The Colts, currently at 6-6 on the year, are not completely out of the playoff picture after losing four of their last five games. On Sunday, Frank Reich’s squad will travel to Tampa Bay to face off against former Colts interim head coach, Bruce Arians and his Buccaneers currently sitting at 5-7.
While this Bucs roster is full of talent at every position, they have struggled to find a consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball and have lost a lot of games late. Either way this team is not to be underestimated.
Here are five Buccaneers the Colts must gameplan for in order to get their season back on track and keep their postseason hopes alive:
WR Mike Evans
This is the obvious one. At 6’5″ and weighing 230 pounds, Evans is one of the hardest receivers in the league to cover. His 1,096 receiving yards are currently the third-best in the NFL and his seven touchdowns are currently tied for the fifth-most among receivers.
Stopping Evans will be imperative for the Colts secondary if they want to win this game. Evans is targeted heavily on third down and in the red zone, so it will be important for Matt Eberflus to order double coverage on Evans a majority of snaps.
Look for Pierre Desir and Malik Hooker to provide the coverage on Evans and try to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage.
WR Chris Godwin
Stopping Evans is not the only tall task for the Colts secondary. Godwin is one of the best slot receivers in the league this season and has totaled 74 catches for 1,121 yards, second among receivers, and leads the league in touchdowns for receivers as well with nine.
This speedy and shifty playmaker can be a real issue for any defense. With teams being forced to pay extra attention to Evans, Godwin sometimes slips through the cracks and has done so in a big way this year.
The matchup of the day might just be Kenny Moore vs Godwin in the slot as the Colts try to corral Winston’s favorite weapon.
LB Shaq Barrett
Barrett is quietly one of the candidates for defensive player of the year. With 38 total tackles, six forced fumbles and an interception, he certainly knows how to fill up a stat sheet. Oh, and not to mention he leads the league in sacks with 14.5.
Not letting Barrett get to Jacoby Brissett will be crucial to a victory on Sunday. The offensive line will have their hands full with the collection of talented Tampa Bay pass rushers but Barrett has to draw the most attention due to his numbers that seem to jump off the page.
DT Ndamukong Suh
Suh has bounced around to three teams in the past three years but has maintained a high level of production no matter where he goes. As one of the best run stoppers in the league, Suh is a 6’4″ 313-pound force upfront that is hard to move around.
Establishing the run game after it seemed to disappear last week versus Tennessee will be so important to this Colts offense. When Indy is able to run the football, the offense opens up and is much more effective.
The Bucs have a big and physical defensive line and it will be a great battle on Sunday in the trenches. Stopping Suh from disrupting the run will be the first step in getting Jonathan Williams and company involved in the offense.
LB Lavonte David
David leads the team in tackles with 91 total on the year. He mostly plays in the middle but is a talented run stopper as well as an over the middle coverage linebacker. Any receiver coming over the middle on a slant or drag is at risk of getting blown up by David.
Not letting David disrupt the run game is vital to the Colts offensive success and if they want to effectively move the ball on this talented Tampa Bay defense, Davis is one guy that can not have a big day. Forcing him to move around in coverage should open up the middle of the field for quick strikes and easy yards.
