Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts, Anthony Richardson Set For Massive Game Against Denver Broncos
Episode Date: December 13, 2024The Indianapolis Colts and Anthony Richardson head to Denver for the biggest game of the season on Sunday. Will the Colts falter or will this be the game that the team finally puts it all together for... a massive win?  Become a Locked On Colts insider! Ask your burning questions and get prompt answers from someone who's around the team every day! Get special access from the locker room, practice field, and press box! JOIN HERE! Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram! Crossover Thursday is presented by PrizePicks. Download the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Omaha SteaksFrom legendary steaks to mouthwatering desserts and more, save 50% off site-wide for a limited time at OmahaSteaks.com. Plus, our listeners get an extra $30 off with Promo Code NFL.IceShakerCreated by and used by the Gronkowski brothers, IceShakers has sold over 1 million bottles. They have changed the game with workout bottles, and this is the gift you’ve been looking for… go to IceShaker.com and use the code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout to save 25% on your order.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.Bilt RewardsStart earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/LOCKEDONNFL.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Transcript
Discussion (0)
The stage is set for the Colts' biggest game of the season.
Will they put up yet another dud, or will they finally put it all together when it matters the most?
Let's get to it.
You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast.
Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.
Thank you all for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day.
This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts,
part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.
I want to remind you guys that you can start this season with a big return on FanDuel.
New customers can place a $5 bet, and you'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if
you win your first $5 bet. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. Hello, everyone. My name is
Zach Hickshare, resident film nerd over at HorseshoeHuddle.com. And my partner, Jake Arthur,
is out today, but don't worry. I still have a fun show planned for you guys. We're going to put a
bow on Colts and Broncos and talk about my final
thoughts on this matchup going into the game. And then we're going to really segment it, segment
this down in the first two segments with talking about the defense and how the defense really needs
to show up for their last hurrah of the season, potentially, and how the offense needs to get
off to a fiery start in this game against a very good Broncos defense. So let's kick it off with
the Colts offense and talk about, again, we're going to kind of break this down in two parts, talk about
what the offense basically needs to do just going forward in general. And then we're going to really
look at this at the micro level and look at how they can attack this Broncos defense. So starting
with the actual offense itself, you know, this is a theme that's kind of plagued the Colts all
season long. It's really just about that average kind of plagued the Colts all season long.
It's really just about that average depth of target in the passing game. We've been hearing
all season long how Anthony Richardson leads the NFL in ADOT. He is targeting receivers. I think
it's like 13.5 yards down the field, air yards down the field on his throws. Even since returning
from his benching where his play has been much better, his ADOT
has still been the highest in the NFL.
It's actually gone up since the early season.
Now, again, there's been a little bit more production, but when you are constantly forcing
the downfield throw, you are missing checkdowns and missing chances to establish the offense.
So in an environment where Anthony Richardson has been playing better football recently
in terms of just his short game, his ability from the clean pocket, and his ability in the standard dropback,
I really want to see that average depth of target just come down a little bit. Like, you can still
be above 10. Like, that's perfectly fine. That still puts him in the upper echelon of the league
in terms of where he's targeting his wide receivers on an average basis, but I still want to see this
get closer to like a 10 or maybe a nine,
like it is kind of with the rest of the league rather than sitting at 13.
And then we can maybe see a little bit more efficiency and more success right on offense.
We actually have seen the Colts success right on offense go up quite a bit since Richardson's
return, but it still has chance to like get better and better.
So I think even for this Broncos game,
for any game in general,
we want to see that average depth of target
just come down just a little bit.
I think it was like 16 last week.
So we want to see that get down to,
again, let's try to get like 10 or 11 this week.
It's not, you know,
that's not not doable right there for this team.
So let's bring that down just a little bit.
And then another thing I really want to mention
is just let's lean into the QB run game a
little bit, especially with this game essentially being a playoff game for this Colts team.
I know you want to keep your quarterback healthy.
You don't want to run Anthony Richardson into the ground, but this is a got to have it type
of game.
Anthony Richardson, if the opportunity is there and you want to be aggressive with your
give or takes on those read options, let's get some takes in this one.
Let's get Richardson rolling.
If it is a 14 to 15 carry type game for him, that's fine if it's working.
You know, like if Richardson is the running game,
like he has been at times this season,
let's get Anthony Richardson going in this game and really lean on his ability
because that is the rare trait that he brings at quarterback.
And this is a playoff game.
