Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Get Huge Injury News Ahead of Denver Broncos Matchup

Starting point is 00:00:01 The Indianapolis Colts got some major injury news on Wednesday, including Josh Downs potentially being back and one of their starters on the offensive line potentially out the rest of the season. 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.

Starting point is 00:00:39 And you guys can start the 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 Hicks, your resident film nerd over at HorseshoeHuddle.com. And my partner, Jake Arthur, is our credentialed Crocs on the ground for the site as well. We have a fun show for you guys planned today. We're going to talk about some storylines going into this Broncos game,

Starting point is 00:01:07 you know, some potential matchups the Colts can exploit or matchups they need to overcome. But first, we have some major injury news. We're going to talk about the ramifications of these injury news updates here on Wednesday. But first, let's kick it off with the actual storylines and what happened in these injury updates that Shane Steichen gave us today, Jake. So this is our first time getting injury news on basically anybody in a little over a week with the bye week.

Starting point is 00:01:30 You know, the Colts were away from the facility. You guys were away from the facility. And we got plenty of updates on players who were on IR, guys who were dealing with injury, and guys who might be away from the team indefinitely the rest of the season. So to start off, Ryan Kelly, starting center, veteran center, one of the oldest players on the Colts team who was on IR has been designated to return. He was a limited practice today in the Colts first practice since the bye week. Jalen Carlisle, the rookie linebacker who was placed on IR early in the season.

Starting point is 00:02:02 He was a full practice today. And then Josh Downs, who missed this past game, luckily had that bye week to recover. He was a limited practice today as well. So three players right there, Jake. It looks like the Colts have a good chance of getting all three of them back for this upcoming game against the Denver Broncos. And that's a huge sign for this Colts team. Yeah, you're not kidding. I mean, I did not expect to get this much injury news. I mean, I knew we'd have guys to ask about, guys who'd been banged up. We obviously knew Ryan Kelly was eligible to return, but no. Kelly getting a limited session. I mean, Shane did say we'll

Starting point is 00:02:36 see on these guys. I don't think there's any huge rush for them, but having the bye week did give them an extra week, and this is kind of a do or die game on Sunday. So they may play down the urgency, but they say they do understand, you know, from all of us, why this is like obviously circled in big red Sharpie. So may, might some of these guys, you know, push through things a little bit to, to make sure that they're available for this game, perhaps.

Starting point is 00:03:07 But, you know, Downs, Kelly, Jalen Carlisle. Carlisle is the perfect complement to what they need on defense right now in the middle of it. What you sacrifice and run defense with him, you can make up for in pass coverage. We talked about last week during the bye week, he's far and away the Colts' best linebacker graded in coverage, but I think is their worst in run defense. But right now, you've got three linebackers right now who the run defense is their specialty.

Starting point is 00:03:40 It's not necessarily going great. Their specialty, but even worse is their pass defense. You got three guys who are all built the same in their strengths and weaknesses, basically. And then you finally get a guy in there who can maybe take some of those snaps and pass him down. So huge for both sides of the ball. Yeah. And I will stipulate or at least add on to what you say. If I had to guess, Josh Downs even getting in a limited practice here on Wednesday is great news for him. We know how he is when it comes to injuries, so I would anticipate him playing on Sunday. The fact that he's practicing at all usually points to him playing.

Starting point is 00:04:17 Jalen Carlyle is already getting in a full practice on a Wednesday. It's a really good sign for him. And then when it comes to Ryan Kelly, limited practice is a bit more tricky. So maybe not as optimistic towards him, but still trending in a fairly optimistic way. Talking about the other end of the spectrum now, the less optimistic news, Braden Smith, the starting right tackle,

Starting point is 00:04:39 a guy who's been the starting right tackle since 2018, essentially, has been a fringe pro bowler multiple times in his career. I know he's dealt with a lot of injuries the last couple seasons, but, you know, he's still been a pretty steady force on that right side of the offensive line. Shane Steichen did say that he's still dealing with a personal matter that held him out of the Patriots game two weeks ago,

Starting point is 00:04:59 and he doesn't know if Braden Smith will return this season. Now, Jake, you can give us a little more insight on this, just in terms of what Shane Steichen said today, not in terms of what the personal matter is, because it is personal, and we're not going to weigh in on that. But it does seem kind of unlikely, at least to me as an outsider, that we see Brayden Smith again this season. Yeah, that one's tough um Shane did say like right off the bat that Braden was not gonna practice and you know doesn't imagine that he would play this week so it feels like they're giving him all the space that he needs for dealing with whatever this is and obviously serious enough to where they're allowing this to play out and if he is able to come back within the season, great. But if not, I think they're giving him his space.

