5 Keys to Victory for Colts Over Raiders

The Indianapolis Colts will be facing off against a red-hot Las Vegas Raiders defense at Lucas Oil Stadium on New Year’s Eve.

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off of one of their worst games of 2023, falling in brutal fashion to the Atlanta Falcons on Christmas Eve by a score of 29-10.

 Their next opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, is suddenly in the picture as a deadly defense, defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 at Arrowhead Stadium.

With the Colts needing to bounce back and the Raiders coming off of a massive win, it’s time to dive into five important keys for an Indianapolis victory at home on New Year’s Eve.

#1.) Involve TEs in the Passing Game Again

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One of the few positives from the awful Falcons matchup was the tight ends, namely Kylen Granson and rookie Will Mallory.

On a day when Michael Pittman Jr. didn’t get a chance to suit up due to concussion symptoms, Colts QB Gardner Minshew wasn’t able to find much help from the wide receivers outside of Josh Downs, who would snag six catches but for a mere 39 receiving yards.

It was Granson (five catches for 62 yards) and Mallory (four catches for 47 yards) who led the receiving charge.

Even with Pittman practicing in full on Thursday and potentially on track to suit up, it will still be vital to get these tight ends involved to move the ball. Granson and Mallory are quick and great at separation, so look for Shane Steichen to get them into the offensive game plan against a huge task that is the Raiders’ defense.

#2.) Contain Davante Adams

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Superstar WR Davante Adams has not had a great year by his standards. Through 15 games, he’s caught 85 passes for 972 yards and five TDs. 

The former six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro pass-catcher is also coming off of arguably one of the lowest performances of his illustrious career. Even with the Raiders winning 20-14 against the Chiefs, it was due to a punishing ground attack and smothering defense, not the passing offense. Adams would catch a lone pass for only four yards.

The Colts must keep Adams contained and out of the picture. At any given moment, he can break out and take over a game with his skills, even with the up-and-down passing of rookie Aidan O’Connell. Look for Adams to be the biggest receiving threat for Gus Bradley’s stop troops to focus on.

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#3.) Pass to Set Up the Run

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Going back to the TEs and Pittman’s potential return, the Colts have to pass the ball to help out Jonathan Taylor and the ground game.

Against the Falcons, Taylor would muster a horrific 2.4 yards per carry. This was likely due to the Colts not being a threat to throw the ball, allowing the Falcons to hone in on the ground game and force Minshew to win all alone.

But, Taylor has had great success against the Raiders throughout his career, and coming off of a truly awful statistical performance, this could be a matchup where he can have a great game if the passing attack can help complement him. On the year, the Raiders rank 11th in passing yards allowed per game (210.5), but 22nd in rushing yards allowed per contest (122.2).

Even though Las Vegas is weaker against the run, no NFL offense stands a confident chance if they are one-dimensional, and the Raiders will want to take away the ground game. Look for the Colts to ease this Raiders pass rush and help their ground game by getting Minshew into a rhythm, opening up the rest of the scheme for four quarters with easy completions and short passes.

If Pittman can return, this will immensely assist the passing attack as well.

#4.) Force Aidan O’Connell to Carry the Offense

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Back to O’Connell. The rookie out of Purdue won against the Chiefs, but it wasn’t due to his performance. On the day, O’Connell would essentially hand the ball off to RB Zamir White to progress and move the chains. White was on fire, carrying the ball 22 times for 145 rushing yards.

However, O’Connell was awful statistically, going 9-of-21 (43%) for 62 passing yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Through nine games, he’s completed 163-of-265 (62%) passes for 1,675 passing yards, eight TDs, and seven interceptions. He’s also been sacked 20 times through his nine contests.

Yes, the Raiders achieved victory by running the ball, but the Colts’ defense has had a chance to see this tape and will look to remove the Raiders ground attack, forcing O’Connell to do the heavy lifting. Even if star back Josh Jacobs can play (quad), the game plan doesn’t change for the Colts' defense.

We’ll see what happens in the trenches and if Indy can force Las Vegas to get away from what they do best offensively.

#5.) Protect Gardner Minshew

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A simple, yet important goal. Last week the Colts allowed a disgusting 11 QB hits on Minshew, which resulted in six sacks.

Minshew isn’t the most mobile and has struggled against pressure this year. The Colts must put massive importance on keeping Minshew standing and not skittish in the pocket.

With the news of starting right tackle Braden Smith having a full practice, this means there could be a matchup between Smith and Raiders star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby, who has an impressive 13.5 sacks on the season.

However, it’s not just Crosby that must be accounted for, as fellow DE Malcolm Koonce is second on the Raiders with seven sacks on the year. He’s also coming off of a dominant three-sack game against the Chiefs.

If Indy wants to win, then both left tackle Bernhard Raimann and Smith must be on point and keep the pass rush away from Minshew so he has enough time to operate in the pocket.

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