The Indianapolis Colts pulled off another massive victory in Week 7. After beating the Kansas City in their prior game, the Colts beat the Houston Texans to take claim of the top spot in the AFC South.
Now 4-2, the Colts have a number of impressive wins under their belt. It's becoming blatantly clear that this team isn't going to fade into the abyss after the retirement of Andrew Luck.
Now they face off with the Denver Broncos in Week 8. Although they are just 2-5, the Colts need to be careful. They can't afford to lose games like this.
So how do they win? Here are four reasons the Colts pull out the victory over the Broncos in Week 8.
Giving Up?
On Tuesday, the Broncos traded star wide receiver, Emmanuel Sanders. He wasn't their most productive receiver, but he was number two in every category.
The trading of Sanders indicates that the Denver brass might realize this season isn't going anywhere. At 2-5 they'd need some insane things to happen if they wanted to find their way into the playoffs.
Without another major weapon, this already dead looking offense is going to be even tougher to watch. Going up against a really strong Colts team, that could be a death wish.
This is the same Indianapolis team that kept the Kansas City offense looking average and didn't let the Texans offense roll over them either.
Due to that, don't expect the Broncos to do much of anything. In fact, you should be surprised if they do.
That alone could be enough to pull out a victory for the Colts.
Offensive Line
This Indianapolis offensive line could be a reason every week. They are absolutely ridiculous. What's even crazier is that just a few seasons ago they were considered the worst line in the NFL.
In fact, a lot of people contribute their struggles to Luck's retirement. A few years ago they couldn't protect him for anything. That led to injuries. Those injuries nagged on and he ended up retiring before he hit 30.
Now they protect the quarterback better than anyone. They also run block right at the top as well.
Seriously, they've only allowed seven sacks this year. That's just two more than the best in the NFL (Pittsburgh Steelers with five). For comparison, the Tennessee Titans have given up 31 sacks, as the worst team in the NFL in that category.
This offensive line is going up against a good group in the Broncos. In fact, that could easily be their biggest strength as a team. Not only is the defense good, but the pass rush is the best part about them.
The Colts will be able to neutralize that. Taking away the only good thing for Denver means taking away their chance at a victory.
Jacoby Brissett
Well, Jacoby Brissett's been good, hasn't he?
Brissett has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,388 yards so far. He also has 14 touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions. He adds another threat with 72 yards and another touchdown on the ground as well.
When Luck retired abruptly, the focus shifted to Brissett. Immediately people talked about how lucky the Colts were to have him. No, he wasn't a superstar and they'd likely still struggle pretty badly.
However, he was a really solid backup. In fact, a lot of people believed him to be better than some starters in the NFL. Brissett would at least be able to keep the Colts from embarrassing themselves.
Well, they were right that the Colts were lucky to have him. He isn't keeping them from embarrassing themselves though. Instead, Brissett is helping them thrive. He's turned himself into a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL, one that a lot of teams would absolutely love to have.
Brissett has given us no reason to believe he can't keep this up and help them win more games in 2019 and beyond. That includes in Week 8 against the Broncos.
Defense
The Indianapolis defense hasn't been all that great this year. They are 20th in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (361.2) and 17th in the NFL in points allowed per game (23).
So why is this on the list? Simply put, they are better than that. They have a lot of nice pieces in stars Darius Leonard and Malik Hooker. Both the secondary and defensive line has a lot to be excited about as well.
Most importantly, they haven't been steamrolled by two of the most dominant offenses in the Texans and Chiefs in their last two games.
Holding their own against those two juggernauts proves that this defense has a lot to offer. Now the Colts get the much much worse offense in Denver.
That's a major reason they'll win in Week 8 if you ask me.
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