Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens, Week 9: Colts Look to Make Home Statement
INDIANAPOLIS — The Baltimore Ravens bring a nine-game road winning streak into Sunday’s visit to Lucas Oil Stadium to face the Indianapolis Colts.
But the Ravens (5-2) have never won on the road against the Colts (5-2), so something has to give.
The Colts can go a long way to legitimize themselves as serious AFC playoff contenders with a victory. The Ravens lost 28-24 at home to Pittsburgh last Sunday, and reigning NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson continued his trend for inconsistent play in the biggest games with two interceptions and two lost fumbles, so the visitors have plenty riding on this game, too.
Although a maximum of just 12,500 fans will be permitted to attend, the Colts will be playing their 100th career game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here’s all you need to know about Colts-Ravens.
Broadcast Information
— Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. (EDT)
— Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
— TV: CBS-4, Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Charles Davis (color), Evan Washburn (sideline)
— To find out what games will be on in your area, check here
— Radio: WFNI 1070-AM ESPN “The Fan,” WLHK 97.1 HANK-FM, Matt Taylor (play-by-play), Rick Venturi (color), Larra Overton (sideline), Bill Brooks (pregame/postgame analyst); Compass Media Networks, Chris Carrino (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (color analyst)
All-Time Series
— Colts lead, 10-5 (2-1 in playoffs). Ravens have won three of four.
— Last meeting, Week 16, 2017. Ravens won, 23-16.
Coaches
Colts: head coach Frank Reich; offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni; defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, special teams Bubba Ventrone.
Ravens: head coach John Harbaugh; offensive coordinator Greg Roman; defensive coordinator Don Martindale; special teams Chris Horton.
Last Week
Colts won at Detroit Lions, 41-21
Ravens lost vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-24
Injury Reports
Colts
—OUT: WR Ashton Dulin (knee)
— DOUBTFUL: WR T.Y. Hilton (groin)
— QUESTIONABLE: TE Mo Alie-Cox (knee); WR Marcus Johnson (knee)
Ravens
— DOUBTFUL: RB Mark Ingram II (ankle); WR Chris Moore (thigh)
— QUESTIONABLE: CB Jimmie Smith (back); WR Devin Duvernay (thigh)
Storylines/Things to Watch
— Limit Lamar: The Colts defense must prevent Jackson from taking control of this game with his legs. No NFL quarterback can run with his kind of speed. He’s so effective, the Ravens call designed run plays for him. But he’s perhaps most dangerous when scrambling. It’s imperative that the Colts keep him in the pocket as much as possible and have ideal angles when trying to make tackles.
— One-Dimensional Offense: The Ravens have the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack after amassing an impressive 265 yards on 47 carries (5.6 yards per carry) against the Steelers. But Baltimore will also be without All-Pro offensive left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury. It’s imperative that the Colts restrict the run to force Jackson to pass. He completed just 13-of-28 passes for 208 yards with two interceptions, two lost fumbles, and was sacked four times against the Steelers. The Ravens are 31st in passing.
— Pick Up Blitz: The Ravens love to blitz and have 24 sacks shared by 13 players, so while the Colts are No. 1 in fewest sacks allowed, they likely need others to help with protection and be in the proper positions to thwart blitzers coming from varying lanes. Rivers gets rid of the ball quickly, but the Ravens are sure to crowd the box and speed up his internal clock. Presuming wide receiver T.Y. Hilton can’t play, that’s ominous when considering the Colts are 1-9 without him since he was drafted in 2012. But as the Lions win showed, quarterback Philip Rivers can utilize a variety of weapons. He completed passes to 11 different targets, and none of them had more than three catches. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is out after testing positive for COVID-19, so the Colts must take advantage of favorable matchups against that secondary.
Intriguing Matchups
— Colts LB Darius Leonard vs. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: As the Colts have reiterated, trying to limit Jackson requires team defense. But the ring leader is Leonard, an All-Pro tackle machine with speed. Expect him and linebacker Bobby Okereke to be shadowing Jackson a lot. Preventing the quarterback from breaking free starts with solid D-line play, so Leonard and Okereke can be kept clean to make stops.
— Colts DE Justin Houston vs. Ravens LT Orlando Brown Jr.: The loss of Stanley would be a bigger blow if not for the Ravens having Brown, a third-year pro who made the Pro Bowl as a right tackle last year. Houston, who has 3.5 sacks in his 10th season, has been quiet for two games. The Colts had five sacks against the Lions after a three-game stretch of just four, so it’s important to get outside pressure on Jackson to limit his scrambling space.
— Colts WR Zach Pascal vs. CB Jimmie Smith: Subtracting Hilton from the Colts and Humphrey from the Ravens means more responsibility for Pascal and Smith. Pascal is second on the team with 34 targets, so expect Rivers to look his way, especially if he’s being covered by Smith, a 10th-year veteran who is a serviceable replacement but is questionable with a back injury. If Smith can’t play, the Ravens are that much thinner in the secondary. Pascal has 19 receptions for 242 yards and two TDs. The receptions are just three fewer than Hilton and the receiving yards are just nine fewer than Hilton, who doesn’t have a score this season.
