In Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders will host the Indianapolis Colts. We look at their offseason and how the Raiders can win.
The then-Oakland Raiders traveled to Indianapolis last season, where the Raiders would shock the Colts in a 31-24 victory. Despite the score being so close, the Raiders dominated the game from start to finish, with breakout performances from return man Trevor Davis and safety Erik Harris.
Both teams had similar seasons last year, finishing 7-9, and being a tough match up for whoever they faced. The two teams will face off late in the season this year, as the Colts will be the team traveling this time around, heading to Las Vegas in Week 14 to try and get revenge on the Silver and Black.
Both teams have spent the offseason revamping their roster, and should both be a better version than they were a year ago. With the AFC Playoffs going to seven teams, the Colts and Raiders should be in the mix for at least a Wild Card spot, and this late in the season, this game is going to have serious playoff implications.
The Raiders made some key additions to the roster this off season, but the biggest changes in this match up will come from the Colts, who added a familiar foe of the Raiders to lead their offense.
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Opponent Review: Indianapolis Colts
Who’s New: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts had some big additions to their roster this off season, one of which is the addition of Philip Rivers. Rivers struggled heavily in 2019, but with a solid offensive line and some key weapons, he could bring his career back to life in Indianapolis.
There could be some bad blood when these two teams face because of Rivers, as the Raiders are his least favorite team in the league. It always gets heated when Rivers faces off with the Silver and Black, and as of late, the Raiders have had the upper hand on him.
In the two games against Oakland last season, Rivers threw just two touchdowns and three interceptions, losing both games.
Although Rivers was the biggest name added, the best addition the Colts made was adding DeForest Buckner in a trade. Buckner is arguably a top-five interior defensive lineman in the NFL and will add a new aspect to the pass rush that the team lacked in 2019.
The Colts were not able to generate a pass rush against the team in 2019, but with Buckner, Richie Incognito, Rodney Hudson, and Gabe Jackson will have their hands full.
The Colts also added through the draft, bringing in Michael Pittman Jr, an athletic, tall wide receiver out of USC, and Jonathan Taylor, arguably the best running back in the draft. The Colts have been a team that has had success building through the draft as of late, and this year looks to be no different.
Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Opponent Review: Indianapolis Colts
How can the Raiders beat the Indianapolis Colts
Last year, the Raiders were able to defeat the Colts by keeping Derek Carr clean, establishing the run game, and frustrating Jacoby Brissett. All of those tasks will be more difficult considering the two big additions the Colts made bringing in Philip Rivers and Deforest Buckner.
Even though the Colts upgraded at quarterback, the Raiders should not have too much of a challenge figuring out Rivers and the Colts passing game. Rivers will have a much better offensive line, but less impressive weapons to work with from previous years. The Colts may have to rely on their passing game against the Raiders, and when that happens, Rivers tends to struggle.
Oakland had no problems stopping the Colts rushing game last year, but that could be more difficult with the addition of Jonathan Taylor. Luckily, the Raiders made key additions at the defensive tackle spot and the linebacker position, so they should have no problems stopping the run game for the most part.
Finally, the biggest question is will the Silver and Black be able to run the football as effectively against the Colts with the addition of Deforest Buckner? Coach Gruden did a great job last year of taking teams best players out of the equation when playing them in 2019, and he will have to do it here, as well. The Raiders were able to make players like Khalil Mack and Von Miller appear useless last season.
For Las Vegas to win this game, they will have to put the game in Philip Rivers hands, isolate Deforest Buckner so that they can run the football, and keep Derek Carr clean like they did last year. All three of these things seem extremely doable, and although it is way to early to make a real prediction, I believe the team should be able to win this game.