Raiders-Colts preview: Pressure falls on offensive line in Indianapolis
The Raiders (1-3) make their third trip east in five weeks Sunday for a date with the Colts (3-1) in Indianapolis. It’s a huge game for a club desperate to stop a three-game losing streak, but it’ll come against one of the most surprising teams of the NFL season thus far.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Colts
■ When: 10 a.m. Sunday
■ Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
■ TV: Fox (Chris Myers, play-by-play; Mark Sanchez, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Colts -7, total 48
Series history
The Colts have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams to even the all-time series 11-11. Indianapolis has outscored the Raiders by a narrow 550-538 margin over those 22 games.
The most famous matchup in the series was the “Ghost to the Post” game in the 1977 playoffs. Tight end Dave Casper caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Ken Stabler on a post route to set up a game-tying field goal in the final minute of regulation. Casper later won the game with a 10-yard touchdown catch in double overtime.
The Raiders’ win was payback for a 27-17 loss to the Colts in the 1971 AFC title game.
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Last meeting
Dec. 31, 2023 — Gardner Minshew outdueled Aidan O’Connell months before they would share a quarterback room together and led the Colts to a 23-20 victory at home.
The win kept Indianapolis’ hopes for a playoff berth alive and eliminated the Raiders from postseason contention.
Minshew threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, while running back Jonathan Taylor added 96 yards and a score.
Wide receiver Davante Adams had 13 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders.
The Colts’ win was sealed when an offside penalty on cornerback Jack Jones gave kicker Matt Gay a second chance after he missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt. Gay’s kick was good from 45 yards out the second time around to put Indianapolis up 23-13 with 3:11 remaining.
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Bold predictions
1. Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty will catch at least five passes, surpassing his career high of three.
2. Quarterback Geno Smith, who was not sacked last week against the Bears, will be sacked at least four times by the Colts.
3. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson will make at least two field goals of 50 yards or longer.
Storyline
This game feels more daunting for the Raiders than it did when the schedule came out. Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen entered the season among the favorites to be the first coach fired, but now he’s in the running for coach of the year honors.
The former UNLV quarterback has bonded with quarterback Daniel Jones and helped rejuvenate the 2019 first-round pick’s career. The results have been impressive, as only a late meltdown on the road against the Rams last week prevented the Colts from entering this matchup undefeated.
It’s been a different story for the Raiders. They entered the season with optimism thanks to the additions of Smith and coach Pete Carroll. The vibes remained high after a Week 1 win at New England.
Now the Raiders have lost three straight and are looking for answers.
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When the Colts have the ball
Jones has been a revelation, but this is still an offense that’s driven by Taylor.
The 26-year-old leads the NFL with 414 rushing yards and is a dangerous receiver out of the backfield.
“He’s really dynamic,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “He’s a tough tackle. He’s explosive, and he just keeps coming. He keeps coming. And then when they get him involved in the passing game, it’s a tough tackle out there in the perimeter.”
Indianapolis has other dynamic pass catchers like wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren, the No. 14 overall pick in April’s draft. Graham believes the Colts veteran offensive line, led by standout guard Quenton Nelson, is what’s steering the ship for the team, however.
Indianapolis is leading the league in yards per play.
“I mean, (Nelson’s) a monster,” Graham said. “He’s been a monster for a long time. Point of attack blocker for them, what he does at the first level, second level and then when he gets out, when he pulls, he’s just a difference maker.”
When the Raiders have the ball
The Raiders are going to have to deal with a ferocious defensive line without veteran left tackle Kolton Miller, who was placed on injured reserve this week with an ankle injury.
That will put a ton of pressure on backup Stone Forsythe.
“Kolton was having a tremendous year,” offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “I think you look at some of the metrics and he was (a top) three tackle in the league in terms of his production and what he had done so far.
“But losing Kolton, we feel really confident in Stone. I think he’s had a good week of training, but you have got to make some adjustments when you lose a guy of that nature. Everybody’s got to kind of pull their weight a little bit and help Stone out a little bit.”
Kelly said one of the keys to the Colts’ strong start under new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is their ability to limit explosive plays.
That means the Raiders will have to build on their rushing success last week against the Bears. They could also find ways to get Jeanty more involved in the passing game after he had two touchdown catches in the loss to Chicago.
Injury report
■ Raiders: QUESTIONABLE: TE Brock Bowers (knee), TE Michael Mayer (concussion), CB Eric Stokes (knee). FULL: DE Maxx Crosby (knee), CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring), WR Justin Shorter (illness).
■ Colts: OUT: RB Tyler Goodson (groin), CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles), WR Alec Pierce (concussion), S Daniel Scott (knee). QUESTIONABLE: DE Tyquan Lewis (oblique). FULL: LB Zaire Franklin (ankle), G Matt Goncalves (toe), WR Michael Pittman Jr. (hamstring).
The pick
Colts 27, Raiders 23
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Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
