Ravens will face similar challenges with Colts as they did with Steelers
After dropping their matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in Week Eight, the Baltimore Ravens will hit the road to take on an Indianapolis Colts team that will present them with similar challenges that their archrivals brought to the table and used to come from behind and win in the second half.
While the Colts and Steelers don’t run identical schemes on either offense or defense, the similarities come in the comparable intangibles, players, and pedigree.
“That’s how it is in this league. You play great people, great players, coaches [and] teams. Every team has their strengths. Every team has their weaknesses within that; nobody is invincible by any stretch,” Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “So, you get ready to go. We respect every opponent. We certainly respect the Colts. They have a great record.”
Reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense will be going up against yet another top-five defense for the second week in a row.
The Colts are one of the stingiest teams in terms of both yards and points allowed per game by allowing just 293.4 yards and 19.4 points per game, which ranks second and fifth-best in the league, respectively.
“Obviously, their defense is highly rated statistically, and you can see why on tape,” Harbaugh said. “They’re well-coached. I think they do a great job – their coaching staff. Like you said, they don’t really have any weaknesses personnel wise out there.”
Indianapolis has proven and Pro Bowl playmakers at every level of their stout defense. At linebacker, they have All-Pro Darius Leonard who Jackson called one of the best in the game, and in the secondary, they have three-time Pro Bowl corner Xavier Rhodes who is having a great bounce-back year after struggling in his final season with the Minnesota Vikings.
In the trenches, they have Pro Bowl defensive tackle Deforest Buckner who they acquired via trade from the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, veteran defensive end and four-time Pro Bowler Justin Houston, and fourth-year nose tackle Grover Stewart who the Ravens liked entering the 2017 draft.
The Ravens starting offensive line will look noticeably different for the remainder of the season after placing two starters on injured reserve after suffering ankle injuries against Pittsburgh.
However, their reshuffled unit was able to dominate the Steelers’ vaunted defense at the point of attack and especially on the ground where they racked up a season-high 265 yards.
Thanks to the versatility and depth they possess on their depth chart, there’s no reason not to expect another dominant outing for Baltimore’s offense against the Colts as long as Jackson takes care of the ball better than he did last week.
As for Baltimore’s defense, they’ll be going up against a savvy veteran quarterback from the 2004 draft class for the second straight game.
After allowing Ben Roethlisberger to lead the Steelers to a comeback win last week following a dominant first half, the Ravens top-five defense will want to dominate from start to finish against Phillip Rivers and the Colts.
“I think he’s played really well. He’s a classic NFL quarterback, and one of the best there is over the last 15-18 years. He’s kind of in the same mold as Ben that way,” Harbaugh said.
Neither seasoned signal-callers possess the dual-threat skill set that has become almost mandatory for prospects at the position coming out of college to have. However, where they are still among the league’s elite is in their ability to quickly read, diagnose, and carve up defenses from inside the pocket.
“They’re not exactly the same. I don’t mean to say they’re the same, but the way they operate is similar,” said Harbaugh. “They understand their particular scheme inside and out. They know what they want to get up against different kinds of defenses. They do a very good job of ID-ing the defense. And then, they know where to go with the ball once the ball is snapped, either with what the weakness in the scheme is or the best matchup might be. That’s what those guys do so well, and they’re accurate throwers. … He’s playing Phillip Rivers-football, for sure.”
The last time the Ravens faced off with Rivers in the Wild Card round of the 2018 postseason when the 17-year vet was still a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.
It was starting safety and defensive signal-caller Chuck Clark’s second season in the league and he recalled it vividly when speaking to the media on Wednesday.
“I just remember when we played against him two years ago,” said Clark. “The vet-savvy and the field general that he was out there and watching him and Eric Weddle going back and forth – seeing the safeties disguising, and then [Philip] Rivers trying to read the coverages and things like that. So, he’s just a vet-savvy quarterback. He’s done this for a long time, and he’s still doing it.”
Rivers signed with the Colts this offseason after spending the first 16 years of his career with the Chargers. He’s guided Indianapolis to a 5-2 record in his first seven games at the helm and has the offense averaging 28.3 yards per game.
The wily veteran quarterback is having a solid individual season as well with a career-high 69.7 completion percentage, 10 touchdown passes to six interceptions, and 1,860 yards passing which is on pace to eclipse 4,000 for the 12th time in his career.
Rivers is surrounded by talent on offense at the running back and receiver position, but his biggest asset is the stalwart starting offensive line that he has blocking for him. The unit features three former first-round picks and is led by two-time First-Team All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson.
“The offense is definitely built around him, absolutely. I think Coach [Frank] Reich has done a good job of that,” Harbaugh said.
This game will feature some intriguing matchups that I’ll get into greater detail later this week in a “key matchups to watch for” article but if the Ravens, even with some players missing from the starting lineup, can do what they did against the Steelers minus the costly turnovers then they should win this game handily.
