The Indianapolis Colts will look to get back to .500 on Sunday when they host the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South matchup. Indianapolis has several areas to clean up as it looks to maintain its position in the division and continue building toward its goals.
Ahead of the game, head coach Shane Steichen addressed the media to discuss the team's preparation and what the Colts need to do to put together a complete performance against Tennessee. Here are three of the most important takeaways from his comments.
On the Passing Game
The Colts have received inconsistent production from their wide receivers in recent weeks, and opposing defenses are beginning to adjust to their most productive targets. Heading into Sunday's matchup with the Titans, head coach Shane Steichen knows the offense must find ways to counter those adjustments.
One challenge has been getting Josh Downs involved when defenses focus on taking him away, particularly on third downs. Steichen acknowledged the attention Downs has received and explained how Indianapolis hopes to respond.
“Yeah I mean, each and every week we’ve got to be prepared for what defenses do to him," Steichen said. "They're doubling him on third down a few times...we’ve got to do a great job of moving him around to get him freed up when teams are doing that because he is a hell of a player."
When defenses take away the first option, Steichen said the Colts must capitalize on opportunities elsewhere in the passing game, saying they're always looking for new ways to get their playmakers the ball.
Indianapolis could also have another option as it looks for more production from its receivers. The Colts recently added Quez Watkins, who could provide a vertical threat if he earns a role against Tennessee. Steichen was noncommittal about whether Watkins would make his debut this week.
On Turnovers
Steichen identified turnovers as a major area of emphasis for the Colts heading into Sunday's matchup with the Titans. Indianapolis is -6 in turnover differential, tied for worst in the league.
Steichen said this week that taking the ball away, as well as protecting it, were the main points of emphasis in this week's preparation for Tennessee.
“Obviously, you got – you preach it, but you got to practice it like crazy," he said. "It's got to be all day, every day in practice. You can't talk about it. You got to go do it.”
The message is clear: Indianapolis has to improve on both sides of the turnover equation.
With the AFC South matchup approaching, the Colts will look to turn that emphasis in practice into results on Sunday. As Steichen made clear, stressing the importance of turnovers is not enough. Indianapolis must execute when it matters.
On Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor has remained a productive part of the Colts' offense, but Indianapolis has yet to create the explosive runs that have made Taylor so dangerous throughout his career. Ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Titans, Steichen acknowledged that getting those game-changing plays back into the offense is an area the team needs to address.
“Obviously, the chunk plays like we saw last year, we haven't had those in the run game, and it'd be great to get back to that and get those explosives going forward,” Steichen said.
Steichen pointed to both scheme and execution as factors in creating more opportunities for Taylor, who hasn't recorded a run of 25 yards or more in over 570 snaps. Indianapolis has to adjust to the defensive fronts it faces each week while making sure its players execute when the offense gets the looks it wants.
“Execution's got to be at a premium.," Steichen said.
Taylor's ability to turn routine carries into explosive gains can add another dimension to the Colts' offense. Against Tennessee, Indianapolis will look to create the conditions for those bigger plays and give its star running back more opportunities to break through.
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