Starting point is 00:05:49 Obviously not going to speculate that on that. I'm not going to pry and try and figure it out. Whatever it is, if Braden wants to share it, that's on him. But I mean, there is a position to fill there. So for the Colts, luckily, Bernhard Reimann returned a you know, a couple weeks ago. So Matt Gonsalves, who was playing pretty good ball, the Colts do have someone that can slide in there at right tackle. It doesn't have to be Blake Freeland.

Starting point is 00:06:16 So, you know, hoping for the best with whatever's going on with Braden Smith. Obviously a big loss for the Colts for however long he's back. You know, it could be this week, could be the rest of the season. Again, Shane left it totally open. Luckily for the team, they do have at least one guy who could probably step in and play at a pretty decent level. But nonetheless, Braden Smith has played lights out at big moments throughout his career. Has had one or two seasons where he allowed like one or no sacks. And then obviously people kind of know him for his run blocking. So a big hit for the Colts regardless.

Starting point is 00:06:54 But, you know, everyone will get through it on both sides. You know, just hoping for the best for whatever Braden's going through. Yeah, again, we don't want to speculate on what's going on there. I just hope everything's okay with him. And hopefully, you know, he can get back to maybe being on the field again, rather like this season or next season or whatever it's going to be like, I just hope everything's okay with whatever that is. Typically, when you hear personal matter for an NFL player, it's something you don't want to speculate on. So we won't do that here. But hopefully, you know, hoping for the best when it comes to Braden Smith.

Starting point is 00:07:26 We did get two more bits of injury updates, though, for this Colts team this week. One, I'll just brush through really quick here. Tanner Bortolini was a full participant. He's returning from a concussion, so he should be cleared out of concussion protocol by the end of this week. And then cornerback Juju Brents, we got an update on him. It's not as optimistic as Ryan Kelly and Jalen Carlisle. He hasn't been designated to return yet. But Jake, what can you tell us about Juju Brents, we got an update on him. It's not as optimistic as Ryan Kelly and Jalen Carlisle. Like he hasn't been designated to return yet.

Starting point is 00:07:48 But Jake, what can you tell us about Juju Brents? Yeah, I mean, initially, like in the summer when he got hurt, a lot of people didn't know. There really was no clear answer on if he was going to return or not. But it certainly sounded more optimistic to me, you know, when hearing from Shane today that the door is open, you know, you said he's progressing well, you know, there's still no like timetable on it, but, you know, with four games left, I think it would be easy for Shane to say, you know, maybe not this year. He would, he would probably be less committal on that,

Starting point is 00:08:22 but it sounds like there's at least a little glimmer of hope, especially if they somehow make the playoffs. But yeah, Juju Brintz with his knee injury. We said when he got injured, is that really a guy you want to hurry back anyways? Luckily, they're not dying at corners, so they could probably ease him back in at some point in the last couple weeks he is able to come back um but it's kind of news without being news like the good the good thing is he is progressing and it does sound like there is a possibility that he could come back this season um but yeah it's it's not something i'm really holding my breath on just because they've they've managed to get through the whole season without him.

Starting point is 00:09:06 Yeah, yeah, for sure. And coming up, guys, we're going to talk about the ramifications of all these injury news. You know, who's starting in place of Braden Smith, what it means to have all these other guys back. You know, what happens if Juju Brents returns. We're going to talk about all that here coming up in just a second. The day's episode is sponsored by Built Rewards. If you're a renter, listen up. This is a total game changer. Thanks to Built, you can now earn points on rent payments just like you do with groceries or travel. Paying rent right now comes with serious perks and it's completely

Starting point is 00:09:37 free to join. A lot of us have been in that boat. You feel like you're just dumping way too much money into something you're not even owning, but Built makes it so that you're just dumping way too much money into something you're not even owning. But Bilt makes it so that you're at least getting something back when you're paying your rent. You can earn valuable Bilt points on your rent and everyday spending at no extra cost. Redeem points for flights, hotel stays, and even future rent payments. With over 500 airlines and 700,000 hotels in their program, the possibilities are endless. Access unique experiences that are all exclusive to members. Personally, we all love using points for travel or whatever it may be. I think I like the best. You can roll it into your next payment. I mean, just why not get extravagant with it?