You have to win this game regardless. I don't care if it's ugly or pretty. So if it has to be a QB run
game, let's get it going. And then one more thing I want to mention before we really dive into this
Broncos matchup in general is the third down offense. You know, third down offense, again,
has been a little bit better since Richardson has returned to the starting lineup, but there is
still some places that this offense can go by the
end of the season to make this third down offense look better. They've been still in the bottom half
of the league since Richardson's returned. Now, when Richardson was starting early in the season,
they were by far and away the worst offense in football on third down. So this is a positive
improvement, but again, we still want to see this go to another level. Looking specifically at this
Denver Broncos game though, I think the biggest thing and
shout out to Jake Arthur for mentioning it here on the show a couple of days ago on Wednesday's
show, it's attacking that outside cornerback number two.
Last time that we saw the Denver Broncos, which was against the Cleveland Browns, Levi
Wallace held down the fort there at cornerback to opposite of Pat Sertan, and he allowed
six catches for 154 yards
and two touchdowns against the Browns. Now, I don't know if Levi Wallace is set to be the starter
yet again in this matchup against the Colts, but we kind of would hope that he will be the starter,
obviously with numbers like that against the Browns. So maybe Alec Pierce or A.D. Mitchell,
if he can catch the ball, you know, you can get those guys vertically down the field and get some big plays going against this Broncos defense. And Colts fans
know this better than most teams. When you have one big liability at outside corner, it could hurt
your entire defense, regardless of how good your defense is. I mean, do I need to throw us back to
I think it was 2021 season with Bo Peet Keys against the Baltimore Ravens that one game just getting toasted on
multiple plays. We had the Tony Brown Jr. game last year against the Saints. I mean, one bad
outside corner can really make or break your defense, and the Colts would be wise to attack
and just pepper whoever it is out there starting in place of Riley Moss, who is set to likely miss
this game on Sunday. So that's really where the Colts can exploit here.
Again, you want to lean on Anthony Richardson a little bit more in the shorter game.
It kind of goes back to that average depth of target.
Let's bring the targets down a little bit.
Again, you can still have the big play down the field.
You can still have the deep shots, but the Colts are three of 17 throwing the ball with
20 plus air yards since Richardson's return to the lineup.
Now, this is not all on Richardson.
He's had six big time throws on those three completions. So clearly there are some drops and there are some misses from his receivers. But again, you still want to see a little bit
more efficient in the short game. Richardson's been really good in short passing since he's
been back in the starting lineup. He's been really good from a clean pocket. He's the highest rated
pro football focus passer from a clean pocket and on standard drop back since returning. So let's lean into the quick game a little bit.
If you see the Broncos are playing off on the outside, let's get a quick out and get Richardson
just setting his feet quick, getting an easy completion and get a free five, six, seven yards.
And then if you see that outside corner crashing downhill, let's hit him with a double move and
get them behind the corner. And then you can have your explosive plays. But let's build on the explosive plays rather than just going
from the get-go. Let's build up to it rather than just attacking down the field constantly,
like we've seen this Colts team do all season long. So let's get the layups going a little bit,
some more quick screens. I liked what they did with Michael Pittman Jr. against the New England
Patriots. They hit him constantly with those wide receiver screens and it got the offense
moving a little bit. So let's get those easy completions going for the offense. Let's build
some success through the air and then you can take your shots down the field. I love I love
the explosive offense. I love the explosive passing offense, but it does lead to inefficiency
when we're attacking too much down the field. So I think a key in this game is finding those spots in the zone, finding those players to
exploit and just hitting them with the quick and underneath passage.
You know, find Josh Downs, who's likely to play this week, get the ball in his hands
quickly and let him do some work.
I think those are going to be your big opportunities through the air in this game.
Going to the ground, though, like I mentioned at the top, lean into that QB run game.
This is a in this game. Going to the ground though, like I mentioned at the top, lean into that QB run game. This is a playoff game. If Richardson has some take opportunities,
take the ball and go, man. We saw against the Detroit Lions early in that game,
the Colts QB running game was looking really, really good. They went away from it after that
first drive and the offense kind of faltered the rest of the way. So if you have to lean into the
QB run game, so be it. This is a game where you have to put all your cards on the table.
If you have to pull out trick plays, you have to pull out a bunch of fancy things like do
whatever it takes.
You have to win this game no matter what.
So lean into that QB run game, lean into the ground game.