Projected Weather
— Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof/window, and the decision on opening either is typically announced on game-day morning. Forecast is sunny skies with 10 percent chance of precipitation, SSE winds 8 mph, with an expected temperature in the high 70s.
Referee Assignment
— Head referee: Adrian Hill (second year as NFL referee after nine as line judge). Click here to see all referee assignments for Week 9.
Betting Lines
— Favorite: Ravens (-1.5)
— Over/Under: 48
2020 Season Leaders
Colts
— Passing: QB Philip Rivers (1,860 yards)
— Rushing: RB Jonathan Taylor (389 yards)
— Receiving: WR T.Y. Hilton (251 yards)
— Touchdowns: RB Nyheim Hines (4)
— Tackles: LB Bobby Okereke, Anthony Walker (40)
— Sacks: DE Denico Autry (4)
— Interceptions: S Julian Blackmon, CB T.J. Carrie, CB Kenny Moore II, CB Xavier Rhodes (2)
Ravens
— Passing: QB Lamar Jackson (1,343 yards)
— Rushing: Jackson (411 yards)
— Receiving: WR Marquise Brown (379 yards)
— Touchdowns: TE Mark Andrews (5)
— Tackles: LB Patrick Queen (48)
— Sacks: DE Calais Campbell (4)
— Interceptions: CB Marcus Peters (2)
Comparing 2020 Stats
Colts
— Total offense: 17th (363.6 YPG)
— Scoring: 10th (28.3 PPG)
— Passing offense: 11th (262.6 YPG)
— Sacks allowed: 1st (8)
— Rushing offense: 25th (101 YPG)
— Third-down offense: 20th (40.91%)
— Red-zone offense: T22nd (57.69%)
— Total defense: 2nd (293.4 YPG)
— Scoring defense: 5th (19.4 PPG)
— Passing defense: 6th (213.6 YPG)
— Sacks: 14th (18)
— Rushing defense: 2nd (79.9 YPG)
— Third-down defense: 17th (41.94%)
— Red-zone defense: T19th (66.67%)
— Time of possession: 6th (31:51)
— Turnover differential: T5th (+5)
Ravens
— Total offense: 20th (358.6 YPG)
— Scoring: T8th (29 PPG)
— Passing offense: 31st (179.9 YPG)
— Sacks allowed: T19th (19)
— Rushing offense: 1st (178.7 YPG)
— Third-down offense: T11th (43.96%)
— Red-zone offense: T13th (62.5%)
— Total defense: 7th (322.9 YPG)
— Scoring defense: 2nd (18.9 PPG)
— Passing defense: 10th (222.6 YPG)
— Sacks: 5th (24)
— Rushing defense: 7th (100.3 YPG)
— Third-down defense: 4th (34.52%)
— Red-zone defense: 31st (81.25%)
— Time of possession: 11th (31:04)
— Turnover differential: T9th (+3)
Colts Notes
— Linebacker Darius Leonard needs 10 tackles to tie Mike Peterson (330) for the 10th-most tackles in a player’s first three seasons in team history.
— Quarterback Philip Rivers needs 231 passing yards to ass Dan Marino (61,361) for fifth-most in NFL history.
— Rivers needs one game with 400-plus passing yards to tie Ben Roethlisberger (12) for the fourth-most such games in NFL history.
— Tight end Jack Doyle needs 10 receptions to pass Ken Dilger (261) for fourth-most receptions for a tight end in team history. With 12 receptions, he will pass Marcus Pollard (263) for third-most receptions for a tight end in team history.
— Tight end Trey Burton has scored touchdowns on rushes out of the wildcat formation in back-to-back games.
— Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed two extra points in Week 8 against the Lions. He made all of his 200 extra points in college.
— Defensive end/tackle Tyquan Lewis had three solo tackles, two tackles for losses, two sacks, and one pass defended last week. He’s just the ninth player in the NFL to have at least two tackles for losses, two sacks, and one pass defended in a game this season.
— The Colts defense ranks second in opponent starting position at 24.2 and the Colts offense ranks sixth in average starting position at 31.5.
— The Colts lead the league with four touchdowns in miscellaneous situations, three on interceptions and one on a kickoff return.
— Tight end Mo Alie-Cox leads players at his position at 16.5 yards per catch.
— The Colts defense is No. 1 in lowest passer rating allowed at 76.2.
— The Colts defense is tied for first with 11 interceptions, and are first with three returned for touchdowns.
Click Before The Game
Colts' Tyquan Lewis Emerges as Steady Defensive Contributor in Third Season
2020 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Week 9: Who Starts Sunday vs. Baltimore Ravens?
What Are Colts Keys vs. Lamar Jackson?
Pro Football Focus Gives Colts Positive Team Marks in Lopsided Road Win Over Lions
Deja Vu at 5-2 or Are Colts Stronger?
Looking for a podcast? Check out the Bleav in Colts Podcast on the Bleav Podcast Network.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