Starting point is 00:10:19 Make everything cheaper and cheaper for yourself. Built makes it so easy to turn rent into rewards. And if you're already paying rent, why not make it worth your while? Start earning points on rent that you're already paying by going to joinbuilt.com slash locked on NFL. That's joinbuilt.com slash locked on NFL. Make sure to use our code so that they know we sent you. Don't wait. Start earning rewards today.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Okay, Zach. So in the immediate future, I think one of the bigger ones here is Josh Downs. I think that helps the Colts right away. Obviously, we've seen at the small periods of time where they've been without Downs this year, they just don't have an adequate replacement. They do not have anyone that can replicate what Josh Downs does. So Downs coming back and kind of being a security blanket for Anthony or whatever quarterback it is, because, I mean, even with Joe Flacco,

Starting point is 00:11:17 he's getting seven catches a game. Josh Downs is probably the biggest linchpin of the receiving portion of the passing game you know yeah so him being back could be huge especially you know we'll get to it more in in the final segment here but again the the biggest the biggest returns on injuries are guys you just don't have replacements for and ad mitchell is is a player, could be a nice player, has all the potential in the world, but it's just, it's not there yet. There's the signs that it could be there, but there's really nobody else on the Colts that does what Josh Deffens does. So

Starting point is 00:11:56 him coming back, that could absolutely be huge. You know, with Ryan Kelly, you know, we don't really know if he'll be back or not but it looks like at least Tanner Bordolini might be back uh getting that starting spot back Danny Pinter can go back to being the backup although Pinter played fine and you know did a good job last week uh but Dan or Tanner Bordolini is is the guy I think a lot of us think is probably the future at the position now there's a caveat with that because Shane was asked today, when Ryan Kelly comes back, is he the starting center? And yes, he is.

Starting point is 00:12:33 I think we can all agree Tanner Bordellini has played pretty well, and that's probably his position for the long term. But Ryan Kelly is the team's starting center whenever he's able to return to the field. Yeah, and going back to what you said about Josh Downs, though, and then we'll get to more Ryan Kelly stuff from there. But Josh Downs, I think, is arguably the biggest playmaker on this offense, aside from the quarterback position, because obviously Anthony Richardson

Starting point is 00:12:58 is a little bit more than a quarterback with what he can do with the ball in his hands. But aside from Anthony Richardson, it has to be Josh Downs. That's the guy you go to when you need a first down. Just helps the Colts throw down offense just immensely. And he's one of the more reliable players in this wide receiver room, in this entire offense even. In a year that's been plagued by drops and inconsistencies with other receivers and tight ends and running backs in the passing game.

Starting point is 00:13:25 Josh Downs has been a pretty consistent player in terms of just making things happen when he is targeted. And it's why the Colts have a pretty positive passing game in the games that he's been active this season. It's why we've seen probably their best passing performance was the Jets game, and they were relying on Josh Downs quite a bit. So I do think getting him back is a massive, massive aspect of this game. We've also seen the games without Josh Downs. The Colts have tried to be more run heavy. They tried to be more 12 personnel. We look at that Patriots game last time before the bye week, and it was mostly 12 personnel trying to run the ball a ton. And then when they had to do the drop back passing game, aside from that final drive of the game,

Starting point is 00:14:07 it wasn't very effective on that Sunday. So I do think getting Josh Downs back allows the Colts to be a little bit more balanced, allows them to funnel the ball to another playmaker, and just gives you another option underneath that helps that short passing game. So yeah, I mean, look, you don't even need me to talk here to know how important Josh Downs is to this offense.

Starting point is 00:14:24 It's just great to get a player like him back in the lineup if he's good to go this weekend. When it comes to Ryan Kelly, you know, we've all been hard on Ryan Kelly at times this season, especially with the, you know, the emotional-led aspect of the Anthony Richardson benching and his comments after the Houston game and stuff. And, you know, we've had our moments with Ryan Kelly for sure, but this is a very tenured player, a former pro bowler. And hopefully, you know, the time on IR got him back to being healthy. Because look, when he's healthy and playing his best ball, he's the best center on this team.

