Following their overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts will play in their first divisional matchup of the season as they head to Tennessee and face the Titans. The last time, these two AFC South rivals faced each other was last season in Week 17, where the winner clinched the AFC’s final wild-card spot.
Despite losing in tough fashion to the Chargers, the Colts left Week 1 with a lot to be excited about. Ranging from running back Marlon Mack’s incredible performance to safety Malik Hooker’s remarkable one-handed interception, the Colts will do their best to readjust and win on Sunday.
Here are three key matchups to watch in the Colts’ Week 2 bout against the Titans:
WR T.Y. Hilton vs. CB Adoree’ Jackson
Even though Hilton can face a variety of Titans defenders on Sunday, it is likely he will face their third-year starting cornerback in Jackson. In fact, it’s so likely that Pro Football Focus currently has Jackson listed as the projected primary defender on Hilton.
This is going to be a prominent matchup on Sunday for a couple of reasons. First of all, Hilton can expect to gather more targets as his teammate Devin Funchess is currently out with a collarbone injury, which he suffered in the Week 1 loss. And lastly, the Titans have been grooming Jackson to be someone who can cover the opposition’s best receiver.
Last Sunday, in their dominant road win over the Browns, Jackson sometimes shadowed star receiver Odell Beckham Jr and did a solid job in coverage. The USC product only surrendered four catches for 45 yards and according to PFF, had the fifth-highest grade for a Titans defender with 70.1.
Edge rusher Cameron Wake vs. Colts’ starting offensive tackles
If there was anything that immediately stood out to some people when looking upon the Colts’ regular-season schedule, it was the caliber of pass rushers they were facing in their first few weeks. Just last Sunday, the Colts had to deal with Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa and soon enough, they’ll see Kansas City’s Chris Jones and Frank Clark along with Houston’s J.J. Watt.
But their toughest matchup could be happening this week as Titans edge pass rusher Cameron Wake is on deck. The former Miami Dolphin absolutely manhandled the Browns’ offensive line in Week 1, as he produced two and a half sacks and one safety. Wake’s efforts were so good, that he actually earned the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday morning.
The Colts’ pair of starting offensive tackles, Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith, have to be more than ready to handle this veteran defender. Wake is still as active and aggressive than ever and can quickly impact the outcome.
RB Derrick Henry vs. Colts’ front seven
In terms of hot streaks in the NFL, running back Derrick Henry is seriously on one dating back to Week 14 of last season. It was then the Alabama product had the best game of his career by rushing for 238 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And since then, Henry is entering Week 2 having scored five total touchdowns while averaging 107 rushing yards per game.
But if Henry’s size (6-foot-3 and 247 pounds) and strength isn’t enough to capture the Colts’ attention, it’s certainly his speed. Last Sunday against the Browns, Henry easily got away from their defense and scored a 75-yard touchdown. That play also represents another recent trend of Henry’s.
While also looking back to Week 14 of last season, the Titans’ workhorse running back broke away for runs of 33 and 99 yards. This isn’t good news for a Colts’ defense which surrendered multiple 10-20-yard runs against the Chargers in Week 1.
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