The Colts’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
After a – relatively – quiet week in Indianapolis following the quarterback drama from the previous two, the Detroit Lions are rolling into town.
A Lions team that are sitting at 9-1 and one of the clear favourites to go all the way to the Super Bowl.
No pressure then.
Fresh off the back of putting up 52 – yes 52! – points against a beleaguered Jacksonville last week Jaguars, the Lions arrive at Lucas Oil Stadium as clear favourites. It is hard to argue against it.
The scary thing for the Colts is that is the second time this year that the Lions have put up 52 points on a team from the AFC South – having done the same to the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
The Lions are also looking for a ‘clean sweep’ of the AFC South, having taken down division leaders the Houston Texans in Week 10.
There is no doubt the Lions are having a season to remember. Quarterback Jared Goff can pick teams apart from the pocket.
They have an incredible two-pronged running game, very good receivers and an excellent offensive line.
On defense, even the loss of Defensive Player of the Year candidate Aiden Hutchinson has not slowed them down. They rank fourth for points allowed overall through 10 games.
Even their special teams are making plays. They are good through all phases of the game.
So as a fan of their next opponents, there is an element of trepidation. However, as a fan you tend to look at how you can overcome such a juggernaut and convince yourself that your team can stop them.
For that to happen, the Colts will need to find a consistency that has not always been there this year. They will need to see the version of Anthony Richardson that they had last week. Efficient, but also dynamic with his running.
The Colts also possess a strong defensive line. To get anything from this game, they will need to disrupt Goff as much as possible.
The Detroit quarterback did throw five interceptions when they played the Houston Texans a few weeks back. Indianapolis will need to create as much pressure as they can to put Goff off his stride.
This has the potential to be an absolute cracker of a game. The Colts are still in the hunt for the playoffs with very little room left for error.
They will need to be at their absolute best to get anything today.