Starting point is 00:14:56 It all comes down to does he look better than what he did earlier this season when he had some struggles. But I do think this helps in terms of pass protection with, you know, calling out blitzes, getting another guy out there who can understand what he's seeing and can help with slide protections and stuff like that. So again, getting both these guys out there, guys who are reliable, guys who have a history of production for an offense that has been a bit inconsistent this season, I think can

Starting point is 00:15:22 be a big boost. So yeah, it's great having both those guys out there. And I am curious, and this can kind of lead to our next injury update with Tanner Bordelini, is with Ryan Kelly resuming at center, does Tanner Bordelini potentially factor in at right guard? Like, it'll almost certainly be Mark Lewinsky, I think. But I wonder if that is a conversation that's happening happening because we did see Bortolini play a little bit of center in the preseason and in the offseason. So if they really want to get the young kids and reps, especially, I mean, this is me just looking ahead too much,

Starting point is 00:15:54 but if they lose this game and they're essentially knocked out of the playoffs, maybe those final three games, you get Bortolini, the reps at right guard, because he is a young player. But just for this upcoming weekend, even, I do wonder if that's a conversation in-house or, you know, look, Lewinsky played well this past week. Let's keep it with the veterans out there. Yeah, that very well could be a possibility. Because, I mean, Lewinsky is still in the practice squad.

Starting point is 00:16:21 They haven't officially signed him to the active roster yet. He's still very much in the motions of they could call him up a few times. But I say that now and maybe Friday or something, they officially bring him up. But no, I mean, that's certainly a possibility. I know they like continuity and everything and things look better against the Patriots. But we know Bortolini is going to be around next year, whereas Glowinski probably isn't. So that's certainly something they could look to do. I mean, what is the drop off there? Probably not a ton.

Starting point is 00:16:53 I mean, Bordellini at least is going to move better. Glowinski's not playing in between the guys he used to play with anyways. So I don't think there's this thing where it's like, yeah, but you know, he's got that really special connection with Braden Smith or Ryan Kelly. He's not with those guys right now. So you probably don't lose much and you have a lot more to gain if you put Bortolini out there just for the sake of comfortability. And you know, um, he, I, Sperano, I couldn't think of a line coach for a minute. But, no, I mean, he has that familiarity with Sperano as well.

Starting point is 00:17:29 And, you know, he's got Quentin on the other side. They all communicate very well. It's – we don't know what they're going to do. I think the team does like to stick with what's working, though. I don't think they just like to pull the rug out from things. So, my guess is that it would still be Glowinski, even though, like you said, it might be more beneficial to get a guy like Bort, those refs.

Starting point is 00:17:53 Yeah, and then the other two young players we have to talk about, because we just talked about Bortolini, a rookie who still could find his way on the field. The other two rookies are McInsolvis and Jalen Carlisle. For McInsololvis it looks like he's going to be the right tackle the rest of the season and again not not to sound too too team-centered with how i'm approaching the brayden smith personal issues because you know

Starting point is 00:18:17 we have to kind of separate the player from the personnel piece right now um but this is kind of an audition for mackensolvis he's got four more weeks now to really audition to be the right tackle not only of the future but of next season like if he comes out and looks really strong in these next four games the colts have an out and brains miss contract to where they could cut him with zero dead cap this offseason so that is a big possibility and again i don't want to make light of his personal issues, and I don't know what they are. So I don't want to harp on that too much right now with what's going on.

Starting point is 00:18:50 But it is the realistic matter of a business right now, where if Matt Gonsalves plays well these next four weeks, that's your guy for next season. So it's a big time for Matt Gonsalves to really show out. He has played very well these past three games. He's only allowed, I think, six pressures in the past three weeks, which has been very solid. I think he's like the 14th rated offensive tackle in the NFL and pass block grade, according to Pro Football Focus these past three games. So the top rookies overall. Yeah, he's played some really good football recently. So

Starting point is 00:19:20 it'd be good for him to get more reps and get more experience. And I expect his play to be pretty solid. You know, some words, obviously, but I expect it to be fairly for him to get more reps and get more experience. And I expect his play to be pretty solid. You know, some warts, obviously, but I expect it to be fairly solid. And then on defense, you know, Jalen Carlisle being back, you get another potential difference maker on the field. And again, I'm going to be as nice as possible with this, but it gets Grant Stewart off of defense and gets him back to only being special teams to where he really should be. Grant Stewart, awesome Miami game, really fun player. Please get him off of defense so we have guys who can actually cover

