THE Detroit Lions make the short trip to Indianapolis in Week 12 to take on the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s a step up in AFC South competition for the Lions, who beat the Jaguars 52-6 a week ago.
The Colts are 5-6 but remain firmly in the AFC playoff mix. Indy ended a three-game losing streak by knocking off the Jets in Week 11. It’s an interesting foe, one the Lions haven’t faced since before Dan Campbell became head coach. To get more information on Detroit’s foe this week, I turned to Colts Wire and Paul Bretl for some questions about Indianapolis.
Anthony Richardson is back in the starting lineup. What can the Lions expect from the second-year QB?
There are still some unknowns as to what to expect, but the game plan we saw from Shane Steichen last week against the Jets is one that Colts fans have been waiting for for much of the season. It was a running-centric approach that involved both Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson. While the passing game – which wasn’t forgotten overall, it was a very good run-pass mix – got Richardson moving and generated a few easy passes up the middle early on, which gave him allowed you to get into the rhythm, and always included a few shooting games.
Obviously there will be variations each week depending on the opponent, but that seems to be the general pattern for success.
So far, only one Colts game has been decided by more than one score. Was it as stressful as it sounds?
Yes and no. Nearly every one of their wins has come down to the wire, but in several of their losses, the Colts have managed to make it a one-score game with an often late charge in the fourth quarter where they play from behind. So even though the final score, in some cases, was relatively close, that doesn’t mean that’s how the game played out.
What’s one thing the Colts do well that doesn’t get enough attention?
The defense did a very good job generating turnovers. They will enter Week 12 with 17 takeaways, which is tied for seventh in football, and have done so by forcing both interceptions and fumbles. This tends to get overshadowed because they are 5-6 overall and their turnover differential is minus one because the offense has struggled to take care of the football.
What worries you most about the Lions?
If I have to choose one thing, I’ll choose the racing game. Although the Colts’ run defense has improved over the past month, improved is also a relative term, meaning they are still susceptible in this area, especially on the edges. Then, if the running game starts, there is a negative trickle-down effect to the rest of the defense, with Detroit then being able to stay ahead of the sticks, leading to opportunities in the passing game that can then be exploited. with clock control. While the Lions are able to move the ball down the field with ease, it feels like things could quickly get out of hand for the Colts.
Who wins and why?
The Lions. Detroit, as you know, is a well-oiled machine and the Colts, even though they are coming off an encouraging victory with Richardson at the helm, are still struggling with inconsistency on both sides of the ball. I just don’t see the Colts having the firepower, or at least not consistently enough, to pull out a win.
This article was originally published on Lions Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Week 12 Preview with Colts Wire
