The Indianapolis Colts have a tough battle on Sunday, when they face the Detroit Lions at home. The Colts have struggled so far this season, and the Lions have won their last eight games in a row. The Lions have lost just one game, back in Week 2, and they're widely considered to be the best team in the NFL right now.
The Colts, meanwhile, lost three in a row before defeating the New York Jets with Anthony Richardson back at the helm for the offense. The good news is that, with Richardson at QB1, the offense looked the best it had in quite some time. He played the best game of his career, and looked like a completely different player than fans had seen earlier in the season. The bad news is that the Jets are one of the worst teams in the league, and they still remained competitive until the end.
Suffice it to say, the Colts have their work cut out for them. But that doesn't mean they can't pull off an upset - and here's how.
Control the clock
This season, the Colts have... not done well with time of possession. In fact, they're one of the worst in the league. That will need to change if they want to win Sunday.
Thankfully, this plays into the offense that works well for Richardson. Head coach Shane Steichen will need to focus heavily on the run, which plays to Richardson's strengths, and also takes advantage of Jonathan Taylor, who is one of the best running backs in the league right now. The Colts need to eat up the clock with their offense on the field, and keep the Lions offense -- and Jared Goff -- off the field.
Pressure Goff heavily
Jared Goff is a phenomenal quarterback, but like any QB, consistent pressure can force him to make more mistakes. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have been fantastic this season at pressuring QBs, while rookie Laiatu Latu is widely considered a good candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year as he racks up pressures, tackles, and sacks.
Goff usually operates with surgical-like precision, but if the Colts defense can keep the pressure on him, and prevent him from having the time to think clearly, he can be forced to make more mistakes.
Keep Richardson's momentum
As mentioned, Richardson had the best game of his short NFL career last week. Needless to say, he will need to not only repeat this performance, but build upon it and do even better.
Richardson looked calm and in control against the Jets, which is no small feat. The Jets overall are not a good team, but they have a great pass defense. Richardson managed to be accurate, make smart decisions, do well with both rushing and passing, and perform well under immense pressure. The Lions will put tons of pressure on him, and he will need to use the athleticism he's famous for to escape, and remain calm so he doesn't panic and make poor throws which could lead to interceptions.
Control the run
The Lions offense, in addition to Goff, has two other superstars: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Colts run defense, however, has struggled throughout the season. Luckily, they could potentially be regaining one of their best defensive players from injured reserve this Sunday, and they'll need it.
Montgomery and Gibbs cannot be allowed to run all over the Colts defense if they want to have a prayer of winning. EJ Speed and Zaire Franklin have both been playing well in recent weeks, and they'll need to be at their absolute best Sunday, minimizing the run and getting the Lions' offense off the field quickly.