The Indianapolis Colts, currently sitting at 6-7, travel to “The Big Easy” to take on the 10-3 Saints on Monday Night Football. New Orleans is coming off a tough loss in what was perhaps the game of the year last week against San Francisco where they lost in the final minute of the game 48-46.
Colts fans have a special type of resentment towards the Saints. The obvious reasoning behind it would be the Super Bowl in 2010 where the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. The game was filled with high-powered passing offenses, an onside kick to start the second half, and the haunting Tracy Porter pick-six that sealed the win for New Orleans.
The Saints have already clinched the NFC South while the Colts are fighting for their lives in the AFC playoff race. If the Colts want to avenge that brutal Super Bowl loss and have a last-ditch effort to save their season, here are seven Saints the Colts must gameplan for in Week 15 in order to pull off the upset:
QB Drew Brees
Another piece of distain comes from Drew Brees breaking Peyton Manning’s regular season records for passing yards and passes completed. Monday night Brees has a chance to break yet another record held by Manning. Currently, Peyton sits at 539 passing touchdowns while Brees is closely behind him with 537.
You have to respect Brees and what he has been able to accomplish throughout his career. This season he missed five games with a broken thumb but has come back strong with 1,072 passing yards and 12 touchdowns over the last four games.
Getting after Brees and forcing him to move out of the pocket will be huge for the Colts pass rush led by Justin Houston. If Brees has all day to throw, it will be a long game for the Colts defense.
LB Demario Davis
Davis has revitalized his career after coming to New Orleans last season. He leads the team in tackles in 2019 with 95 total on the year. Contributing to his impressive stat sheet are also three sacks, 9.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception.
Davis is a talented linebacker with great pass rushing and run stopping abilities. The Saints love to send a combination of players on blitzes so it will be crucial for the Colts offensive line to pick up Davis and others coming off the edge and up the middle.
RB Alvin Kamara
Kamara’s season has seen limited production due to injury, but he is not to be underestimated. The third-year running back out of Tennessee took the league by storm his rookie year in 2017 and has been adjusting to team’s gameplans for him. He currently has 612 yards and one touchdown on the ground so far this season.
Where Kamara gets dangerous is in the pass game. He is a very talented receiver and has a great connection with Drew Brees. He has 68 receptions for 462 yards and a touchdown through the air as well. Stopping this dual-threat target will be huge in slowing down this Saints offense.
CB Marshon Lattimore
Another player who took the league by storm in his 2017 rookie campaign was Lattimore. He and Kamara took home the Defensive and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards that year respectively. Lattimore is considered one of the best shutdown corners in the league.
He has only one interception on the season but when teams purposefully do not throw to your side, that is expected. If T.Y. Hilton is still not healthy enough to go Monday night, look for Lattimore to be on Zach Pascal down the field. He is not impossible to beat, but Jacoby Brissett has to be careful when throwing to the talented corner.
WR Michael Thomas
His Twitter handle “@Cantguardmike” says it all. Thomas is one of the best, if not the best receiver in the game currently. His size and speed makes him a matchup problem for just about anyone in the league and his impressive season has landed him in the MVP conversation.
So far on the year, Thomas has 121 catches for 1,424 yards, both of which lead the league for all receivers. He has also found the endzone eight times this year and he and Drew Brees have been clicking as of late.
Pierre Desir will likely be on Thomas but he will need some help over the top, possibly from Malik Hooker or Khari Willis. Stopping Thomas from catching everything thrown to him should help slow own this aggressive Saints pass game.
DE Cameron Jordan
The Colts have faced some good pass rushers this season (Von Miller, T.J. Watt, Yannick Ngakoue) but Jordan is by far the biggest challenge they will face up front in 2019. With 46 total tackles, one fumble recovery, and 13.5 sacks, Jordan is an absolute monster off the edge.
He typically lines up on the right side which will be a matchup problem for Braden Smith and Mark Glowinski on that side of the line. Look for the Colts to either run to the side Jordan is not on or pull Quenton Nelson to that side to try and move the ball on the ground.
Safety Marcus Williams
Williams is a very talented safety but makes mistakes in big moments. Last week against San Francisco he grabbed a hold of George Kittle’s face mask and gave the 49ers 15 extra yards which put them into easy field goal range to win the game. You may also remember Williams botched the coverage that led to the Stefon Diggs “Minnesota Miracle.”
With four interceptions on the year and 53 total tackles, Williams is having a great year. This Saints secondary has really stepped up this season and can cover just about anyone down the field. Williams is very skilled, but attacking him and getting him frustrated will be vital for the Colts passing game that is limited already due to receiver injuries.