The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) are preparing to host the Tennessee Titans (6-5) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in what is expected to be a physical AFC South matchup.
Both teams are looking to find a way into the playoffs, which means this matchup will have plenty of implications down the stretch—not only in the divisional race but the AFC playoff race as well.
Here are five Colts to watch during the Week 13 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium:
QB Jacoby Brissett
A player that everyone will be watching on Sunday is Brissett. After the Colts have gone four consecutive games without throwing for over 200 yards as a team, Brissett’s status as the future of the Colts’ quarterback room has come into question.
Brissett certainly has the tools to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. He’s intelligent, he has strong pocket mobility and he has a rocket for an arm. But he hasn’t been trusting it for the majority of the season. Those concerns reared their ugly head in the Week 12 loss against the Texans.
The Titans are likely to sell out against the run, which means Brissett will have his chances to air it out. Whether he will take advantage of those chances is what likely determines the game.
RB Jonathan Williams
Another week without running back Marlon Mack, another week the Colts hope to get another dominating performance out of Williams. In his second start since Mack suffered a fractured hand, Williams has a chance to string together three consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards.
The former sixth-round pick had 116 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11 and then recorded 104 rushing yards against the Texans in Week 12 when he got the start. Much of his success will be determined by how the offensive line plays against the Titans’ stout defensive front led by Harold Landry and Rashaan Evans.
The Colts are likely to lean on Williams pretty heavily again as Mack misses another game, and his performance will certainly help determine the outcome.
RT Braden Smith
The Colts offensive line has been stout for the majority of the season but there has been some concern about the right side of the line. While it has been mostly good from Smith, this is a matchup that could give him some trouble.
Smith has struggled mightily this season against bendy pass rushers running the arc. It is highly likely he will see a strong amount of snaps against Harold Landry, who is beginning to live up to some of his potential when he was drafted in the second round.
Landry has eight sacks on the season leading the Titans. Smith has to have a good game against Landry on Sunday if the Colts are to have any semblance of a passing attack.
DT Denico Autry
While the Colts have seen plenty of production from defensive end Justin Houston and a handful of players off the edge, the interior pass rush has been mostly left for dead.
Autry hasn’t been the same pass rusher he was when he recorded nine sacks in 2018. He hasn’t recorded a sack since he had two in Week 2. Luckily, that game came against the Titans. He will need to have more of that production on Sunday if the defense is going to continue its strong play.
Autry has the ability to make a major impact for the Colts against the Ryan Tannehill-led offense of the Titans, something to Colts would love to see again on Sunday.
LB Anthony Walker
The Colts defense has a main objective on Sunday in bottling up the buzzsaw that is running back Derrick Henry. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound bruiser is enjoying a career year en route to 991 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Stopping him will be the linebacker duo of Darius Leonard and Walker. The Colts have been strong against the run lately, not allowing a team to rush for 100 yards in four straight games. Walker has been a big part of that for the Colts recently.
Bottling up Henry won’t be easy as he’s been efficient in his career against the Colts, and Walker will be tasked with leading the charge against the monstrous back.
