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The Indianapolis Colts are looking to pick up their third straight win on Sunday when they host the Oakland Raiders in a game that pretty much everyone is expecting the Colts to win.
Including myself.
We probably shouldn't get ahead of ourselves just yet, as the Raiders aren't the Miami Dolphins and the Colts are still trying to figure out life without Andrew Luck, but Indianapolis has looked pretty solid thus far.
So, here are four reasons the Colts will beat the Raiders in Week 4.
4. Raiders' Lack of Weapons
Last week, the Colts were able to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, one of the most offensively talented teams in the NFL. Matt Ryan. Julio Jones. Calvin Ridley. Devonta Freeman. Austin Hooper.
The Falcons are loaded on the offensive side of the ball, and Indy was still able to manage to hold them to 24 points at home.
Now, the Colts will face a Raiders team that is not nearly as gifted. Tyrell Williams is good, but he is really a No. 2 receiver playing the role of a No. 1. Darren Waller looks like a star on the rise at tight end, but Indianapolis can live with him having a good game so long as no surprises occur on the rest of Oakland's offense.
Basically, after defending the Falcons so well, the Raiders should seem like a piece of cake.
3. Jacoby Brissett Might Shine
Jacoby Brissett has looked really good in lieu of Luck thus far this season, throwing for 646 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception while completing 71.7 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 112.
He is also coming off of his biggest performance of the year and possibly his NFL career, as he completed 28 of his 37 throws for 310 yards and a couple of scores against Atlanta.
With the Raiders not exactly having the best pass defense in the league (they rank 24th), Brissett could have some fun this Sunday, especially after carving up the Falcons last weekend.
We'll get to see if Week 3 served as sort of a confidence-building performance for the young quarterback.
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2. Marlon Mack Could Run Wild
The Raiders just got torched for 211 rushing yards by the Minnesota Vikings, so Marlon Mack must be licking his chops.
Mack has been terrific thus far in 2019, racking up 299 yards and a couple of touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. With Oakland coming into town, Mack's numbers could see a boost.
The Raiders ranked 30th in the NFL in run defense last year, and while their defense has improved a bit this season, it is still nowhere close to being elite, and it's still probably pretty bad.
It would not be the least bit surprising if Mack goes off for well over 100 yards in this contest.
1. Home Field
The Colts went 6-2 at home last season and have gotten off to a 1-0 start at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2019.
The Raiders? They went 1-7 on the road in 2019 and just got hammered by the Vikings by a score of 34-14 in Minnesota last week.
So, yeah; home field could end up being a really big thing here.
You never want to cite the venue as the main reason why a team should beat another team, but Oakland has been so bad outside of the confines of the Bay Area that it merits the No. 1 spot here.
