The Indianapolis Colts have officially entered a new era, as Andrew Luck is no longer the franchise quarterback after announcing his sudden retirement just before the start of the regular season.
Now, it's Jacoby Brissett who is under center, and in the Colts' Week 1 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, Brissett was solid, completing 21 of his 27 passes for 190 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Indianapolis will be facing a tough Tennessee Titans defense this Sunday, so Brissett is certainly off to a heck of a tour to start the season.
First, it was the Chargers' fierce pass rush. Now, it's the Titans' smashmouth defense that just held the Cleveland Browns to 13 points in a 30-point rout last weekend.
So, how can Brissett put up big numbers in this game?
It all comes down to being efficient and careful.
While the Titans' defense is not necessarily opportunistic, as they totaled just 17 takeaways last year, there is a lot of individual talent on that unit, particularly in a Tennessee secondary that is led by Kevin Byard.
For that reason, any mistakes that Brissett makes will be magnified. It's tough to crack the Titans defense, so Brissett will need to be very judicious and prudent with the football in order to maximize his effectiveness.
The good news for Brissett is that he has some weapons at his disposal that not even Luck had during most of his time at quarterback.
It's not just the T.Y. Hilton show in Indy anymore. Parris Campbell and Deon Cain are new weapons and the Colts have a couple of really good tight ends in Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle to snag some balls on short and intermediate routes, which Brissett will likely be making use of all season.
It would be nice if Marlon Mack could become more of a receiving threat out of the backfield, but just his presence alone makes Brissett's job easier, as evidenced by the fact that he racked up 174 rushing yards last weekend.
Tennessee is surely going to do whatever it can to take away the big-play potential of Brissett's rocket arm, so if Brissett can get rid of the ball quick and make those quick, short throws, he will eat up yardage while completing a high percentage of his passes.
Look for Ebron and Doyle to be vital targets in this game, and as long as Brissett can avoid any turnovers, he could be in for an impressive, efficient performance against a ferocious defense.
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