The Indianapolis Colts (3-2) will be looking to get their offense on track when they host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Through five weeks, it has been the defense and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship who have done the heavy lifting. The offense hasn’t put up that big day just yet and will be looking to do so before heading into the bye week.
After looking at the keys for the defense, here are the keys for the Colts offense in Week 6:
Keep the pressure off of Philip Rivers
We saw in Week 5 what the offense looks like when Rivers has to make big plays. He had a great first half that included some impressive deep throws. However, he crumbled in the second half and was one of the reasons the Colts lost the game.
The Colts can control this game from the start against a Bengals team that has struggled to put wins together. Keeping Rivers from having to save the day will be necessary, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. It can in this week so the Colts will want to make sure they establish the run game early.
Keep T.Y. Hilton involved
Though Hilton himself said he isn’t frustrated with his role in the offense, the Colts still need to get him more looks throughout the game. He had 10 targets in Week 5 but hasn’t been nearly involved enough in recent weeks.
William Jackson III is a solid cornerback but one that is susceptible to big plays. He’s allowing a 90.4 passer rating against through five games so this matchup is one the Colts can exploit.
Give Jonathan Taylor all the work
Getting Nyheim Hines involved in the passing game is important, but it’s time to give Taylor his chance to be a three-down back. The Colts drafted him for this very reason in the second round back in April. It’s time to see what he can do.
This game is likely going to be a neutral or positive game script for the Colts throughout on Sunday so they will have plenty of chances to feature the rookie. It’s time to see what happens when he’s given the full workload.