Maybe you can open some things up for Jonathan Taylor as well if you get Richardson running
a little bit.
And then my biggest point, I mean, you could say this every single week, but especially this week, again, and essentially a playoff game is
convert in the red zone. Again, the Colts have been much better since Richardson's been back
from his benching in terms of red zone touchdown rate. I think there were like 60% since his return.
I believe that's the number I saw there.
That's a good number.
We like that number.
But let's get that number even higher for this game.
Let's go.
Let's look for 70, 75, 80%. Let's go for 100% in this game.
This is a game where, again, all cards are on the table.
We have to convert in the red zone in this game.
Field goals are not going to cut it because as we're going to talk about here in a second,
I don't know how effective this Colts defense is going to be against Sean Payton, Bo Nix in this
Denver Broncos offense.
So the Colts offense, when they're on the field, they need to get points.
They need to convert in the red zone.
And I would love to see just a game where we get four good quarters from the offense.
We've seen spurts this season.
We saw like the Patriots and Jets games where they're really good in the first quarter in
the fourth quarter, but quarters two and three and three they struggled let's see a full four
quarter game from the offense in this one let's see some consistency lean on the QB run game lean
on the short passing game and then let that build to your explosives over the top later in the game
I think the Colts have an opportunity to do that this weekend but what will we see it from this
offense that's been so inconsistent this season we shall see but coming up guys we're going to switch gears and talk about this Colts defense
and how they need to have the game of their life on Sunday for the Colts to have a chance at victory
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Locked on Colts every day as we are shifting gears and talking about this Colts defense, which has been an absolute roller coaster this season.
I mean,
this whole team has been an absolute roller coaster from start to finish this
year.
And I don't expect that to change too much this weekend, but offense,
defense, coaching, special teams.
We don't know if we're going to get the highs or the lows from week to week. We just know they're never going to get the highs at the same
time when it comes to these units. But talking about this Colts defense, it has been a season
of runs for them. Early in the season, just an absolute brutal stretch to start the year,
just couldn't find their footing whatsoever. Middle of the season, when the toughest teams
that they faced all year came out, this Colts defense figured it out. You know, they started forcing turnovers. They started playing
hard. They started forcing teams not to score in the red zone and they gave their offense a shot,
except the Colts offense just couldn't figure it out then. Lately, when the Colts offense has been
better, the Colts defense has reverted back to their early season form. They're missing tackles.
They're not forcing turnovers and they're just not playing aggressive football right now. So what are we going to get from this
Colts defense on Sunday? Are we going to get the middle of the season play where they're coming out
forcing, you know, multiple turnovers on Josh Allen, forcing multiple turnovers on Sam Darnold
in the Minnesota Vikings, holding the Detroit Lions to only 24 points. I know that's, you know,
not a great number, but Detroit Lions are a great offense. So holding only 24 points. I know that's, you know, not a great number,
but Detroit Lions are a great offense.
So holding them 24 points and playing some hard football,
what are we going to get from this Colts defense?
I really think that, you know, ultimately when I'm looking at this defense,
the biggest thing they have to do is bring something in run defense in this game.
It doesn't need to be this suffocating performance
where they hold the Broncos to like
two yards of carry, but it needs to be better than what it's been this season. And this has been one
of the worst run defenses in football all year long. And there's really no excuse for it whatsoever
because the main contributors in run defense are healthy. They're able-bodied guys. I mean,
we got the Forrest Buckner, we got Grover Stewart back, Quitty Pays out there is a good run defender,
Zyre Franklin, EJ Speed, Nick Cross.
These are guys that are getting paid a good amount of money to stop the run,
and they are simply not stopping the run this season.
So they just need to get something this weekend run defense.
The Denver Broncos like to be pretty balanced on offense.
If you can force them into being pass heavy early by stopping the run,
you have a good chance at finding some success on defense. And then ultimately just get aggressive. You know, we saw against New England
Patriots, this defense was comfortable sitting back, taking away the explosive play and letting
Drake May operate in the short passing game. And it almost, it almost failed. It almost failed in
this one. If it weren't for Anthony Richardson's heroics on that final drive, that game plan did
not work. They didn't stand tall enough in the red zone.
They allowed too much bending, obviously, with that Patriots offense.
The Patriots offense had struggled all year long.
They were moving the ball at will.
So I think against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos,
that can't be the game plan again.
There has to be more risk-taking.
There has to be more aggressiveness.
