There may not be a better get-right opportunity on the Indianapolis Colts' schedule than this one.
Indianapolis is 2-3 and coming off a frustrating loss in Pittsburgh, while the Tennessee Titans enter Lucas Oil Stadium at 0-5 with the NFL's lowest-scoring offense.
This is a game the Colts should win, but it is also a chance to answer a few questions that have followed this team through five weeks.
Can This Offense Finally Finish Drives?
Moving the football was not the biggest issue against Pittsburgh. Finishing drives was.
Indianapolis scored just one touchdown and settled for five field goals in the 34-22 loss, wasting too many opportunities once the offense reached scoring territory.
The season-long red-zone numbers are actually solid. The Colts have scored touchdowns on 10 of 15 red-zone trips, but Sunday showed how quickly this offense can stall when Jonathan Taylor is not controlling the game.
Taylor was held to 45 yards on 15 carries and did not score against Pittsburgh. Through five games, he has 398 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Getting him going again, especially near the goal line, has to be priority No. 1.
Is This Defense Only Serviceable Against Bad Offenses?
So far, the answer looks like a resounding yes.
Baltimore, Kansas City and Pittsburgh scored a combined 108 points against Indianapolis. Houston and Washington combined for just 30.
That difference is hard to ignore.
Tennessee now gives this defense another favorable matchup. The Titans are averaging an NFL-worst 11.6 points per game, while Cam Ward has thrown for 896 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The biggest key is pressure. Ward has averaged roughly 2.6 yards per attempt when pressured, but Indianapolis has been one of the NFL's worst teams at generating it.
If this pass rush cannot make a struggling rookie quarterback uncomfortable, it's hard to imagine things improving against better competition.
Is CJ Allen Finally Earning a Bigger Role?
This might be the most interesting question of the week.
Allen played just 11 defensive snaps through the first four games before seeing a career-high 24 against Pittsburgh. For a second-round pick Chris Ballard said would be a green-dot linebacker "from the get-go," his early role has been surprisingly small.
Linebacker has been one of the weakest parts of this defense, and Indianapolis made a clear bet on getting younger at the position this offseason.
Allen does not have to become an every-down star overnight, but Week 5 felt like the first real step toward finding out what the Colts have in him.
Now the question is whether Anarumo keeps the door open.
The Colts have a favorable matchup, a home game and a winless divisional opponent. If they want to get back to .500, these are three areas that need to look different on Sunday.
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