Upset Alert: How the Colts Can Upset the Ravens

The Indianapolis Colts are looking to upset the AFC North heavyweight Baltimore Ravens without quarterback Anthony Richardson on Sunday.

The Indianapolis Colts travel to familiar territory for their Week 3 matchup. I’m sure they will be greeted with a ton of boos from the crowd considering how they departed from Baltimore almost 40 years ago. The people of Baltimore have never fully gotten over the infamous “move in the middle of the night” and still have a lot of animosity for the Irsays and the Colts organization.

Aside from that, the Colts are taking on a Baltimore Ravens team that is rolling so far this season. The Ravens are 2-0 with wins over the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Colts will be without Anthony Richardson and Ryan Kelly, while the Ravens will be without Odell Beckham Jr., Justice Hill, Marlon Humphrey, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh, Ronnie Stanley, and Marcus Williams.

As of now, the game is slated to be played in a tropical storm, which favors the Colts. The Ravens are still a touchdown favorite, but I think the Colts can do a couple of things to win this game.

Run the Damn Ball

© Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colts are not the deepest team when it comes to the running back position. Jonathan Taylor is on PUP, Evan Hull is out for the year, and the team released Deon Jackson, who started Week 1.

In Week 2, the Colts turned to Zack Moss, who just came back from a forearm injury that kept him out all preseason. He played all but one snap against the Texans and delivered a stellar performance. Moss finished the game with 18 carries for 88 yards with a touchdown and 4 catches for another 19 yards.

He averaged a hair under 5 yards per carry and was very efficient on first and second down, keeping the Colts out of 3rd-and-long situations. Moss will need to be similarly effective to win the game on Sunday.

Baltimore’s run defense is very good as well. Right now, they currently rank fifth in yards allowed and 11th in yards per carry allowed. Running against them is going to be a tough task, but something that has to get done for the Colts to take this game.

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Slow Down Lamar Jackson

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Priority number one for the Colts on defense should be stopping Lamar Jackson. The Colts have a history of struggling against mobile quarterbacks. No quarterback in the league poses more of a threat with their legs than Jackson.

With the weather being bad, it should help the young Colts’ secondary a bit with the Ravens' pass catchers. The toughest task will be keeping Jackson in the pocket. If he is able to escape the initial rush and make plays down the field, then it would be an absolute backbreaker for the Colts' defense.

The Colts will probably end up having a spy, whether it’s a linebacker (Zaire Franklin, Shaq Leonard), or maybe they run simulated pressures and drop someone off the line of scrimmage in an attempt to confuse Jackson. The only silver lining in this is that the Colts’ defensive line has arguably been the team’s best unit. Baltimore will be missing two starters on the offensive line in Linderbaum (C) and Stanley (LT), and just like they did last week, the Colts have to capitalize.

Use The Weather To Your Advantage

© Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

In bad weather games, for the most part, they are always low-scoring and sloppily played. It reduces the skill gap between two teams and almost even the playing field. When the field is wet, most teams rely on the run game, and that’s where the Colts can take advantage.

DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart will not allow this team to get gashed on the ground. If they can shut down the run on 1st and 2nd down and force Baltimore into 3rd-and-long situations, that would be a huge win for the defense. As for the offense, the Colts must protect the football.

In these types of games, you’re almost guaranteed to see a fumble or dropped passes due to the ball being wet. If the Colts protect the football and keep this to a low-scoring game, I think the odds of winning drastically improve.

With the injuries to the Ravens and the terrible weather on the way, this game has upset potential written all over it. If the Colts can do the things I mentioned, there is no reason to think they can’t get back on the Mayflower and return to Indianapolis with a win.

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