Horseshoe Huddle Roundtable: Colts vs. Ravens | Week 5 | Predictions & Picks
In Week 4 on the road in Miami, the Indianapolis Colts showed exactly who they could be this season.
Riding high after a dominant display against the Dolphins in a 27-17 win, the Colts now draw the task of trying to knock off arguably the best team in the AFC at the moment in the scorching-hot Baltimore Ravens, led by superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Colts and Ravens will match up on Monday Night Football in Baltimore with both sides dealing with plenty of injuries to key players so early in the season. This one will come down to which defense can stop the run the best.
Horseshoe Huddle's Zach Hicks, Andrew Moore, Jake Arthur and Josh Carney all took a shot at predicting the outcome of the game. After being relatively split last week, the staff is all in agreement as to which team comes out on top Monday night.
In the NFL, any team can win on any given Sunday. Here's how Horseshoe Huddle sees it unfolding for the Colts in Week 5 against the Ravens.
Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) (2-2): Coming off their first win of the year last week, the Colts get a tough matchup in prime time with the Ravens. The Ravens’ defense is among the best in the league in pressure rate, which doesn’t bode well for the Colts with their OL issues. The Colts’ defense has also struggled with containing the deep pass and stopping the run consistently, which are two strengths for the Ravens offense. I just think the Colts are too overmatched for this game.
Pick: Ravens 31, Colts 17
Andrew Moore (@AndrewMooreSI) (3-1): The Colts got their first win of the year last week against a struggling Dolphins team. This week is a completely different animal going against the Baltimore Ravens. The key on defense will be not allowing Lamar Jackson to take over the game, something most teams have trouble doing. The Colts will also need to handle the blitz-heavy scheme of the Ravens’ defense and make sure Carson Wentz has time to operate. In the end, a banged up Colts team won’t be able to match the red hot Ravens.
Pick: Ravens 27, Colts 21
Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL): (2-1) These two know each other well after last year’s midseason matchup. Unfortunately for the Colts, the Ravens offense came out of halftime doing just about whatever they wanted offensively. I see Lamar Jackson putting together a terrific performance while the Colts offense also struggles to make things happen against that always-rough Baltimore defense.
Pick: Ravens 24, Colts 17
Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) (3-1): After getting into the win column in Week 4, the tough early-season schedule continues for the Indianapolis Colts, who make the tough trip to Baltimore to take on the red-hot Ravens in a pivotal AFC showdown. Without rookie defensive end Kwity Paye, and a number of other key defenders limited all week in practice, the Colts face a tough task of stopping the Ravens' high-flying offense. These two are very familiar with each other, but a short-handed, banged-up defense against a potent attack like the Ravens is never a recipe for success.
Pick: Ravens 33, Colts 20
Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.
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