3 Colts players who must step up vs Green Bay Packers

Here are three Colts players who must step up against the Packers on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts’ unforgiving slate of games this month will continue on Sunday, when they welcome the 7-2 Green Bay Packers to Lucas Oil Stadium.

It goes without saying that this will be head coach Frank Reich’s side’s stiffest test of the season, so they’d better come ready to play. However, that’s been the case for the last three weeks, and they have encouragingly answered the call in each of those fixtures– winning two of three, with their only loss coming in a hard-fought defensive battle against Baltimore in Week 9.

What makes this matchup with Green Bay so compelling is that they pose different threats than Indianapolis’ previous three opponents. Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers boast a lethal aerial attack that is perfectly complemented by a potent running game.

On the other side of the ball, however, they are incredibly vulnerable, so the Colts will undoubtedly have their chances to put up points. Expect their red zone efficiency (or lack thereof) to be the difference in the game.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1329809290513707008

We know that the entire team will need to fulfill their roles for the Colts to have a chance at coming out victorious, but here are three players in particular who need to step up and win their individual matchups.

3. Justin Houston

Indianapolis’ defense was dealt a crushing blow on Friday when it was announced that versatile defensive lineman Denico Autry (illness) was ineligible to play after being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. The 30-year-old vet has been a revelation from a pass-rushing standpoint this season, leading the Colts with six sacks and ranking second on the team with seven QB hits.

Autry’s absence means other members of the front seven — specifically the defensive line — will need to step up to make life uncomfortable for Rodgers, who’s completing over 67% of his passes for 2,578 yards and 26 touchdowns to three interceptions and leads the league with an 84.7 QBR.

We’re looking at you, Justin Houston. The four-time Pro Bowler has been uncharacteristically quiet this season, recording just nine tackles, 3.5 sacks and seven QB hits through nine games. That’s not the kind of production you would expect from a player of his quality, let alone one accounting for a $9 million cap hit.

If there’s a reason to be confident about Houston, however, it lies in the fact he has an established reputation of showing up on the big stage, and we truly couldn’t think of a better spot for him to announce his presence in the backfield. Rodgers is obviously lethal both inside and outside of the pocket, but we’ll take our chances with him eluding a pass rush rather than having all day to go through his progressions and pick apart the Colts’ zone-oriented scheme.

If Houston has a strong game, Indianapolis wins. It’s that simple.