was allowing 17 points per game, but without their best cornerback in Kenny Moore, the defense struggled to get stops and allowed a season-high 542 total yards and gave up 38 points.

This week’s challenge doesn’t get any easier for the Colts as they head to New Orleans to face the Saints on Monday Night football. The Saints have one of the best offenses the Colts will see this season, averaging 26.5 points per game, good for fifth in the NFL.

Let’s look at some keys for the Colts defense against this elite offense in the New Orleans Saints:

1. Find a way to get to Brees

The Saints are one of the best teams in the NFL at protecting their quarterback Drew Brees. New Orleans is 3rd in the NFL in both sacks given up (21) and QB hits allowed (49) but in one of their losses this season they allowed six sacks to the Atlanta Falcons, and three were too defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

According to the Saints’ injury report from Thursday, tackle Terron Armstead and guard Andrus Peat did not practice due to various injuries. New Orleans’ offensive line will be banged up going into Monday Night so look for guys like Justin Houston and Denico Autry to try to get to Brees early and often.

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Colts’ Frank Reich ecstatic Jack Doyle got an extension

Frank Reich has immense praise for Jack Doyle.

The Indianapolis Colts took care of some business before the offseason began by locking up tight end Jack Doyle to a three-year contract extension and head coach Frank Reich couldn’t be happier about it.

A reliable and trustworthy both on the field and in the locker room, Doyle has been a quiet centerpiece of the offense. Running the offense, Reich understands just what Doyle means to the unit.

“Yeah, it didn’t take long to realize how good of a player, leader – everything. I mean Jack (Doyle) is really the consummate pro in every way,” Reich said Thursday. “He works hard. He is a great teammate, great player and (has) great production. So I was really happy that Chris (Ballard) was able to get that done.”

Even after the retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts were hoping the tight end room would be able to sustain a level of strong production. However, Eric Ebron didn’t find the same production or the same role as he did in 2018.

That said, Doyle continued to carry the offense from the tight end position. An elite blocker and an underrated pass catcher, Doyle quickly caught the eye of Reich when the latter first took the job with the Colts.

“You think maybe he is limited in the passing role because he doesn’t have ‘elite speed.’ I found out pretty fast that this guy is – when he had an 80-catch season before we got here, there was no accident to that,” said Reich. “That wasn’t just because Andrew (Luck) liked to throw him the ball. He is a very good receiver. I mean he is such an instinctive route runner. He understands everything about the game.”

The Colts have plenty of moves to make this offseason, but they already accomplished one in locking up Doyle for the next three seasons.

Colts vs Saints: 3 keys for the offense in Week 15

Keys for the Colts offense in Week 15.

After a 28-point performance last Sunday vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Indianapolis Colts offense heads south to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

With a team like the Saints and their high-powered offense, the Colts must be able to keep up with them on the scoreboard. New Orleans is fifth in the NFL in points per game (26.5) and with Indianapolis coming in on Monday Night Football, they will need to more than likely put up 30 or more points to win.

Let’s take a look at some keys for the offense in this week 15 primetime matchup:

1. Stick with the running attack

Last week the Colts were not good at running the ball against a top-10 unit in the Buccaneers. Indianapolis rushed for 40 yards on 18 carries from their running backs.

With the Saints, they’re top-5 in the NFL in rush yards allowed but allow the 18th-best yards per rush at 4.3. Teams run the ball on the Saints the second-least in the NFL, at only 21 times per game, mostly due to the fact that teams fall behind so early and have to pass to catch up.

If the Colts can keep it within one possession, maybe even score first, they can try to lean on the run game a little more than teams have prior to this week.

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Colts vs. Saints: NFL experts make Week 15 picks

Experts around the league weigh in.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) are heavy underdogs in Week 15 when they visit the New Orleans Saints (10-3) on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The primetime matchup opened the week with a massive 9.5-point line favoring the Saints. It shouldn’t be a surprise. The Colts have had struggles over the last month and a half, losing five of their last six games.

The Saints, though, have already locked up a playoff spot and their division title with three games remaining.

Here’s how some of the experts around the league are viewing this matchup:

Expert	Pick	Score (if applicable)
Nate Davis (USA TODAY)	Saints	33-23
Mike Jones (USA TODAY)	Saints	30-21
Jarrett Bell (USA TODAY)	Saints	33-23
Mike Clay (ESPN)	Saints	N/A
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News)	Saints	30-23
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports)	Saints	30-19
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports)	Saints	N/A
Todd Haislop (Sporting News)	Saints	34-20
NumberFire	Saints	N/A
Pro Football Focus	Saints	N/A
Bleacher Report	Saints	27-20

To no surprise, the experts are siding in with the Saints. Everybody is doing so as the Colts have been struggling so much that most don’t expect this to be a close game.

