How the Colts can beat the Giants

Oct 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

After an ugly loss on the road to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts (5-3) have a chance to redeem themselves in a primetime Monday night matchup against the New York Giants (3-4).

The Colts are coming off a 34-51 road tromping at the hands of the Steelers. Luck was great and the offensive weapons performed well with no Reggie Wayne, but the defense was abysmal. Ben Roethlisberger passed for a career high 522 yards against a Colts team without the leadership of Vontae Davis after a first quarter injury. Le’Veon Bell couldn’t be stopped in the run game and it helped the offensive attack become even more potent. Indy’s pass rush failed to puncture the bulletproof offensive line and Big Ben had all day to throw. Without a defense that could make stops, a great day for Luck was tarnished in a loss that interrupted Indy’s five-game win streak.

New York has had time to rest their guys with a long 15-day bye week. In Week 7, the Giants lost a big matchup in Dallas 21-31 to a then-dominant Dallas Cowboys team. New York’s offensive line held up for Eli Manning, allowing no sacks on the afternoon. Manning responded by throwing for 248 yards and three touchdown tosses. However, a few costly fumbles from tight end Larry Donnell set up the Cowboys for scores. Romo had a great game while the rushing attack from DeMarco Murray proved to be too much for the visiting Giants.

Let’s take a look at a few things that the Colts need to do to beat New York in the Meadowlands.

Don’t underestimate them:

I’d been screaming it all week: “Do not underestimate the Steelers. They’re still a good football team.” Weirdly enough, I also seemed to be the only one not surprised that once Pittsburgh grabbed a lead (in front of a raucous home crowd), they never looked back. If Indy wants to learn from their mistakes, it would be wise to not see this game as a gimme. Any road matchup makes winning tough, and MetLife Stadium is no exception. They may not have performed up to par so far this year, but it’s important to remember that the Eli/Tom Coughlin combo has a pair of Super Bowls; this is no game against schlubs. Indy needs to go into this game with a gameplan in place and find ways to beat this New York Giants team instead of planning to win.

The rookie has some moves:

Since Victor Cruz went down with a gruesome patellar tendon injury, the Giants have seen rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr. step up in huge ways for the team. He’s been a big scoring threat in the red zone while also showing moves that don’t make him look like a rookie. This receiver could be good for years to come. However, on this Monday night matchup, it will be the Colts’ job to slow him down. Vontae Davis has been in full practice so far this week and has shown no indication that he’ll be limited in Monday’s game. Assuming Davis plays, he’ll be tasked with stopping Beckham before he gets momentum going. I don’t want to underestimate the young playmaker, but I promise this will be an easier process than curbing Antonio Brown’s production from last week.

Larry Donnell: The X-Factor:

What do Julius Thomas, Zach Ertz, Delanie Walker, Owen Daniels and Heath Miller have in common? They’re all tight ends who have ravaged the Colts’ defense. It is no secret that the Colts are weak eight yards off the ball in the middle of the field, especially in zone coverage. After a major failure with his guys playing zone on Sunday, Greg Manusky may lean toward a man-defense scheme. However, if the Colts want to cover that middle part of the field, it comes down to the stout and disciplined play from D’Qwell Jackson and Jerrell Freeman. They’re known for run stopping but have stunk it up covering the tight end this year. Larry Donnell has been a huge surprise for the Giants this year and has performed well at the tight end spot. If Indy can’t find a defensive scheme to shore up the middle of the field, Donnell very well could have a field day.

Balanced attack first…then air the ball out:

Yeah, the Colts were behind by 14 before they could get anything going, I get that. But running the football seven times (QB scrambles deducted) in a football game sends a very negative message. It’s not like Ahmad Bradshaw was bad on any of his runs, the Colts just didn’t stick with it. In this game, I expect Indy to feed it to Bradshaw and Trent Richardson early and often. Let them run it up the gut and test those New York middle linebackers. That way, impact pass players like Jason Pierre-Paul and Prince Amukamara can’t have the opportunity to make plays. Once the defense starts stacking the box (yes, even Trent Richardson can attract an extra linebacker in the box), Pep Hamilton should allow his resident passing-yardage leader to air out the ball. Test weaker coverage and let the receivers make plays on a secondary that doesn’t have much depth beyond Amukamara. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Luck pass for just 100 yards in the first half before directing the aerial attack in Act II. That starts up front with the offensive line blocking well for Richardson and Bradshaw against New York’s 22nd-ranked run defense.