Colts: 3 things Indy must do to avoid trap game vs Jets

Here are three things the Colts must do to avoid a clear trap game against the Jets in Week 3 on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts rebounded from their discouraging Week 1 loss to Jacksonville with a comfortable 28-11 win over Minnesota this past Sunday.

It wasn’t a flawless performance by any stretch, and there are still things that need to get cleaned up before we can coin them a legitimate playoff team, but there were enough distinct improvements from the Jaguars game that have us feeling optimistic about Indianapolis’ potential this season.

Luckily for head coach Frank Reich, his side will have a second consecutive chance to prove they’re a good football team in Week 3 when they face off against the hapless New York Jets, who are free falling after losing their opening two games by a combined 28 points.

We hate to jump to conclusions less than three games into the season, but the Jets genuinely look like the worst team in the NFL this year. When you take that into consideration, plus the fact that up to 7,500 fans will be in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, it really isn’t surprising that the Colts have opened as the biggest betting favorite in Week 3.

While we are fully expecting the Colts to improve to 2-1 on the year, this evident trap game, much like the season opener versus Jacksonville, could blindside them. All told, New York isn’t playing with nearly as much spirit as the Jags, but they are more than capable of putting together an upset bid if Indy falls asleep at the wheel.

Here are three things the Colts must do to avoid that from happening.

3. Avoid Turnovers

If the Colts avoid turnovers, they will cruise to a victory over the Jets.

The Jets are a sad excuse for a football team right now, as they failed to be competitive in two genuinely winnable games to open their season. It’s only a matter of time (you would think) before players begin turning on head coach Adam Gase, who clearly isn’t cut out for the job, having compiled a 7-11 record through his first 18 games at the helm (how’d he go 7-9 last year?!).

To say that New York is playing like a team that doesn’t believe it can keep games close, let alone win, would be an understatement, which is why the Colts can’t extend them a life jacket. That’s obviously easier said than done, but it all boils down to the concept of avoiding turnovers, which are renowned for altering the outcomes of should-be blowouts.

That’s right: We’re looking at you, Philip Rivers. The 38-year-old quarterback is completing a remarkable 77.5% of his passes in his first two games with Indianapolis, but he’s also thrown three interceptions, which is tied for second-most in the NFL.

In Week 2, the Colts looked to get the running game going (more on that later) and asked Rivers to drop back to pass just 25 times.This is a foolproof recipe for winning games, and we beg Reich and Co. to deploy a similar game plan against the Jets on Sunday.

2. Get Off the Field On Third Down

The Colts can kill the Jets’ morale by forcing them to punt on Sunday.

The Jets’ offense has been nothing short of a disaster through the first two games, as it ranks 32nd in the NFL in yards (265.5) per game and 31st in points (15.0) per. That’s in a 32-team league, by the way, so it’s clear the group is bereft of confidence right now, and the Colts can keep that narrative afloat by getting off the field on third down and forcing them to punt.

New York has a quarterback in Sam Darnold who, for as many boneheaded mistakes as he makes from time to time, is incredibly talented and more than capable of winning a game in spite of his laughable assortment of positional playmakers. Nothing builds a gunslinger’s confidence more than putting a few completions together and overcoming third-and-long scenarios, and the former No. 3 overall pick fits that bill more than most signal callers.

The Jets’ wide receiving corps isn’t nearly as talented as Jacksonville’s, but it could burn the Colts’ secondary, which is riding high after its performance in Week 2, if they aren’t careful. Being discipline and keeping composure is key to getting off the field on defense, and it will be huge in determining whether Indy avoids this trap game, especially if Rock Ya-Sin is back in action.

1. Establish the Run Early and Don’t Abandon it

The Colts should continue feeding RB Jonathan Taylor after his strong performance in Week 2.

Marlon Mack’s season-ending Achilles tear was a crushing blow to the running game, and it expectedly sparked speculation as to whether rookie Jonathan Taylor was ready to handle an NFL workload.

In truly poetic fashion, the Wisconsin product silenced his critics with a spectacular performance, taking 26 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. His 3.9 YPC doesn’t look great at first glance, but that largely came down to the fact that Minnesota was stacking the box in the second half after the Colts built a sizable lead and tried milking the clock.

Taylor’s blend of agility and strength while running behind a stout offensive line proved to be unstoppable, and there’s literally zero reason for Indianapolis not to deploy a similar blueprint — control the game and time of possession by establishing the run early — against New York, a team which allowed Raheem Mostert and Jerick McKinnon to log a whopping 169 yards on just 11 carries in Week 2.

Remember the 55-yard run on 3rd & 31? Once again, the Jets hilariously cannot stop a nosebleed.

The former Badger looked the part of a workhorse NFL running back against Minnesota, and the Colts should undoubtedly ride him to a comfortable win for the second week in a row.

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