PLAYER NOTES
–RT Braden Smith has won the starting job after the first two starts of his NFL career. Head coach Frank Reich said, “Right now, it’s looking like it’s Braden’s spot with the way he is playing.” The second-round pick played guard in college, but the Colts expect their offensive linemen to be versatile and Smith saw plenty of preseason action at right tackle.
–The Colts have averaged 30.7 points in the last three games. Prior to that, they hadn’t scored more than 24 points in 14 consecutive games.
–Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard has an NFL-best 63 total tackles.
–The Colts are still the league’s No. 1 team in converting third downs at 49.4 percent (44 of 89).
–DT Denico Autry isn’t ready to return to the lineup due to a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago at New England. He has 13 tackles and two sacks in three starts.
–DE Margus Hunt, who is tied for the league lead with nine tackles for loss, was a full-practice participant on Wednesday. He missed his first start of the season on Sunday due to a knee injury. Hunt and LB Darius Leonard lead the team with four sacks.
–If Luck throws a touchdown pass on Sunday to extend the NFL’s longest active streak of at least one passing score to 30 regular-season games, he’ll tie Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan for the eighth-longest streak in league history.
–The Colts have been stuck on 299 Indianapolis wins since their lone victory in Week 2. When they win another game, the Indianapolis franchise will become just the 12th NFL team with 300 wins since 1984. They’re 299-280 in that span.
–K Adam Vinatieri needs 10 points to surpass Morten Andersen (2,544) as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer.
–Colts opponents, counting division foes twice, have a combined record of 34-34 (.500). Entering the season, the opponents’ record based on 2017 results was 101-107 (.486).
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Marlon Mack. The second-year pro returned from a three-game injury absence to rush for 89 yards against the Jets. It’s the most yards for a Colts rusher this season for a 30th-ranked rushing offense that has been in dire need of a ground game. His 12 carries were a career high. While the plan is to rotate Mack with rookies Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins to keep them fresh, Mack showed why he should be the starter. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry. His speedy burst included a 25-yard rush. If the Colts are going to get more in line with Reich’s goal of having offensive balance with the coach calling run plays about 40 percent of the time, Mack has to stay healthy and be the catalyst. “I’m very encouraged by the run game,” Reich said.
GAME PLAN: Look for the Colts to establish a run game against the Bills’ stout defense, although it might take Luck loosening up his opponent in the passing game to create run lanes. If the Colts can gain at least modest rushing yards while moving the chains, they will try to monopolize time of possession and wear down Bills defenders. The longer the opposing defense is on the field the better. But all that said, it’s still going to require Luck and the Colts to take care of the ball better. They had four turnovers, including three interceptions, against the Jets. Those aren’t all on Luck, as Reich reminds, but the quarterback concedes he must be smarter about when and where he throws.
Buffalo will be using its third quarterback in Anderson, who hasn’t started a game since 2016 with Carolina. The Bills will want to make life easier on Anderson by running the football with LeSean McCoy against a Colts defense that is 16th against the run in yards allowed per game but fourth best in rushing yards allowed per carry. The Bills have continually struggled to score, often relying on their defense to dictate field position and create opportunities with turnovers. Anderson should see open receivers if the Colts pass rush doesn’t get to him enough. The Colts have struggled in coverage, especially when caught in man-to-man situations. Look for the Colts to blitz early to try to speed up Anderson’s internal clock and induce short-range throws underneath. The Colts like to play a lot of zone defense in the secondary, which ideally prevents pass catchers from getting past the coverage.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Colts LT Anthony Castonzo vs. Bills RDE Jerry Hughes. Castonzo finally made his season debut on Sunday after missing all of preseason and five regular-season games with a hamstring injury. The return of the Colts’ O-line anchor, a former first-round pick in his eighth season, resulted in Luck not being sacked for the first time this season. The Bills, tied with the Colts for third in the league with 19 sacks, count on Hughes to be a disruptive presence. A first-round Colts selection in 2010 who didn’t pan out and was traded to Buffalo in 2013, Hughes has amassed 39.5 sacks with his new team, including a team-high 4.5 this season. He also has three forced fumbles this year. The Bills rewarded Hughes with a five-year, $45 million contract in 2015.
–Colts WLB Darius Leonard vs. Bills RB LeSean McCoy. The NFL’s tackle leader now sets his sights on the shifty, “Shady” McCoy, who is the league’s only player with more than 13,000 scrimmage yards (13,798) since his pro debut in 2009. McCoy has rushed for 243 yards (4.0 per carry), but is still looking for his first TD in 2018. He’s also an elusive pass catcher in open space with 13 receptions for 85 yards. Leonard, a second-round selection who was named NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Month in September, is sure to be shadowing McCoy on every down. Leonard has become an immediate team leader because of his tenacity and athleticism. “The Maniac” has already developed quite the reputation for running down ball carriers and making plays.
