Colts' Offense Won't Flinch In Shorthanded Matchup Against Rams
Talk about a large dose of adversity right away.
In a season that carried seemingly high expectations, the Indianapolis Colts find themselves behind the 8-ball rather quickly in the 2021 season, coming off of a rough Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and now dealing with a number of injuries to key players ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Against the Rams at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday, the Colts will be without cornerback Xavier Rhodes and right tackle Braden Smith, and could be without the likes of wide receiver Parris Campbell, guard Quenton Nelson, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., defensive end Kwity Paye and safety Julian Blackmon, who are all questionable entering the game.
The good news is the Colts will see free agent left tackle Eric Fisher make his Colts' debut Sunday against the Rams just under 10 months after tearing his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game with the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, it'll be a very tough task for the Colts on Sunday against a healthy Rams' lineup, especially against a defense led by future Hall of Famers Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
Head Coach Frank Reich has confidence in his men though, stating that the Colts won't flinch in the face of adversity, especially from a play-calling perspective against the Rams' stout defense.
“I mean it is what it is. We don’t flinch," Reich said to reporters Friday. "We game planned our plays understanding what the situation is that we have. There’s times – like we always talk about – you want to help guys, times you can help guys, times you can’t help guys. We just want to be efficient on offense and we believe we can do that with whoever lines up out there.”
That's nice to read and hear from the Colts' head coach, but there's no denying Indianapolis will be at a significant disadvantage against the Rams.
It's hard to truly believe that Reich and the Colts' won't "flinch" with the playcalling, especially with Braden Smith out, Quenton Nelson dealing with a back and foot injury and the Colts' receivers struggling to create separation one week ago and now taking on a better secondary.
Any given Sunday though anything can happen. We'll see how it plays out with the Colts, but Sunday's matchup with the Rams feels like a rather rough one ahead at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Have thoughts on Frank Reich stating the Colts won't flinch with the play calling against the Rams? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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