Starting point is 00:19:49 out there. Like I know the other linebackers struggle in coverage, but Grant Stewart just doesn't know where he needs to be in coverage. So let's get Jalen Carlisle out there who has more potential and more ability in coverage and even in the run game as well. So I do think that just getting, you know, Carlisle back on the field on defense is an upgrade over Grant Stewart and those base looks. And then Gonsalves, I think, is going to be a solid part of the offensive line the rest of the season. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:20:13 After this game, I think you're going to be seeing a fair amount of base defense, you know, over the next few games with those struggling, probably relatively vanilla offenses that they're going to be going against. You cannot have three, you know, missed tackle prone run stopping linebackers who can't cover. Carlisle has got to get in there and be able to do a little bit. And who knows, maybe he is better at run stopping, you know, over the next few weeks. I mean, I'm not expecting a whole lot. He's gonna be out there for coverage. But I mean, I'm not expecting a whole lot. He's going to be out there for coverage. But, I mean, shoot, that's a guy that needs reps

Starting point is 00:20:48 because let's not forget he was a safety at Missouri. And maybe more reps, he gets a little more comfortable and assertive and confident against the run. But regardless, even if he's a detriment against the run, they've got to have someone out there in coverage. Yeah, for sure. And now coming up, guys, we're going to switch our focus more to Colts-Broncos, talk about several

Starting point is 00:21:08 storylines and some things that stand out to us on film and kind of in the deeper stats when it goes into this upcoming matchup. Hey, Locked On Colts everydayers. If you're like me and your holiday shopping list is maybe not so complete, then I've

Starting point is 00:21:24 got the perfect gift for the passionate sports fan in your life. Perhaps you've heard of Ice Shaker. Ice Shaker is now officially licensed with the NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, and MLB, and they'll make the ideal gift. They were kind enough to hook Zach and I up with these. Really good cup. I mean, if you think about it, you know, your wife, your girlfriend, she's got the Stanley. You get the Ice shaker. I'm not gonna lie. I have a Stanley as well, but no, these are really good. Um, I don't get into the whole like protein thing, but they do have like a built-in agitator. That's not super loud. Like it's, it's really hard plastic and you just, I imagine put stuff in there, but it's, it's not noisy. I mean, no one wants to be drawn

Starting point is 00:22:04 a bunch of attention to themselves when they're shaking up their protein shakes or whatever. But I mean, I know it's winter, but this thing keeps ice for a really long time as well. I've had it with ice water in there for, it seems like a couple of days and it's done really, really well. It was created by and used by the Gronkowski brothers. Ice Shakers has sold over a million bottles. They've changed the game with workout bottles, and this by the Gronkowski brothers, Ice Shakers has sold over a million bottles. They've changed the game with workout bottles, and this is the gift you've been looking for. So go to ice shaker.com and use the code locked on NFL at checkout to save 25% on your order.

Starting point is 00:22:35 It's made out of kitchen grade, stainless steel bottles that don't absorb a bunch of odor like the plastic bottles do. I think a lot of us know if you leave a drink or water in there in your cup for too long, it ends up smelling like a creek. I have not encountered that being a problem with this. And they've got third-party testing that makes sure that it's not a problem. Again, they've got the patented twist and agitator that breaks up powders, but it's silent when you shake it instead of the annoying ball. And again, it holds ice for over 30 hours. It's winter now,

Starting point is 00:23:07 but I mean, we've got listeners out there in warm, you know, warm climates. And then it eventually, even though it's very cold and unreasonable outside now, it will be warm again, everybody. So again, they're customizable. Again, you saw, we have the Colts ones. You can send your logo in or check out the custom shop to customize your favorite bottle. Turnaround time on the custom bottles is only three to five business days. So order your team branded bottles today at IceShaker.com and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for 25% off of your order. IceShakers, show your support for your teams with the best branded workout bottles on the

Starting point is 00:23:42 market. IceShakers. All right, Zach, we're shaking our stuff over to the Broncos matchup. Not going to dive into it too deep because we've got crossover Thursday with me and Sarah Bettinger from Locked on Broncos for Thursday. And then Friday, obviously, you and I always preview the game. But particularly after today with some of the things we learned with injury updates and some of the stuff we talked to players about,

Starting point is 00:24:08 there was really some things that stuck out to me about this matchup. First and foremost is you look at Denver and you know, you and I are big on, please don't scout teams or players based on the box score, but there are some things that stick out with Denver. They're the top sacking team in the NFL, number one with 47 sacks. That is the best thing they do on defense. It's the best thing they do as a team. As an offense, they're kind of middle of the road. They avoid

