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The Indianapolis Colts encountered one of the strangest offseasons in recent memory. With franchise quarterback Andrew Luck suddenly retiring right before the start of the 2019-20 regular season, the AFC South franchise has gone from division favorites to the least likely to reach the playoffs in a matter of days.
However, even in the absence of the uber-talented Luck, the Colts still have a pretty solid roster to work with from top-to-bottom. For that reason, Indianapolis may be able to surprise a few people with newly crowned starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett leading the way paired with a stout defense. Not only that, but the Colts have a formidable tight end in Eric Ebron, a solid starting running back in Marlon Mack and a Pro Bowl wide receiver in T.Y. Hilton to help pick up some of the slack.
Although it could be a slow start for the seemingly shocked and stunned Colts, the Los Angeles Chargers have some problems of their own which could pour into Week 1 and beyond. With these two teams squaring off in Week 1 in Los Angeles, it could ultimately be the Colts that come away with a surprise victory on the road.
Melvin Gordon Who?
It is no secret that the Chargers will surely be without Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon for this Week 1 matchup as the former first-round pick continues to hold out for a new contract. If this is the case, the tandem of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will attempt to carry the majority of the workload for the Chargers rushing attack. Is this duo capable of putting together some solid numbers? Sure. But is this duo capable of successfully replacing the aforementioned Gordon? Absolutely not.
Jacoby Brissett Knows This Offense
With Andrew Luck officially retiring, Jacoby Brissett will take over the reins under center going forward and even received a new contract. Luckily for the Colts, they have one of the best backup signal-callers in the entire NFL as Brissett has served as a starter for two different teams during his brief professional tenure.
Not only that, but with head coach Frank Reich now in year No. 2 in Indianapolis, Brissett should know this offense much better than he did a year ago. With a year of this system under his belt, Brissett should have no problem if the Colts can keep things simple against the Chargers.
No Offensive Line? Big Problem
This is a pretty simple issue to decipher — if you don't have a strong offensive line, both your quarterback and rushing attack are in trouble. The Chargers do not have any sort of talent up front these days as this unit will no doubt struggle for Los Angeles, especially when put up against a pesky Colts defense that flies to the football early and often. It is also worth noting that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers isn't getting any younger and has never been mobile while the pretty much guaranteed absence of the aforementioned Gordon will hinder the team's production on the ground in a massive way. It should go without saying but neither of these notions will help a weak offensive line — and vice versa.
As it stands today, the Chargers will be sporting the following offensive line group come Week 1 against the Colts:
#Chargers Week 1 Offensive Line:
LT Trent Scott (2nd-year UDFA, 125 career snaps)
LG Dan Feeney (PFF's No. 80 OG out of 81 last yr)
C Mike Pouncey (No. 29 out of 39 centers)
RG Michael Schofield (Negatively graded in both pass & run block)
RT Sam Tevi (No. 78 out of 80 OTs)— Evan Silva (@evansilva) September 2, 2019
Colts Are Out To Prove Doubters Wrong
With Andrew Luck all of a sudden out of the picture for the Colts, Indianapolis will certainly begin the season with a major chip on its shoulder. Seemingly going from first to worst in the early-season divisional predictions, the Colts will be forced to take to their opponents from the first snap of the season with Los Angeles up first.
Because the Colts still possess an impressive defensive core, this team can bang with the best of them and will surely deliver some vicious blows throughout the season. With a strong secondary coupled with a solid enough defensive front led by a veteran in former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston, the Colts will be just fine on this side of the football. If that's not enough, middle linebacker Darius Leonard remains primed for a huge second season after taking over the league as a rookie last season.
There is no way that this Colts team is just simply going to roll over now that Luck is officially gone. However, it will be tough for this team to defeat much more talented teams along the way even if they won't go down without a fight.
