The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts entered the year with similar expectations: win the division, and then compete for Super Bowl LIV.
But things derailed quickly for Indianapolis, when franchise quarterback Andrew Luck abruptly retired before the season started, citing a series of years-long injuries that crushed his love of the game. More injuries struck at key positions, with star wideout T.Y. Hilton sidelined for weeks at a time. Now, the Colts are just looking to exit the regular season with grace and build some momentum going into next year.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll be a pushover. The Colts have enough impactful players at key positions to give the Saints trouble, especially if New Orleans underestimates them like they’ve done too often this year (their home loss to the Atlanta Falcons coming out of the bye week still stings). Here are six matchups where individual battles can make all the difference on “Monday Night Football.”
Colts WR Zach Pascal vs. Saints CB Eli Apple
Apple started the year playing well, executing his responsibilities with penalty-free football. Then he ran into a buzzsaw in that first Falcons game, and still hasn’t really recovered. Whether Apple’s confidence has been shaken in recent weeks or if he’s simply been overmatched by better opponents can’t be said with any surety, but he has to win his matchup with Pascal on Monday.
Pascal has been the breakout star of the Colts this year, emerging out of nowhere to become the team’s big-play threat. He’s averaging 15.6 yards per reception and has snagged five touchdown passes, tying the team lead. While he’s a clear number-two option to Hilton (who Marshon Lattimore should be able to handle, with Hilton questionable to play after missing time with a calf injury), Apple is likely to draw this assignment, and he can’t afford to let Pascal get behind him in coverage.
Saints LT Terron Armstead vs. Colts LB Justin Houston
Houston was a rare big free agent addition for the Colts under general manger Chris Ballard, and that investment has paid off handsomely. Houston leads Indianapolis in sacks (9), quarterback hits (15), and recovered fumbles (3) as the leader of their defensive front. He predominately rushes from the right end spot, which puts him up against the Saints’ all-star left tackle.
Armstead is still on the mend with a high-ankle sprain, but he’s starting to look like his old self again after sitting out two games. And he’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be the best option the Saints have at left tackle. It’s a shame that we aren’t seeing Armstead and Houston battle when both players are at full health and the height of their abilities, but this should still be an impressive — and important — individual competition to watch throughout the game.
Colts TE Jack Doyle vs. Saints DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson
With Vonn Bell missing this game with a knee injury, expect Gardner-Johnson to play even more often than usual as the Saints evaluate their options at the safety position. Gardner-Johnson has proven to be an asset as an open-field tackler and slot defender, but his matchup with Doyle should be very interesting to see. We haven’t seen much of Gardner-Johnson lined up as a conventional box safety or defender up at the line of scrimmage.
The Colts will make an effort to get Doyle the ball; he currently ties the team lead in receptions (38) and just inked a long-term contract extension. How well that strategy pays off depends on whether Gardner-Johnson can keep up with Doyle’s crafty routes in both man and zone coverage. The rookie has done a good job of it so far this year, but this will be a new experience for him by every measure.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. Colts LB Darius Leonard
Kamara struggled to make headway last week against one of the league’s best young linebackers, with San Francisco 49ers stud Fred Warner defending him well all over the field. Now the Saints will get another test for their all-star running back when he squares up against one of the NFL’s other prodigies at the linebacker position, with Leonard coming to town.
Like Warner, Leonard can do it all. He can cover receivers laterally and run with them deep downfield. He can maintain his gap discipline in the run game and meet runners at the line of scrimmage with thunderous hits. He can even read the play design and react quickly enough to create a takeaway, as he did last week with a pick-six off of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston. Kamara needs to get back up to speed before the playoffs get here, but Leonard will really challenge him to do that.
Saints QB Drew Brees vs. Colts FS Malik Hooker
Hooker hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations he generated after getting drafted highly out of Ohio State, but he’s still a dangerous ballhawk that quarterbacks have taken care to avoid. He can be beaten in the open field and maybe manipulated before the snap, but there’s a good chance he wins during contested-catch situations.
If Brees is smart (he is very, very smart) he’ll keep Hooker off-balance by cutting his eyes to different parts of the field and leveraging his posture against Hooker’s angle to the receiver. That’s been Brees’ bread-and-butter for decades now, but Hooker is the rare athlete who can still take advantage of opportunities where Brees gets too greedy and tries to make magic happen (like, say, targeting a fullback on a go route into double coverage).
Colts QB Jacoby Brissett vs. Saints LB Demario Davis
Brissett has been an unspectacular quarterback this season, but things could have been much worse for Indianapolis. He’s scored 18 touchdowns through the air and 3 on the ground, while turning the ball over 11 times (6 interceptions, 5 fumbles). So long as he continues to make correct calls in pass protection before the snap and protect the football, he’ll be fine.
Davis is going to make that hard for him. The veteran linebacker is a terror on blitzes, tied in fourth on the team in both sacks (3) and hits (7), and he has the range to take away Brissett’s safety valves in underneath coverage while carrying receivers further downfield. Davis also has the situational awareness to crash down on Brissett whenever he tries to bail out of the pocket, with the potential to hand out some devastating hits when the opportunity is there.