Starting point is 00:24:35 sacks. They get rid of the ball quick, but defensively, they rack up those sacks. Luckily for the Colts, they have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at avoiding those. So what is usually like a huge feather in the cap for the Broncos and an advantage is something the Colts kind of have a counter for. And with that, they also have a big hole at cornerback opposite of Pat Sertan. If a lot of you guys watch that Browns game, you saw Jerry Judy went nuclear in his revenge game. I mean, they have a big problem at cornerback that was very, very public on primetime TV. They don't know who that, I mean, the Broncos do, but like even Broncos media really doesn't know who that other corner is going to be opposite of Pat Sertan this week. So if, you know, Anthony is able to avoid sacks like he

Starting point is 00:25:27 typically does in this game, and the Colts have Josh Downs back, you know, Alec Pierce does this thing and they don't wait until the fourth quarter to get him involved. That's something that Denver usually has as a huge plus for them that the Colts can kind of flip around. Yeah, to add some credence to also what you're saying when it comes to the sack avoidance with Anthony Richardson, I believe since his return to the starting lineup, he's only been sacked twice. I think they both came against the Jets defense,

Starting point is 00:25:53 and one was obviously that big fumbled sack. The other one was like a broken play, and he just slid down for a sack. But only two sacks taken in those three weeks. He has a 5% sack rate, or pressure to sack rate. So that means only 5% of his pressures are becoming sacks, which is number one in the NFL among quarterbacks in that span. Funny enough, the second best quarterback in the NFL in that span is Bo Nix with like a 6.7% rate.

Starting point is 00:26:18 And so I don't expect the Colts defense to get many sacks on that side of the ball. But going back to Anthony Richland, he's been great at avoiding the sacks and avoiding those negative plays when it comes to sacks on that side of the ball but going back to Anthony Richardson he's been great at avoiding the sacks and avoiding those negative plays when it comes to sacks and that will be a big aspect of this game you know can the Broncos defense get him down like they've been able to get down every other quarterback this season or will he be able to twist and get his way out of every single sack like he usually does hopefully the Colts can keep the pressure rate below 48%, like they've been averaging since Richardson's return. But we shall see there. I also love the shout-out about the backup corner on the outside there, Jake,

Starting point is 00:26:52 because we saw when the Colts played against the Detroit Lions. Detroit Lions had a backup cornerback starting on the outside. It was Kendall Vildor to start the game. And I think Vildor got benched halfway through the game for a different corner. I think it was like Holmes, I think his name or something like that and the Colts were just attacking that backup corner constantly and while technically it didn't work out in the box score because the Colts forgot how to not commit penalties on the offensive line in that game and they had 70 something yards passing taken off the board because of that, that it was working.

Starting point is 00:27:25 Alec Pierce had a big catch down the side there. I think Kylan Granson had a big catch on the outside out there. I think the Josh Downs catch that was, that was waved off was also against that backup corner. We saw the Ashton Doolin non-catch late in the game was targeting that backup corner. So it was working. It was an effective strategy. And we've seen Anthony Richardson not be shy when it comes to throwing the ball deep

Starting point is 00:27:49 against bad corners. I mean, he will just chuck it down there, even if it's not efficient. So I do think that is an opportunity for this Colts offense to be explosive. They have actually struggled quite a bit the last two weeks to be explosive. Like, again, statistically, there's been a lot of drops.

Starting point is 00:28:05 Anthony Richardson actually has six big-time throws, over 20 air yards since returning to the starting lineup, but he only has three completions when targeting 20-plus yards down the field. So that shows kind of some of the issues there on these deep passing attempts. So maybe the Colts have a chance to get back to explosive passing football in this next game because the Broncos are more of a single high type defense they like to play zone from that single high and Richardson has shown that he will rip the ball down the field against single high defenses that

Starting point is 00:28:35 play a lot of zones so maybe they will target that that weaker corner and try to isolate him on on vertical routes and and throw the ball deep to your pierces. And A.D. Mitchell, if you can come down with it this next time, that'd be awesome. But I do think that is an avenue that the Colts can exploit on Sunday. And speaking of that zone defense, you know, the Colts have their slot receiver potentially back in Josh Downs, a guy that can be a zone beater, really good on those option routes, could be huge. Again, something that Denver usually uses to be a zone beater, really good on those option routes. Could be huge. Again, something that Denver usually uses to be a huge problem

Starting point is 00:29:09 against other opponents. The Colts might have a counter for that. I think Josh Downs, if he's back, that's just going to be a huge asset for them. It's something where in a must-win game, we may not be able to speak to the value of him being back enough. Yeah, and I will say something interesting too is, and this kind of goes against me. You always say stuff that's interesting.

