The Indianapolis Colts will have a golden opportunity in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, as not only can they sweep the season series with their division rival, they can effectively put Tennessee away for good.
Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is well aware of the opportunity at hand but is expecting a “dog fight” against the Titans on Sunday.
“Yeah, we know it’s going to be a dog fight. They’ve been playing really well at home all year obviously,” Buckner said. “Yeah, any division game is always going to be a dog fight.
“Shoot, personally I haven’t swept the Titans since I’ve been here. So, it’s a great opportunity to do that and also stack another win in the win column and make this playoff push. They are the next obstacle in the way and we’ve got to continue to be at our best in all three phases.”
Now, a look at what else the Colts are saying ahead of Sunday’s rematch.
LB Zaire Franklin
“Playing against Tennessee, there’s no secret and no stranger to the energy and mentality that coach Vrabel brings to that team, to that field,” Franklin said. “I know their team is going to be ready, I know their team is going to be prepared.
“Playing Tennessee is no secret. You gotta stop the run, you gotta run the ball. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
LB E.J. Speed
“It’s 11 men on the field and when we’re playing a team like Tennessee,” Speed said. “It takes all 11.”
DC Gus Bradley
“I think each week we say No. 1, stop the run – but probably this week it’s No. 1, stop, stop the run,” Bradley said. “It’s a special emphasis just because that’s what really everything is based off of. If [the Titansp can get the ball running and now their play-action passes become that much more effective – we have to do a good job up front. Our stats don’t show that we’re knocking out the run.
“The past couple weeks it’s been a give and take on what our philosophy is going into the game, but I think a team like this where you’ve got great respect for their run game and their ability – I mean, they can get 200 yards on you real quick. We’ve got to have a special emphasis on that part.”
HC Shane Steichen
On the Titans:
“They’ve doing a good job. Again, I’ve got a ton of respect for Coach (Mike) Vrabel, obviously the first time we went up against him – he’s had a ton of success in this league. They do a good job on defense. I think it starts up front with (Jeffery) Simmons, (Teair) Tart and (Arden) Key. Those guys are really good players. It’ll be a heck of a challenge any time you go on the road in an environment with a division opponent – it’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a four-quarter battle that we’ve got to get ready for. But they’re playing good football. Offensively, we know what Derrick Henry is – he’s a heck of a football player. We’ve got to tackle him. The quarterback, (Will) Levis playing now – he’s got a big arm and they are putting the ball down the field a good amount with him so we’ve got to eliminate the explosive plays. (DeAndre) Hopkins is a really good player that we got to keep an eye on.”
On Will Levis:
“Huge arm. Can make all the throws. Very tough. He was a smart football player. It looks like he’s going to have a good career.”
On personnel changes for both teams since Week 5:
“Yeah, I think you kind of look at – is it more schematically did they switch things up? Defensively, offensively is really what you look at. From a personnel standpoint – I know they got some new guys. K’Von Wallace on the backend, spent some time with him in Philly. They’ve got some new pieces, so yeah.”
On Titans’ success at home:
“I know they are scoring a lot of points there, I looked at that last night. I think they scored 17 against Atlanta but everything else they’ve scored 20-plus points. I don’t know the rhyme or reason for it but they’re playing good at home.”
QB Gardner Minshew
On what he expects from a Vrabel-led team:
“They’re always going to play hard, it starts up front with them – their front kind of sets the tone. They do a really good job rushing against the run. That’s kind of the hard-nose football style of their defense.”
On Titans’ defense:
“Yeah they’re going to be playing hard, they’re going to be strong up front. I think they’re backers fly around, do a good job. The backend – they move around and make plays. It’ll be a good challenge and one we’re excited for.”
