Indianapolis will be playing its third road game in four weeks. Coming off a resume-building win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Colts will likely be on the downswing emotionally against a Chargers team looking to bounce back after laying an egg in Oakland.
The Chargers have scored touchdowns on 26.4% of their drives. This ranks fourth in the NFL and is a key reason for the team's impressive 3-1-1 ATS record. San Diego's per-drive production is a direct result of its revitalized passing game, with Philip Rivers currently ranking sixth in the league in passing.
The Indianapolis secondary has actually held up this season, ranking sixth in passing yards allowed per game. Unfortunately, the Colts have not played a single quarterback who ranks inside the top 20 this season. Expect a true test against the Chargers elite passing offense to bring Indy back down to earth.
Reggie Wayne vs. Derek Cox
Derek Cox is the Chargers? best option to cover Colts? perennial Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne. However, to counter Cox?s coverage, the Colts would be wise to keep Reggie Wayne moving around the formations during pre-snaps. Wayne often moves around from left, to right and in the slot and this creates constant mismatches in the Colts favor.
Top receivers Andre Johnson from the Houston Texans, DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles, Nate Washington from the Tennessee Titans, Dez Bryant from the Dallas Cowboys and Denarius Moore from the Oakland Raiders all had big-time games against San Diego?s secondary. The aforementioned players all happen to represent every single team the Chargers have faced this year.
Expect the Colts to move Wayne quite a bit before the snap. If it worked last week against the Seattle Seahawks then it will work this week against the Chargers.
Robert Mathis vs. King Dunlap
Through five games, the San Diego Chargers have actually done a much better job protecting quarterback Philip Rivers than most would have expected. They have only given up 8 sacks and 11 quarterback hits. However, there is only one team ranked above the Colts in sacks that the Chargers have faced, which was the Titans.
Robert Mathis has gotten off to an extremely hot start this year, with 9.5 sacks. King Dunlap is better at run blocking than he is at pass blocking ? something in which he could be considered a liability. The sheer size difference between Mathis and Dunlap should work out in Mathis? favor. Dunlap is 6?9?, 330lbs and Mathis is 6?2?, 246lbs ? a difference of 7 inches and 84 pounds. Mathis has the advantage in speed, quickness and leverage. Dunlap is simply not athletic and limber enough to be able to hang around with Mathis. These ingredients mix together to make Mathis have another big night.
The Chargers have scored touchdowns on 26.4% of their drives. This ranks fourth in the NFL and is a key reason for the team's impressive 3-1-1 ATS record. San Diego's per-drive production is a direct result of its revitalized passing game, with Philip Rivers currently ranking sixth in the league in passing.
The Indianapolis secondary has actually held up this season, ranking sixth in passing yards allowed per game. Unfortunately, the Colts have not played a single quarterback who ranks inside the top 20 this season. Expect a true test against the Chargers elite passing offense to bring Indy back down to earth.
Reggie Wayne vs. Derek Cox
Derek Cox is the Chargers? best option to cover Colts? perennial Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne. However, to counter Cox?s coverage, the Colts would be wise to keep Reggie Wayne moving around the formations during pre-snaps. Wayne often moves around from left, to right and in the slot and this creates constant mismatches in the Colts favor.
Top receivers Andre Johnson from the Houston Texans, DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles, Nate Washington from the Tennessee Titans, Dez Bryant from the Dallas Cowboys and Denarius Moore from the Oakland Raiders all had big-time games against San Diego?s secondary. The aforementioned players all happen to represent every single team the Chargers have faced this year.
Expect the Colts to move Wayne quite a bit before the snap. If it worked last week against the Seattle Seahawks then it will work this week against the Chargers.
Robert Mathis vs. King Dunlap
Through five games, the San Diego Chargers have actually done a much better job protecting quarterback Philip Rivers than most would have expected. They have only given up 8 sacks and 11 quarterback hits. However, there is only one team ranked above the Colts in sacks that the Chargers have faced, which was the Titans.
Robert Mathis has gotten off to an extremely hot start this year, with 9.5 sacks. King Dunlap is better at run blocking than he is at pass blocking ? something in which he could be considered a liability. The sheer size difference between Mathis and Dunlap should work out in Mathis? favor. Dunlap is 6?9?, 330lbs and Mathis is 6?2?, 246lbs ? a difference of 7 inches and 84 pounds. Mathis has the advantage in speed, quickness and leverage. Dunlap is simply not athletic and limber enough to be able to hang around with Mathis. These ingredients mix together to make Mathis have another big night.
