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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
John Alfieri

Colts vs. Raiders: Keys to victory in Week 10

This week has been…interesting to say the least. The front office decided Frank Reich’s fate and fired the fifth-year head coach mid-way through the 2022 season.

Interim head coach and Colts legend, Jeff Saturday, will now take over with no college or professional coaching experience. Anybody who knows what will happen on Sunday in Las Vegas is a liar, and this team will have to shut out the noise and bounce back quickly.

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The good news? Josh McDaniels and his squad are currently 2-6 on the year and have a knack for blowing games down the stretch. This will still be a challenge for this Colts team, but this mountain is not impossible to climb.

Here are the keys to victory for Jeff Saturday in his NFL coaching debut:

K.I.S.S.

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This is uncharted territory for the new Indianapolis head coach. While Saturday won’t be calling the plays, managing a game can be a challenge for any coach at this level. Combine that with Sam Ehlinger starting his third game under center, and you have a potential recipe for disaster. So how can you overcome that? Slow things down…a lot.

The playbook, while not new for the players, is new for this coaching staff. That will change the way the offense operates come Sunday. Expect a different look with more conservative play calls and more run plays. Hopefully, Jonathan Taylor will be back and the Colts can finally get the ground game going against a team that has struggled in that area all season.

A dangerous connection

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There is no doubt that Davante Adams is one of the league’s premiere wide receivers. The All-Pro has hauled in 48 receptions for 658 yards and is tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns with seven. He and Derek Carr have proven to be one of the best combinations in the league even with their lackluster record. Needless to say, stopping Adams will be a tall task for this Colts secondary.

You have to imagine Stephon Gillmore will be covering the former Green Bay Packer all game, with some safety help from Julian Blackmon or Rodney Thomas II. The Raiders love to design deep routes in their passing game, which the Colts have played well against all year. Expect a battle on the outside with one of the league’s best.

Protection up front

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The Raiders released Jonathan Abram on Tuesday, leaving a big hole in their secondary. The Colts can really get the passing game going this week if Sam Ehlinger can have time to actually throw the ball. The overall effort of the offensive line was abysmal last week against New England, and with plenty of changes heading into this week, it is unclear whether those issues will get solved. 

Limiting the number of sacks will allow the second-year QB to become more confident and actually air it out to his talented group of receivers. The receivers are getting open, and now it’s up to the offensive line to step up and provide time for this offense to reach its full potential. With Jeff Saturday at the helm, maybe some of the issues we have seen all year can be corrected in a short period of time.

Stop the run

AP Photo/AJ Mast

Last week, the Patriots only gained 70 yards on the ground, with a majority of them coming from Rhamondre Stevenson. This week, the Colts defense will go up against Josh Jacobs who has quietly had one of the best years of his career. With 743 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, he can be a force coming out of the backfield, especially when teams are expecting a pass.

Shaquille Leonard and Bobby Okereke will have to lead the charge and shut down the Raiders on the ground. This will allow more resources to be used in the passing game, and more guys to get after Derek Carr.

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