16 things to watch when the Colts host Tennessee

On By Littum

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts need help to make the playoffs.

But any help they get will only matter if Indianapolis wins its final three games, starting with a Sunday kickoff at 7 p.m. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium against a Tennessee Titans team in the early stages of a deep rebuild.

The Colts (6-8) must bounce back after fumbling away a monumental game they seemingly had in control in Denver, but they face a Tennessee team in disarray at the quarterback position.

Titans coach Brian Callahan benched the team’s second-year starting quarterback Will Levis for good this week, sticking with the decision he made last week when Callahan benched Levis after three interceptions and one fumble on 12 attempts in a 37-27 loss to Cincinnati that dropped Tennessee to 3-11 on the season.

Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph should take over as the starter, making the Titans a very different offensive challenge.

Who will play quarterback for the Titans?

1. Levis had been a turnover machine in his 11 starts this season, and those turnovers tended to be devastating. The second-year Titans quarterback has thrown 12 interceptions, lost five fumbles and four of his interceptions have been returned for touchdowns, the most in the NFL so far. When Rudolph has been in the lineup, he’s had his own issues with turnovers — the veteran has thrown four interceptions and lost his own fumble — but he takes care of the ball better than Levis.

2. The Indianapolis pass rush will likely have a much harder time getting to the passer. Rudolph actually holds the ball a tick longer than Levis, averaging 2.75 seconds from snap to throw to Levis’s 2.68, but he makes a much better piece of decision-making in the pocket. Rudolph has taken sacks on 5.56% of his throw attempts, while Levis has been sacked 40 times, which is an eye-popping 12.35% of the time this season.

3. Outside of sacks and turnovers, the Tennessee passing game has a fairly similar profile with both quarterbacks at the helm. The Titans are not explosive; Levis is averaging 6.8 yards per carry. attempts, Rudolph’s at 6.6 and Tennessee is 26th in the NFL in explosive plays, defined as throws of 20 yards or more. The Indianapolis secondary is coming off its best game; The Colts limited Bo Nix to 3.6 yards per carry. attempts and picked him off three times where the ball went into the hands of Zaire Franklin, Samuel Womack III and Nick Cross.

Jaylon Jones vs. Calvin Ridley

4. Like Denver, Tennessee’s passing game is essentially built around one receiver. Calvin Ridley leads the Titans with 53 catches and 779 yards this season. Ridley had zero catches on eight targets against the Colts in the first matchup between the two teams, and the Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones coming off one of his best games and holding up well in coverage against Broncos star Courtland Sutton.

5. Titans deep threat Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has just 23 catches this season, and his 17.1 yards per carry. reception is backed up by a 98-yard touchdown – that would be 13.4 yards per carry. catch without that game – but he certainly has an ability. for the end zone. Westbrook-Ikhine leads the Titans with eight touchdowns, including a score on his first catch of the season against the Colts. Free security Julian Blackmon will have to keep an eye on Westbrook-Ikhine all day long.

6. Tennessee’s running game has been pretty pedestrian. Free agent pickup Tony Pollard is on pace for a 1,000-yard season with 982 yards and five touchdowns on 230 carries this season, but the Titans are 19th overall in the NFL in rushing yards per game (110.4) and 17th overall. in yards per carry (4.22) ). Franklin is coming off one of his best games, leading Indianapolis to a 72-yard performance against 27 Denver carries, and the Titans will be in a bad spot if the Colts can make them one-dimensional.

DeForest Buckner is ready for a big game

7. DeForest Buckner is quietly having a very good season despite the high ankle sprain that cost him five games, the longest absence of his career. Buckner leads the Colts with 6.5 sacks and has 12 quarterback hits, one off Dayo Odeyingbo’s team-high 13, despite the missed time. Titans right guard Dillon Radunz has given up seven sacks this season, according to Sports Info Solutions, and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley would be wise to target him with Buckner. Only one other guard in the NFL, Seattle’s Anthony Bradford, has been tagged for more.

8. Anthony Richardson has been a better fit since returning from his two-week benching, but the difference has been marginal. Richardson has completed 50% of his passes, averaging just 6.04 yards per carry. attempts, threw three touchdowns and four interceptions in the four starts he’s made since being benched for a quarterback rating of 63.4. Before benching, he completed 44.3% of his throws, averaging 7.2 yards per game. attempts, posted four touchdowns to seven interceptions, a quarterback rating of 57.2. Richardson has three games left to prove his pass production can be closer to an NFL level, and he opens it by going up against a Titans defense that has kept everything up front. Tennessee allows opposing quarterbacks to complete 66.5% of their passes, but the Titans allow just 6.6 yards per carry. attempts and has given up just 34 explosive throws, the fourth-best mark in the NFL.

9. Tennessee has good pass rushers on the roster, but the Titans won’t test the Colts’ offensive line the way Denver did with 10 quarterback hits last week. Tennessee has 28 sacks, led by Harold Landry’s 8 and Arden Key’s 6.5, again putting pressure on the left tackle Bernhard Raimann and rookie right tackle Matt Goncalves. Watch for veteran Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons; Tennessee will likely try to match him up against Mark Glowinski, a run blocker who often struggles in pass protection.

Who would replace Alec Pierce at receiver?

10. Alec Pierce will not play due to his concussion. With Pierce out, the Colts will likely once again turn to rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchellwhose struggles go beyond his ill-advised attempt to throw the ball back to Richardson on a disastrous trick play last week. Mitchell has just 20 catches on 49 targets this season, racking up 254 yards, no touchdowns and a handful of miscommunications and missed opportunities. Mitchell needs to rise to the occasion, as he did in a six-catch, 71-yard performance against Buffalo, by far his best game of the season.

11. Richardson’s running ability remains the Colts’ best weapon offensively, and he will go up against a Titans defense that has given up 332 rushing yards on 66 carries to quarterbacks this season, a 5.03 average that suggests he will get possibility. Richardson now has 77 carries for 429 yards and five touchdowns this season.

12. Jonathan Taylor must bounce back from the worst moment of his career on Sunday. The Colts running back has 911 total yards, putting him within striking distance of his third 1,000-yard season, and Indianapolis has leaned heavily on the run since Richardson’s return to the starting lineup. Tennessee’s defense has been very good against the run this season, giving up just 4.13 yards per carry. carries, a mark that ranks seventh in the NFL.

13. Michael Pittman Jr. has been battling a back injury all season and has clearly been less than himself. Pittman has 52 catches for 608 yards and two scores, which puts him well behind the 99-catch, 1,000-yard pace of the past three seasons.

14. Indianapolis must have Josh Downs involved again. The slot receiver leads the Colts with 56 receptions this season, but the last two teams he’s played for have taken him away, limiting Downs to just three catches. Indianapolis offense is better when Downs plays; Richardson will find him on Sunday.

15. Rookie punt returns Anthony Gould offered a glimpse of what he can do when he’s aggressive, ripping a 36-yard punt return against Denver, and he should have chances against a Tennessee punt coverage team that has given up 14.7 yards per carry. punt return, 31st in NFL.

16. The Titans also struggle when allowing kick returners to take the ball out of the end zone, giving up a league-worst 32.2 yards per carry. return, though they’ve understandably kicked the most for touchbacks, allowing just 20 kickoff returns on the season so far.