THE Colts changed identities with a change on the depth chart this week.
Indianapolis went from a team trying to develop a young quarterback to a team determined to make the playoffs with Joe Flacco, 39 years old at the bar.
They get their first chance to make their decision count in the NFL’s marquee game of the week.
THE Colts face Minnesota on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. at US Bank Stadium on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” counting on Flacco to get them back on track against a Vikings team that’s finally starting to show some warts after a hot start to the game. season.
Joe Flacco vs. Brian Flores
1. Flacco faces a Minnesota defense led by Brian Flores that will bring plenty of blitzes and constantly change up his coverages to confuse the Colts and their veteran quarterback. Under Flores, the Vikings defense opened the season against a Heat, but Minnesota has cooled considerably, giving up more than 386 yards in three of its last four games.
2. Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 100 yards or more in three of his five starts this season, but he’ll likely find sledding tough against a Vikings run defense that ranks third in the NFL in yards allowed (83.9 per game) and yards per carry (3.9). Only one team, the Lions, had more than 107 rushing yards in a game against Minnesota, racking up 144 yards on 27 carries.
3. If Taylor finds little space to run, the play will fall on Flacco’s right arm, particularly his ability to keep the ball out of danger. Minnesota’s pass defense ranks 30th in the NFL in passing yards allowed (263 per game), but the Vikings rank 10th in yards per dropback (6.37), 14th in completion percentage allowed (.644) and 10th in quarterback rating (83.5), largely because Minnesota is so good at creating takeaways. The Vikings lead the NFL with 12 interceptions; no one on the roster has more than two, and eight different people have at least one choice so far.
Vikings blitz against Colts passing offense
4. Minnesota’s blitzing pass rush creates a lot of mistakes. The Vikings are tied for fourth in the NFL with 24 sacks this season. The Indianapolis offensive line has allowed just 15 sacks, tied for seventh in the league, but the Colts gave up five sacks to Houston last week and gave up constant pressure two weeks in a row because they struggled with Minnesota’s strength, the blitz.
5. Indianapolis left tackle Bernhard Raimann will miss this game with a concussion, and the Colts will likely give rookie tackle Matt Gonçalves the first start of his career. Minnesota’s blitzes get most of the attention, but the Vikings’ edge rushers got the job done: Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard both had five sacks, tying them with rotational edge rusher Patrick Jones for the team lead .
Bernard Raimann’s injury update: Colts left tackle out against Vikings with concussion
6. Expect Josh Downs to get most of the action in the passing game with Flacco at the helm. Downs has caught 24 passes in Flacco’s three games this season, and the team’s No. 1 receiver, Michael Pittman Jr.certainly looked for answers to play better despite the back injury that limited him throughout the season. So far, the Flacco-led passing game has largely focused on short, high-percentage throws, putting most of the weight on the shoulders of Downs and Pittman.
7. Minnesota manages to play a lot of two-deep safety looks while running through their coverages, which could make it difficult for the wide receiver. Alex Pierce to face the Vikings. Minnesota’s starting cornerbacks, Stephon Gilmore, 34, and Shaquill Griffin, 29, can’t match Pierce’s speed, but they’ll likely have plenty of help up top.
8. If there’s one place the Vikings defense has struggled this season, it’s in the red zone, where Minnesota is tied for 24th. Indianapolis is tied for 19th in the league in red zone conversions this year, and passing Anthony Richardson in Flacco removes part of Shane SteichenRunning options.
9. Indianapolis has made some plays in the return game over the past two weeks, but Downs and a rotating group of characters on kick returns will likely have problems against a Minnesota special teams unit that ranks top-five first covering both types of kicks this season. .
The Vikings and Colts have explosive passing offenses
10. Minnesota’s passing attack has been one of the most explosive in the league this season, tied with a handful of other teams, including the Colts, for ninth in the NFL with 25 20-yard passes or more. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per attempt, averaging 8.5 yards on each throw, and three of Minnesota’s top four receivers average more than 15.8 yards per socket.
11. The most devastating weapon in Minnesota’s arsenal is obviously Justin Jefferson, a one-man defensive coordinator. Gus Bradley recognized as perhaps the most complete wide receiver in the NFL. Jefferson has 41 catches for 646 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he will give Indianapolis’ outside cornerbacks Jaylon Jones And Samuel Womack III adapts. The Colts are going to have to throw coverages the Jefferson way.
The Colts pass the offensive line against the Vikings
12. For the second week in a row, the Indianapolis pass rush faces an offensive line ripe for the taking. Minnesota’s offensive line allowed 22 sacks, or 11.58 percent of Darnold’s dropbacks, the second-worst mark in the NFL this season. Even worse, the Vikings lost left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending knee injury last week; Minnesota traded for Jacksonville left tackle Cam Robinson, but the veteran is no Darrisaw.
13. The inner rush duo of DeForest Buckner And Dayo Odeyingbo could have another big day against the Vikings offensive line. Minnesota right guard Ed Ingram has allowed three sacks this season, center Garrett Bradbury has allowed two sacks and the Vikings are considering reshuffling the offensive line, telling reporters that Dalton Risner could join the starting lineup this week.
14. Vikings running back Aaron Jones remains an explosive weapon after leaving the Packers in the offseason. Minnesota’s running game ranks just 22nd in the NFL, but Jones is averaging 4.8 yards per rush (501 total yards) and 10.3 yards per reception as an option. #2 Minnesota in the passing game.
15. Known for putting the ball in danger when he started with the Jets and Panthers, Darnold curbed his worst impulses with the Vikings. Darnold has thrown five interceptions, throwing a pick on 2.6% of plays, and he faces a Colts defense that has just four interceptions this season, ranking Indianapolis 20th in the NFL.
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Vikings: 15 things to watch as Joe Flacco replaces Richardson
