Here are three clear advantages the Colts have over Minnesota ahead of Week 2 battle.
The notion that training camp buzz means nothing until a team proves it on the field in the regular season was validated in Week 1, as there were a handful of shocking upsets. The Indianapolis Colts unfortunately fell under this category, as they were humbled to the tune of a 27-20 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Indy was heavily favored heading into the matchup, and it goes without saying the team squandered a great opportunity to start the new season off on the right foot. However, head coach Frank Reich’s side will need to have a short memory, as their schedule will only stiffen moving forward.
Speaking of which, a date with Minnesota awaits in Week 2, and you’d better believe the Vikings will be hungry to avenge their loss to Green Bay, in which they surrendered a whopping 43 points to Aaron Rodgers and Co.
Aaron Rodgers looked like his vintage self while dominating the Vikings on Sunday. Unfortunately, so did Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter of his Colts debut.@rodger breaks down the winners and losers of NFL Week 1: https://t.co/2YORcLGFII
— The Ringer (@ringer) September 14, 2020
Amazingly enough, the Colts are somehow favored by a field goal despite being vastly outperformed by Minnesota on Sunday. That might have something to do with the fact that Indy will be at home with approximately 2,500 fans in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium.
However, we would assert that Indianapolis holds some distinct advantages over the Vikings. For those Colts fans that are in need of a confidence boost after the team’s indefensible loss, well, let’s hope that this does the trick.
3. Quarterback
For the most part, Philip Rivers performed well in his Colts debut.
We get it: Philip Rivers turned back the clock for all of the wrong reasons against Jacksonville and thew a back-breaking interception in crunch time that ultimately cost Indianapolis a chance at winning the game. However, if we had to choose between him and Kirk Cousins, who has just one playoff win across his nine-year career, we’d ride with Rivers all day, every day.
This is virtually a must-win game for both teams, and the Vikings quarterback has an undeniable knack for faltering on the big stage. Cousins obviously won’t have the national spotlight on him in Week 2, as Vikings-Colts will be a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but there’s hardly any evidence to suggest he boasts a clutch gene in must-wins like this. Sorry, but a few good throws against the choke-happy Saints in the playoffs last season doesn’t move the needle for us.
The same cannot be said for Rivers, who ranks 16th with 33 career game-winning drives in NFL history. Outside of his two interceptions, the eight-time Pro Bowler had a surgical performance under center in Week 1. He’ll certainly have to clean up his act a bit, but we wouldn’t think twice in proclaiming that the Colts have the quarterback advantage over Minnesota.
2. Wide Receiver
The Colts WR corps needs to produce more than they did in Week 1.
The great news for the Colts heading into this matchup is that Minnesota’s secondary was just shredded by Aaron Rodgers, who finished 32-of-44 (72.7%) for 364 yards and four touchdowns while recording zero turnovers
Though stud wide receiver Davante Adams (who tallied 14 receptions, 156 yards and two scores) accounted for a majority of those numbers, Rodgers still managed to spread the wealth against the Vikings, as four other players logged at least four receptions. Two of them, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard, eclipsed the 60-yard receiving mark and found the end zone.
That should be music to Indianapolis’ ears as their receiving corps is clearly deeper than the Packers’ unit. It’s duly noted that Philip Rivers loves involving his running backs in the passing game, but we’d love to see him target his wideouts, specifically TY Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr., more often than he did in Week 1.
The two studs combined to log six receptions for 63 yards, and that just isn’t a recipe for winning football. Parris Campbell had a nice day, but the Colts WR corps is simply too talented to only have one guy pop each week. It’s not even up for debate that Indy has the edge over Minnesota on the perimeter.
1. Offensive Line
The Colts offensive line should have no trouble blocking Minnesota’s vaunted pass rush in Week 2.
In all honesty, Indianapolis would have the edge over most teams as it pertains to their offensive line, which is easily one of the best in the NFL. However, it didn’t perform like a unit with that billing against Jacksonville, specifically in run schemes, as Colts running backs managed just 76 yards on 20 carries.
For all you math geniuses out there, that equates to a ghastly 3.8 yards per carry. We get that it’s only one game, but those numbers came against what is expected to be one of the worst defenses against the run in 2020.
If the star-studded unit can translate the success it enjoyed protecting Philip Rivers — he was sacked just once for six yards — to the running game, the Colts will have a great shot at defeating Minnesota, whose offensive line is wildly inconsistent in pass protection.
What also gives Indianapolis a clear edge in this game is that the Vikings’ vaunted pass rush will be without Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, who was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury leading up to Week 1.