Starting point is 00:29:32 Yeah, that's true. That's true, Jake. Thank you for that. I need that pick-me-up there. But the Broncos' defense this year has been suffocating when it comes to getting offenses off of their rhythm and lowering their success rate and having them rely on explosive plays. And the Colts offense has been great this season at getting themselves off rhythm

Starting point is 00:29:51 and having to rely on their own explosive plays. So the Colts in some ways are kind of built for a defense like this, where, look, we're not going to be a high success rate offense regardless. We don't have a short passing game. We don't have much of a running game but we do have explosive plays or at least they did early in the season with Anthony Richardson so in a sense the Colts offense has been prepared for this type of defense all year long where it's like you can get explosive plays on the Broncos defense you might not be able to get consistent production on first second and third down because they are a pretty good defense overall but you can get those those occasional explosives I think there will be some chances for explosives on Sunday it's just if the Colts can actually convert on them like I kind of alluded to a second ago the Colts since Richardson returned

Starting point is 00:30:36 to the lineup in in week 11 they're 3 of 17 at Richardson's 3 of 17 on passes with intended air yards of over 20 yards down the field. But there have been three drops on those, on those throws. And another one, the deep one, Ashton Doolin against the Jets, that probably should have been a drop. So Richardson's actually one of the highest graded deep passers since returning to the line, despite only completing whatever the heck three of 17 is like 15% of his passes above 20 yards down the field since returning. So if the Colts can actually convert on those deep passes,

Starting point is 00:31:08 there is an opportunity to score on a very good Broncos defense this weekend. Yeah, and then for the defensive side of the ball, my last quick point I wanted to make. So this is going to be a game where the Colts probably do not get a lot of sacks. Denver's tied for giving up the third fewest, only 19. A couple things that go into that. One, they get rid of the ball quick that's a sean payton staple but also bonix is really really good at escaping pressure very i mean you don't always think of him as like a super mobile guy but he is he i think back to the preseason we saw Bo Nix in the preseason at Lucas Oil Stadium very athletic guy very good at escaping so I asked Zaire Franklin today I was like with that in mind like

Starting point is 00:31:51 you're just probably not going to get a bunch of sacks how do you counter that and he said the key is kind of just like mixing up and disguising their coverages uh to force Nix through his reads, basically. In coverage, they've got to buy the defensive line time to get to him. So that is still the goal to get to him and disrupt a little bit. But there's going to be a huge onus on basically how Gus Bradley calls up the coverages this week and how quickly they can get to the ball when it's thrown. This is not a game.

Starting point is 00:32:27 They're going to be able to miss a bunch of tackles. Hopefully they can disrupt Knicks a little bit, but we've seen this before from the defense, you know, the think of the Bengals game last week or last year, any game against Trevor Lawrence ever. It's incredibly frustrating when you can't get to the quarterback. There are some ways to get by, but just buckle up because this is probably going to be a game where they don't really get to the quarterback. But that doesn't mean it has to be some sort of beatdown on the defensive side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:32:59 Way to end this show on a very positive note there, Jake. I said it's possible. Don't worry, guys. We have more positive stuff to talk about before the Colts-Broncos game on Sunday. That's all we have for today. But again, tune in to tomorrow for Crossover Thursday. And then Friday, we'll be back with our full official pregame of Colts and Broncos.

Starting point is 00:33:19 And I want to thank you guys for making Locked on Colts your first listen today and every day. And after your second listen, go find Locked on NFL with Tyler Rowland and then Tony Wiggins as well for some real NFL talk afterwards. Find Locked on NFL on YouTube or every list of your podcasts. And if you guys want to become a Locked on Colts insider and chat with us directly and get that insider scoop, follow the link in our show notes. And if you guys don't already, make sure you're following at Locked on Colts, at at JakeArthurNFL, and at Zach Hicks, too, all on Twitter. Also, subscribe to us on YouTube, wherever you list your podcasts. We love you guys, rate, and review.

Starting point is 00:33:49 And we'll catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon for Crossover Thursday.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Get Huge Injury News Ahead of Denver Broncos Matchup

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.