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Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts: Game preview and prediction

By Jordan Alexis

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 22: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders passes the ball in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 22: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders passes the ball in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 22: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Indianapolis Colts passes the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 22: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Indianapolis Colts passes the ball during the second quarter of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /

Game Preview

The QB and coach matchup in this game is intriguing, Frank Reich and Jacoby Brissett have found a good rhythm early on while Jon Gruden and Derek Carr have been very inconsistent.

For the Raiders offense, they looked lost last week but will be facing a Colts defense without it’s two best players in Darius Leonard and Malik Hooker. Matt Ryan only had five incompletions against the Colts last week and threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. So there will be opportunities for Carr to attack the linebackers and secondary which wasn’t the case against the Vikings.

Oakland should also be able to find a balance running the ball as the Colts rank 29th in opponents yards per rush allowed (5.3).

Defensively, Oakland was run over against the Vikings Dalvin Cook and could be looking at a heavy dose of Colts running back Marlon Mack. He currently leads the NFL in rushing attempts and is third in yards behind an offensive line that ranks 4th in power run success rate. Mack ran for 132 yards with two touchdowns last year against the Raiders, so they need to focus on shutting him down.

The Colts tight ends Jack Doyle, and Eric Ebron will also be a focal point as the Raiders are weak in the middle of their defense.

Neither of these teams will feature huge playmakers especially with T.Y. Hilton being doubtful for the Colts, so the ability to sustain drives will be critical. Both these teams rank top ten in 3rd down conversion percentage, while also ranking bottom five in opponent third-down conversion percentage. Whichever defense steps up in this area will give their team a huge advantage.

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