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The Indianapolis Colts Week 4 date with the Pittsburgh Steelers provides a great opportunity for Shane Steichen’s squad to even their record at 2-2 and take a meaningful step towards playoff contention.
The Steelers have had their own struggles lately, but they are currently undefeated and one of the hottest teams in the league right now. If the Colts are able to walk away with a win this weekend, they’ll gain a much-needed confidence boost that they can parlay into a winning streak as they get into the heart of the season.
This will be a major test for the Colts, much like their Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans was. They came up just short in that game, and a win against the Steelers would go a long way in terms of confidence. With that being said, let’s make some bold predictions for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm ET from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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The Colts' offensive line holds TJ Watt to zero sacks
TJ Watt is one of the best pass rushers in football, and he’s quickly becoming one of the best rushers in the history of the game as well. He’s inherited many of his brother JJ‘s best traits, but he also has the edge in speed and a motor that even JJ might not have had. Perhaps most importantly, he’s been able to stay healthy and consistent throughout his career in a way that JJ wasn’t able to do.
The Steelers’ star linebacker is a critical component of their defensive philosophy, and Watt is relied upon heavily to disrupt opposing teams’ passing efforts. Richardson is a mobile and physical quarterback, who can maneuver his way inside and outside of the pocket to avoid pressure and also take a hit while staying upright.
The Steelers' star pass rusher will almost certainly get close to Richardson at least a handful of times and will likely get at least one or two hits on him. If Richardson can stay upright, though, it will go a long way toward extending plays and giving his offense a chance. Richardson’s ability to avoid sacks will also help his team’s offense avoid getting stuck behind the chains, which makes it much harder to effectively operate the offense.
Quenton Nelson is one of the best offensive linemen in the league, and he’ll be able to hold up on the interior while also providing help to left tackle Bernhard Raimann should it be necessary. Holding Watt to zero sacks will go a long way toward helping the Colts' chances of emerging from this matchup victorious.
Anthony Richardson throws 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions
Anthony Richardson is a supremely talented quarterback who has all the potential in the world, but he also has some notable flaws. His two biggest flaws are ball security and accuracy.
When he is accurate, the results are nothing short of beautiful. The perfect encapsulation of Richardson’s skyscraping potential was his pass to Alec Pierce in Week 1 that went nearly 70 yards in the air after Richardson threw it off his back foot, and fell perfectly inside the breadbasket of his wide receiver.
Perhaps the most impressive thing is that Richardson was stumbling away from pressure and didn’t step into this pass at all when he let it fly. It was his pure arm strength that allowed him to place the pass perfectly from 70 yards away without using his lower body at all.
Plays like this are why the Colts were so high on Richardson coming out of college, and why they continue to stand by him despite the number of frustrating mistakes he makes and the easy throws that he misses.
The next step for Richardson is to play clean football, and he could start putting it all together as early as this weekend. Look for Richardson to find the end zone at least three times while protecting the ball and not turning it over at all.
The Colts' defense holds George Pickens out of the end zone
Pickens is one of the most explosive wide receivers in the league, but he hasn’t found the end zone yet for the Steelers this season. That’s somewhat surprising, especially with the emergence of Justin Fields as a legitimate option at quarterback. Fields playstyle also tends to mesh perfectly with what Pickens likes to do best.
Fields has a massive arm and can get the ball deep down the sideline with these. That’s where Pickens excels, and it’s somewhat surprising that the two haven’t linked up for an explosive play into the end zone yet. That will certainly come with time, though. It’s highly unlikely that defenses will be able to keep this duo out of the end zone for long. There is reason to believe that the Colts will keep them from finding the promised land in Week 4, however.
The Colts have a decent pass rush and some talented, if underrated, players in the secondary. Perhaps most importantly, they understand the importance of minimizing Pickens’ ability to impact the game. That means they are going to try every scheme in coverage that they can think of to limit his impact. They will try double teams, disguised coverages, safety help over the top, and possibly even strategic triple teams on key plays.
A pass rush that gets after the quarterback, combined with targeted help defense in key scenarios should be enough to keep Pickens out of the end zone. Fields is putting an emphasis on playing intelligent football this year, and if the Colts help on Pickens, he’ll likely look to his secondary options, such as a prior move in the passing game, or the running game powered by Najee Harris. Either way, don’t expect Pickens to score a touchdown this week.
