Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans Pre-Game Primer

Sep 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Returning back home after a dominating 44-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) will take on the Tennessee Titans (1-2) in the team’s second consecutive divisional matchup. Indy is looking forward to their second matchup in Lucas Oil Stadium of the year and will try to reach .500 for the first time this season.

Tennessee hasn’t exactly had a great season. Coming off back-to-back losses against the Cowboys and the Bengals, this Titans team is clamoring for a win. Starting quarterback Jake Locker is questionable for the matchup and Tennessee may be featuring backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. However, even with a backup quarterback at the helm, the Titans always give the Colts a great game.

Game information:

Sunday, September 28, 1:00 p.m. EST
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Television: CBS

Here’s the main things that I’ll be watching for on Sunday afternoon:

• Interior defense: The Titans’ offense doesn’t have a ton of big-play threats, but Delanie Walker has a history of doing very well against the Colts. With Indianapolis’ recent history against opposing tight ends Julius Thomas and Zach Ertz, Walker could have a field day catching the football. With Jerrell Freeman likely still out with a hamstring, D’Qwell Jackson and Josh McNary will have to play standout defense to take out the Titans’ few offensive threats. In the run game, it’s up to these guys as well as interior lineman Zach Kerr, Josh Chapman and Cory Redding to stop Shonn Greene and Bishop Sankey.
• Stopping Jurrell Casey: Casey has a history of destroying the Colts’ offensive lineman in the Andrew Luck era and he’s not likely to let up in this game. Ranked as the sixth-best defensive end in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Casey is a gigantic threat to the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive rhythm. He’s a speedy big guy and can play defensive end in the body of a defensive tackle. Casey typically rushes from the quarterback’s left side, leaving it up to Anthony Castonzo and Jack Mewhort to stop the defensive behemoth. The Titan’s defense hasn’t been great so far this season, but the pass rush is still solid. The formula is simple: stop the pass rush and the Titans are weak.
• Maintaining a rhythm: Outside of Andrew Luck and Ahmad Bradshaw, the Colts haven’t exactly been fantasy football stalwarts on offense. Looking at last week’s win against the Jaguars, no one sticks out other than Andrew Luck’s fantastic attack. However, this is exactly what the Colts want: everyone performing on offense equally with the ball being spread around as much as possible. Luck was able to get the ball to all of his receivers, including an emerging Donte Moncrief against the Jaguars and the Colts will try to do the same thing against Tennessee. The Colts got into a rhythm early in Jacksonville and will want to get into a rhythm early against Tennessee. That means finding open receivers on every play, Luck making good decisions and converting early third downs.
• Running back consistency: Both Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw are performing well for the Colts so far this season. While Bradshaw has certainly been the better back, the Colts have been able to use the two running backs in tandem efficiently. Against a Tennessee defense that hasn’t done a good job at stopping the run, both players will be heavily relied upon early in the game to make plays for the Colts. They’ve been good, but maintaining that solid play is tough to do, especially with Bradshaw’s injury proneness and Richardson’s history of not doing well.

Injury updates:

Indianapolis Colts: Probable: WR T.Y. Hilton (ankle), G Hugh Thornton (ankle), CB Greg Toler (ribs) | Questionable: G Joe Reitz (ankle), C Khaled Holmes (ankle), FB Mario Harvey (hamstring), LB Andy Studebaker (hamstring), S Colt Anderson (groin) | Doubtful: DT Arthur Jones (ankle), ILB Jerrell Freeman (hamstring)

Tennessee Titans: Questionable: QB Jake Locker (wrist), TE Delanie Walker (shoulder), TE Taylor Thompson (knee), DE Ropati Pitoitua (knee), LB James Anderson (upper leg)