It certainly could come down to one score, but the Colts are likely to see their season officially end on Monday night with a loss and the attention will turn to the offseason moves.

Drew Brees eyeing Peyton Manning’s TD record

Drew Brees can make history Monday night.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) will be fighting to keep their season alive when they visit the New Orleans Saints (10-3) for a Monday night matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but there is some extra incentive for the defense.

Entering the Week 15 matchup, future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees (537) is just two touchdowns behind Peyton Manning (539) for the most passing touchdowns in a career. It’s going to happen at some point, but the Colts defense will be looking to keep that from happening as Brees takes on Manning’s former team.

Brees has already surpassed Manning for most passing yards in a career, which happened during the 2018 season. Now, the 40-year-old Brees can pass Manning in another prolific category.

In eight games this season, Brees has thrown for two or fewer touchdown passes in four contests. He is coming off of his best game of the season against the 49ers when he completed 29 of 40 passes for 349 yards, five touchdowns and a 138.4 passer rating.

The Colts defense is coming off of its worst performance of the season. Despite four turnovers, the Colts allowed 456 passing yards and four passing touchdowns on the day in Week 14, which led to a 38-35 loss.

Being on the road against the Saints will be tough. Brees hasn’t always put up big numbers but he’s much more liable to do so at home in primetime. Given that the Saints are battling for the top seed in the NFC, they will keep their foot on the peddle.

Manning’s record will also be on watch with the New England Patriots as Tom Brady is just three touchdown passes behind Manning entering this week. There is a world where both players surpass the Colts’ legendary quarterback this weekend.

The Colts, though, will be trying to keep that from happening in the game against the Saints on Monday night while also trying to keep their season alive with an upset.

Colts’ Dontrelle Inman: ‘I feel like this is home’

Dontrelle Inman returns to a place he calls home.

As injuries continue to tear apart the depth in the Indianapolis Colts wide receiver room, the front office made the decision to bring in a familiar face off the streets in Dontrelle Inman.

A veteran that spent over half of the 2018 season with the Colts, Inman has already shown he can thrive in the scheme as a possession receiver. He grew close to Indy during his short time last year and is excited to be back into the fold.

“For an athlete, where you have the most success and are more comfortable in the offense or defense that’s really what you call home as a player. I feel like this is home for me,” Inman told reporters Wednesday.

The Colts are in desperate need for help at the wide receiver position. Devin Funchess wound up just playing in one game due to a broken collarbone while Parris Campbell and Chester Rogers have already finished their respective seasons on the injured reserve list.

Even if the Colts are likely knocked out of playoff contention this week against the Saints on Monday night, the offense still needs bodies to catch passes.

Inman was a favorite in the offense during the second half of the season in 2018. Though it was with former quarterback Andrew Luck, the veteran wide receiver was extremely reliable in recording 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns over the final nine games of the regular season.

He was also a reliable target in the playoffs—he caught all eight of his targets for 108 yards and a touchdown in the team’s two postseason games.

Now, Inman will be working with Jacoby Brissett under center. There is some familiarity between the two with just a few weeks remaining in the season.

“Me and Jacoby (Brissett) still pitched and caught out there last year,” Inman said. “So it is all about me seeing the ball and catching he ball and him seeing me and throwing the ball.”

The focus surrounding the Colts is shifting toward the offseason every day, but Inman has returned to a place he calls home in hopes to continue his NFL career.

Jacoby Brissett on Drew Brees: ‘He sets a great example’

Jacoby Brissett has a lot of praise for Drew Brees.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) have their final primetime game of the season when they take on the New Orleans Saints (10-3) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday Night Football.

When the two teams square off against each other, Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett will be watching closely to the quarterback on the other sideline—future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.

When speaking to the media Wednesday, Brissett had plenty of praise for Brees.

“He just sets a great example for us. A guy, obviously that I grew up watching and then being in the league now and being able to see him on a more personal level,” Brissett said. “It’s awesome to see him play. What he does for the league, what he does for the position is unmatched. Just hopefully not this week.”

As Brissett will use this as a week to prove he has to potential to be the future of the Colts quarterback position, there is a chance he and the rest of the country could be witnessing history being made.

The current leader in passing touchdowns in NFL history is Colts legend Peyton Manning. That could all change Monday night, though, as Brees is currently just two touchdowns behind Manning for the all-time lead. And he has a chance to do it against Manning’s former team.

Regardless, Brissett’s future as the Colts quarterback has come into question. While he certainly has the intelligence and leadership qualities to succeed at the position, his inability to consistently push the ball downfield and his struggles with anticipation have led to many questions.

He’ll try to change that narrative on Monday night when he faces one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time in Brees.