3 things Colts must focus on to get a win over Falcons in Week 16

With only three weeks left in the 2023 season, the Week 16 game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons pits two teams going in very different directions. Indianapolis is starting to really hit its stride and playing some good football, winning five of its last six games. The Falcons, on the other hand, have lost two straight and the last being to the lowly Carolina Panthers.

Both teams, however, are still in the playoff hunt, but the Colts can really start to separate themselves with a win this week. Let’s see what they need to excel at to keep the winning ways and their playoff hopes alive.

3. Capitalize on the Falcons’ indecisions

If there has been one glaring weakness of this football team this season, it has been its inability to utilize their position players and head coach Arthur Smith’s inability to stick with a quarterback or gameplan. The Falcons are turning to veteran Taylor Heinicke (again) this week, after another Desmond Ridder benching.

It is no surprise to see Ridder benched again. In his 16 starts, he has taken 40 sacks, has 14 fumbles and has six red zone turnovers this season— more than any quarterback in the league this season. With Heinicke, you are getting someone like current Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew. He can win you some games in spot starting duty but cannot be relied on the entire season without a proper game plan.

Arthur Smith has been unable to do that all season consistently. They drafted rookie Bijan Robinson to pair with Tyler Allgeier and they have had some flashes but overall, a disappointment. We have begun to see the emergence of Drake London but it’s been another disappointing year for tight end Kyle Pitts. Smith and his staff will need to really mix it up and change the gameplan to defeat this Colts defense that is coming off their best performance of the season.