The 2016 National Football League preseason continues Saturday, with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Baltimore Ravens. Andrew Luck and the rest of the starters are expected to play at least the first quarter, and the team will be looking to work on some of their areas of emphasis especially in the first half with the starters.
Advertisement
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Colts are the slight favorite in this game, as they are getting odds of -3 points against the Ravens. The offensive weapons the Colts have are starting to flow well together for Andrew Luck, which only make their relationships stronger for success on the field. The Colts offense will be at close to full strength, but there’s no word on whether or not Frank Gore will play this week. A year ago he wasn’t too far off from those numbers even with Luck out for basically half of the season. The team’s first scheduled preseason game was canceled due to field issues and coaches chose to sit Luck out during last Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. I don’t buy the narrative that Jim Irsay is afraid to play Luck right now. All three home teams picked up wins on Friday. He would appear in all 16 games with the Colts, but finished the year with just 309 yards with one touchdown – being demoted all the way to just special teams snaps by the season’s end before eventually being released by the team prior to the 2013 year. Collectively however, the Ravens defense was awful. “Obviously, we’ll keep working on the run game”. They’ll have to get more creative with their formations as this really isn’t a power run team. “We just have to make a decision when we want to do it”, he said.
Given the failure of quality signings mentioned above, one would say at first glance that Grigson and the Colts would be wise to not attempt to bring in another veteran receiver. Danny Anthrop? Nothing’s been decided beyond the fact that Quan Bray is likely safe considering his return skills. In the receiving end, Chester Rogers had 63 yards and one touchdown in two receptions while Jordan Todman added 42 yards and a touchdown in a catch. On top of that, he was credited for just one tackle during the preseason opener against Carolina.
Also, inside linebacker Sio Moore will sit out the Baltimore game as he recovers from a hamstring injury that he suffered against the Bills last week. Moore is sidelined indefinitely with the injury. The Colts have a number of options at this position, and we’ll have a better idea of who will make the cut after this week.
Advertisement
Pass rush. Always the pass rush. He has been dealing with a sore hamstring the last couple of weeks. The reliability of anyone beyond Mathis is questionable at best on this roster. There is clearly some talent, but it remains to be seen if anyone will really step up.Once the defensive line is healthy (and back from suspension), expect a surprising amount of pressure from that unit.
