When the Colts head into MetLife Stadium on Monday night, they’ll look to recover from a 34-51 Loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers and to start another winning streak. Their opposition, the New York Giants, are coming off a bye week, so they’ve had more than adequate time to gameplan for the Colts’ impending arrival.
The Giants are 3-4 and are hoping to get to .500 with a win on Monday, while the Colts are hoping to keep their place atop the AFC South at 5-3. While this match-up lacks the “Manning Brothers” rivalry of years past, it still features 2 highly renowned quarterbacks squaring off in QB Andrew Luck and Eli Manning.
Running back Ahmad Bradshaw returns to New York’s MetLife Stadium, only this time as an Indianapolis Colt. Bradshaw played 6 seasons with the New York Giants, winning 2 Super Bowls, while serving as a key component of Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense. Mandatory Credit: Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
Retribution is the name of the game for the Colts’ defense, who surrendered 500+ passing yards and 6 touchdowns to Ben Roethlisberger last weekend in what was an all-time historic NFL passing day. They’ll get a boost with the return of shutdown cornerback, Vontae Davis, who left last Sunday’s loss early because of a knee injury, but is “ready to go“. However, for the Colts’ defense, it comes down to fundamentals and as a unit, they have to display much more discipline than they showed last weekend.
It wasn’t just that they struggled covering the Steelers’ talented bunch of wide receivers either, as they failed to generate any pass pressure, registering 0 sacks on the afternoon. If they can’t get to QB Eli Manning, it figures to be another long day for the Colts’ secondary.
The offense will also look to re-gain balance and start off on the right foot, as they fell behind early and failed to establish any resemblance of a running game, only rushing 7 times total with their running backs versus the Steelers. Their starting running back, Trent Richardson, should also be “ready to go” after nursing a sore hamstring last weekend at Pittsburgh. This should give the running attack better balance and keep Ahmad Bradshaw fresher throughout the course of the game. Bradshaw, of course, spent 6 seasons with the Giants, winning 2 Super Bowls (XLII & XLVI) during his tendure there (2007-2012) as a key component of the Giants’ offense.
The good news is that QB Andrew Luck and the Colts’ passing attack appear to be in mid-season form, as he once again threw for multiple touchdowns (3) on the afternoon on his way to 400 passing yards. While WR Reggie Wayne‘s availability is still uncertain, rookie wideout Donte Moncrief “stepped up admirably” in his absence, catching 7 receptions for 113 receiving yards and 1 touchdown last weekend. It also marks the return of 6-year veteran, Hakeem Nicks to the New York Giants, a team that he spent his previous 5 seasons with as a key wideout and won a Super Bowl (XLVI).
Here’s a statistical breakdown of the two teams entering Monday night’s match-up: