The Colts will host the Tennessee Titans this weekend in a crucial division game that will bring clarity to the four-way tie for the AFC South crown. Although it is still early in the season, the Colts are already doing better than projected and have a real shot to win the division. However, the key to winning any division is to win the games against divisional opponents.
As the Colts look to 3-2 on the season and stay at the top of the division, here are 3 things to watch during this key division matchup.
The Return of Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor was elevated off of the PUP (physically unable to perform) list this week and it is expected that he will suit up this weekend and play against the Titans. Per usual for NFL teams, players that come off of an injury are eased back into the game, so more than likely JT will be on a snap count.
Taylor was a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to be a full participant again today. With it being over 290 days since his last time on the field, it is evident that Taylor is looking forward to playing and being back on the field for his team.
It’s hard to believe, but just two months ago, Jonathan Taylor wanted a contract extension, and when he was denied, he formally asked to seek a trade. No trade was ever solidified, and the Colts put JT on the PUP list due to a nagging ankle injury that stemmed from last season. Flash forward to today and JT was all smiles and seemed pumped up and ready to play for the Colts. During an interview with the media in which is he is not obligated to do considering he is not (technically) activated to the 53-man roster yet, Taylor was asked about his commitment to the team. He responding by saying, “I’m here. If somebody wasn’t committed, they wouldn’t be here. I’m here”.
In case anyone forgot how much of a superstar Jonathan Taylor was, here are his career stats:
Blake Freeland at Left Tackle
Starting LT Bernhard Raimann was ruled out this weekend as he still in under concussion protocol and has not practiced all week. That being said, it will be rookie and backup LT Blake Freeland once again to fill in the void. He got his first NFL start last week against the Rams and it could not have been a more daunting debut as he went up against All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald and had several one-on-one matchups. All things considered, Freeland was able to hold up enough to where he was not an obvious cause for any offensive woes. He did lose contain on several occasions, but again, going up a league’s best defensive tackle is expected.
The Titans have one of the better defensive lines in the league right now, so Freeland will have yet another daunting task against a defense led by Denico Autry. If the Colts want to have any glimmer of the firepower that they had in the second half against the Rams, they will need the left side of the line shored up. Richardson is a very good runner and can be elusive in the pocket, but the Colts want him to remain healthy for the rest of the season and the best way achieve that is by keeping the pocket clean.
That being said, the Titans are vulnerable in the secondary. The issue is that the D-line tends to nullify their weak secondary by getting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run. This Tennessee D-line ranks top 10 in all major categories – sack % (#9), rush yards per rush (#1), and rush yards per game (#4).
It certainly appears as though the rookie Freeland will have his hands full yet again this weekend, but he is a rookie and these snaps will be very meaningful to his growth and development.
Next Man Up at Corner
Starting CB Dallis Flowers suffered a season-ending ankle injury in last week’s loss to Los Angeles and for a team already very young in the secondary, it will be up to 2nd year CB Darrell Baker Jr. and rookie CB Jaylon Jones. According to Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley, it will be up to those young guys to step up and produce.
We have already seen Darrell Baker Jr. in action this season with JuJu Brents being out and in Baker’s two appearances, he seemed very overmatched and struggled to stay locked on to his guy. Jaylon Jones on the other hand has yet to play, so it will be interesting to see how he does if the Colts intend to utilize him.
Regardless of which corner fills the voice, the Colts will probably lean on safety help especially considering the Titans utilize so much play-action. The issue is that if a team uses safety help on the outside, that leaves the middle wide open. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is a veteran and can easily exploit any holes within the Colts zone defense (especially if play-action is in use).
Eluding to a comment made in a previous article, the best friend to a weak secondary is pressure on the quarterback. The Colts have been fairly consistent with their front seven and being able to dial up pressure. If Gus Bradley can get creative and mix in some blitzes, Jones or Baker Jr. might be okay this weekend.
The Final Down
The Colts come into this weekend as 2.5-point underdogs at home. The Titans are coming off of a stellar defensive performance against Joe Burrow and the Colts are coming off a disappointing defensive performance against the Rams. All of the data will suggest that the Colts should lose this game by at least a touchdown, but the Titans have not faced a QB quite like Anthony Richardson and Richardson has already faced a handful of strong defenses to start the season.
The Tennessee offense is not the key to their success. Even with RB Derrick Henry, it has been their defense that has been the main feature. A case could be made that the Colts are in a similar boat. Their defense has had moments of weakness but it is the defense that has helped them stay in games and win games. The Colts secondary is certainly a concern without Dallis Flowers, but for some reason Gus Bradley always seems to dial something up that helps to nullify the weakness. The Colts do not have good overall defensive rankings but the rise in offensive firepower seems to nullify that as well. This game will be back and forth for a while. Ultimately, the Colts will pull away and the home crowd will get to witness their first home win of the season.
Titans – 20
Colts – 24
The Colts will play the Jacksonville Jaguars next week on the road (10/15)
The Lucky Colt 
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