And if they beat you for a big play or two, that's perfectly fine as long as you're creating
havoc in place of that.
You know, it's one thing to have a game plan like you did against the Patriots where it's
sitting back in zone coverage and playing it safe and then standing tall in the red
zone for the most part.
That can work against a really bad team like the Patriots.
And it kind of did.
I mean, ultimately, we're doing revisionist history.
It technically did work by the end of that game, but when you're playing against a good
offense like Bo Nix and this Denver Broncos offense, who've been a pretty solid offense
this season, and they have found their footing, especially in the second half of the season,
you really need to force them into mistakes. You need to be aggressive. You need to attack them.
You know, I'm not saying come out and man coverage the entire game,
but mix in some unpredictable blitzes, mix in some run blitzes on early downs.
You know, come after them a little bit more rather than just sitting back in zone.
Because if you're going to give Bo Nix quick screens and underneath throws all game long,
he'll take them.
We watched him at Oregon.
At Oregon, that was their whole offense was quick screens and underneath throws.
He will gladly take those all day long.
He's a smart quarterback.
So I do think they need to force the issue a little bit.
They can't be playing on their heels and be receptive to what the offense is doing.
They actually have to force the issue a little bit in this game.
Talking specifically about this game, though, on paper, it's a pretty rough matchup for
a Colts defense that, again, has not been great at generating pressure,
has not been great at getting sacks this season, not been great at finishing plays in the backfield.
Pressure and sacks, I think, is a big key in this one for the Colts. And Bo Nix is one of the best
quarterbacks in all of football at voiding sacks. He's only taken 19 sacks this season, which I
think is the third fewest among teams this year. The Broncos offensive line has been playing some great football.
And despite Bo Nix kind of holding onto the ball a little bit too long and
running around in the pocket,
he's kind of like Anthony Richardson in the sense that he just doesn't go
down. He does not take those sacks.
So I do think the Colts need to somehow manage to get those sacks on him.
If they want to have a chance to win in this game,
I think third down defense is obviously going to be a massive part of this game.
The Colts defense is 29th in the NFL in third down defense.
And, you know, when we get into that whole conversation of
how come the Colts defense have played so many more snaps
than pretty much every other defense in the league this year,
part of it is the inconsistencies for the Colts offense.
But another part of it is because they cannot get off the field on third down. Again, 29th best defense on third downs this season, and they just
need to be better in that area when it comes to this game against the Broncos. The Broncos offense
is only 18th in conversion rate on third down, but they have been better in recent games. So the
Colts need to force the issue and get off the field on third down. And then again, my things that I would say for every single week, but especially this week, turnovers are big. They
need to get turnovers this week. This defense cannot survive without turnovers. So yeah,
they just need to get turnovers. This defense, again, just cannot survive without it. We have
seen them bend, don't break all season long. And that method works as long as you're standing tall in the red zone and you're forcing turnovers.
It worked against Josh Allen.
It worked against Sam Darnold.
It worked against C.J. Stroud to a degree, but it didn't work against Drake May because
he didn't force the turnovers.
One turnover force in the last three weeks.
They need to be better in that area if they want to win on Sunday.
And then this is my overall point that goes with third down
defense. It goes with turnovers. It goes with aggressiveness. Get off the field. Just get off
the field defense. That is the biggest thing when it comes to this defense. Get off the field. They
have struggled all season to limit opponent drives to three plays, four plays, five plays, whatever
it's going to be, you know, get off the field
on Sunday.
I don't care what you have to do.
Turnovers, third down stops, sacks, run defense.
I don't care.
Just get off the field.
I know this is not analytic sack talking.
This is not, you know, going in depth with film sack talking right now.
This is more so emotional sack talking.
But like, again,
this defense has struggled all season long
to just get off the field.
If the Colts want to win on Sunday,
their defense needs to limit possessions
and actually get off the football field for once.
I saw too much of Drake May
the last time we saw this defense.
Just too much of him.
I love Drake May.
He's a fun quarterback to watch.
I don't want to watch Drake May
for an entire Sunday. I don't want to watch Bo Nix for an entire Sunday. I want to see. He's a fun quarterback to watch. I don't want to watch Drake May for an entire Sunday.
I don't want to watch Bo Nix for an entire Sunday.
I want to see Anthony Richardson's offense try to figure some things out.
And it starts with this Colts defense actually getting off the football field.
So let's be better on third down this week.
Let's get some turnovers and get the ball back to the offense and see if they can win
this game like they've shown against the Jets and the Patriots.
You know, if Richardson has a chance late, he will win it.
But his defense needs to get off the darn field.
How many times have I yelled that at my TV except without the darn these past couple
weeks?
I think it is important for this team to finally have a defense that gets off the field because
if they are not able to get off the field on Sunday, it might be the last that we see
of Gus Bradley and several of these starters, at least, I guess, after the season.
I don't want to be as dramatic.
They're not going to get rid of them all this week.
But if they don't win this game, I do think after the season, we'll see some pretty big
changes on defense, especially when it comes to the man in charge.
So a huge, huge game for the Colts, especially for the Colts defense and the Colts defensive
coordinator.
We'll see if they can step up to the challenge.
But guys, finally, to close out today's show,
I'm going to give my final thoughts on Colts-Broncos
and then give my prediction.
Do I have the Colts winning
and being in the driver's seat for the playoffs?
Or will this be their fourth straight season
where they end up missing the playoffs under Chris Ballard?
We'll see.
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All right, locked on Colts Everydayers.
We are back with our final thoughts on Colts Broncos.
And this is a matchup that I have been dreading for weeks.
And I was really hoping the Colts could steal a game against somebody within that brutal stretch, whether it be against the Houston Texans,
which would have been amazing, whether it was against the Bills or the Vikings with how that game
started.
It looked like that was going the right way.
And then Joe Flacco forgot how to play football.
The Colts needed to steal a game in there because I was terrified of this Broncos matchup
because this Broncos team kind of embodies everything that hurts the Colts.
They have a smart young quarterback who's
playing some good football, who's led by Sean Payton, who has shredded this defense for the
last decade and whatever. He just knows how to call against the Colts defense, especially now
with Gus Bradley doing more Matt Eberflus things. What did we see when Matt Eberflus was calling
against Sean Payton with that Colts New Orleans game game. I think it was, what, 2019?
Didn't Drew Brees almost set a record for completion percentage in the game?
It was like 90%. I mean, it's a recipe for disaster when you sit back against an offense like this.
So when I look at this Broncos offense versus Colts defense,
I think we're going to see the Colts defense sit back a little bit too much.
We're going to see them have to come up and make tackles,
which can be hit or miss with this team at times. And I think Sean Payton just knows where
to attack this kind of zone defense, this stagnant zone defense. So that matchup scares me. It really
scares me. I hated it on paper. And then when you look at the Broncos defense, you know, they
are missing Riley Moss, which I think is a really big aspect of this game that not enough people
are talking about. But aside from that, they have some studs on this team.
They get a lot of sacks.
They have a really good interior presence.
I think Cody Barton at linebacker is a really good linebacker.
And then Pat Sertan is a big playmaking corner.
And I think Richardson is still at the point at quarterback where he, you know, he kind
of has that arm arrogance a lot of times
where he doesn't really look at matchup too much
or he doesn't look at who the guy is covering who or whatever.
He's just going to attack the right target that he thinks he needs to attack.
And I don't think that's necessarily wrong,
but he does give these star corners a little bit of chances
to make plays on the ball.
He's not afraid to go after Derek Stingley like he did in week one.
He's not afraid to go after Christian Gonzalez like he did last week where Gonzalez made him pay with that interception so I think Sertan's gonna have a couple chances to
make some plays on the ball and we'll see if you know the Colts can come away with those
but ultimately I just don't love this matchup for the Colts I just think this Broncos defense is
playing some good football and I think Sean Payton is just a nightmare matchup for a guy like Gus Bradley with his
stagnant defense.
Now, where can the Colts win, though?
I know I just started that off with a very pessimistic look on the Colts.
If they want to win this game, they need Anthony Richardson to look like the guy they drafted
him to be.
And maybe it's too early.
Maybe it's asking too much.
But if there's any week for Richardson to put it together, it's too early. Maybe it's asking too much. But if there's any
week for Richardson to put it together, it is this game right here. And I'm talking a full
four quarter performance, a performance where, you know, the passing is on time and accurate,
like he's shown in recent weeks. He's been much better in that regard. But just from start to
finish, you know, avoiding the negative play and playing good, smart football in delivering for
this offense. I think we've seen enough flashes these last three weeks to say like, you know, avoiding the negative play and playing good, smart football in delivering for this offense. I think we've seen enough flashes these last three weeks to say like, you know,
this could be the week where it happens, or maybe it's not like, again, it's, it's been an up and
down season for him, but I do think there is enough potential from what he's shown in recent
weeks to where, you know, if he connects on a deep ball or two, if he is just a little bit cleaner
on his, on getting to his check down, I think he can have a massive performance, especially if, and I said this in
the first segment, if they lean on that QB run game, let him run the ball a little bit. This
is a playoff game. If he takes a couple more hits, I hope he gets up from them, obviously,
but this is a playoff game. You have to lean on his, on his QB running ability and let your
playmaker be a playmaker. But ultimately, I don't
know if the Colts win this game if Richardson doesn't have a big performance. You know, what
he did against the Patriots, I think it was a great final drive, but what the Colts offense was doing
up until that final drive, I don't think that's going to be good enough to beat a team like the
Broncos. It's good enough to beat the Patriots. The Broncos are a different animal. You know,
they have to be on their A game. And it's not just Richardson either.
It's guys actually making catches.
It's the offensive line being clean in their process.
It's Jonathan Taylor having a good game.
Like, it doesn't just all fall on Richardson.
But at the end of the day, the quarterback is the one who gets the most scrutiny,
who gets the most praise.
So we do need to see that big performance from him
if the Colts want to be a playoff team this year.
I think that is fair to say.
I'm not saying that, you know, this season is make or break because of Richardson, but I am saying that the position
the Colts are in right now, if they're going to be a playoff team by the end of the day,
they need Richardson to have a career best performance. So we'll see if we get that on
offense. I think he's capable of it. I think he's shown enough flashes the last couple weeks,
and I hope he's able to put it all together and have a great
performance and I actually feel more optimistic about him having that great performance than I
do about the Colts defense against Sean Payton and Bo Nix. For the Colts defense it's just look
Bo Nix has had a good season but there have been some plays where he's forced some things where
he's airmailed some passes where he's short-armed some passes.
The Colts defense, if they're going to win this game, they have to take advantage of those couple plays. Rookie quarterbacks are not perfect. We've seen it with our guy, with our young guy, his last
year and this year, if you're counting it all as a rookie type season for him. These quarterbacks
are not perfect. They will have a couple plays a game where they give a defensive shot to make a
game-changing play. The Colts need to capitalize in this game.
Because I don't know if you're going to get it from a schematic standpoint.
I don't think Sean Payton's going to come out and give you some freebies for your defense.
He's a smart coach and he knows what he's doing.
But I do think Bo Nix will give you some chances.
So will the Colts be able to convert on those couple chances that Bo Nix gives them?
Will they come down with that key interception?
Will they jump on the loose ball when the ball is knocked out or there's a drop snap or something? Will they convert on those
couple of chances they get? We shall see. That'll be what makes or breaks this game.
But ultimately, I'm going to go with the Broncos in this game. I know it's kind of been a theme
for me all season is picking against the Colts. And typically it's helped the Colts. I don't
really know what it is these past couple of weeks, but early in the season, it helped the Colts. I don't really know what it is these past couple weeks, but early in the season, it helped the Colts when I picked against them.
So I have the Broncos 30-24 in this game.
Ultimately, where my thinking is with this one is just
the Broncos feel a little bit more like a well-oiled machine
that's kind of all cohesive and together at this point,
where the Colts have been so inconsistent from their offense not matching their defense,
their defense not matching their offense.
We have yet to get a game this season where the Colts offense and their defense have played at a
high level at the same time we just haven't had that once this season and it's hard for me to say
okay in week 15 they're all of a sudden going to put that together so I would love to be wrong I
hope they come out and they finally put it all together in one performance but we have yet to
see it and and look, when someone tells
you who they are, you kind of have to agree. You have to listen to what they're saying. You know,
if they tell you that we are this inconsistent team, that's kind of where I'm at with this
Colts team right now. But I'm not saying it's not going to happen on Sunday because I do think
there is a way for this Colts offense to be explosive and dynamic against the Broncos defense
that is dealing with a really big injury at outside corner.
But, you know, I think a lot of things need to go right for them to win this game.
They certainly can go right.
But I do think a lot of those things need to go right for the Colts.
But let me know in the comment section what you think.
Do you think the Colts are able to overcome all of whatever this season has been for them
and win this game and put themselves in the driver's seat of the playoffs?
Or do you think we're going to be staring down the barrel of a fourth straight season
without a playoff game?
You guys let me know in the comment section below.
And I'll thank you guys for making Locked on Colts your first listen today.
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