Thursday afternoon on The Ride with JMV, a very to the point plan was laid out by JMV on the Colts can achieve success against the Bills on Saturday.
There are three things that he said must happen if the Blue and White want to give Frank Reich a win inside his old stomping grounds.
1) Run the football and keep an offensive balance with both Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines.
2) Get out to a fast start and don’t let the Bills build momentum early.
3) The Colts defense needs to have a game changing play.
“You have to be able to run the football,” JMV said. “If you want the good Rivers, the run game has to be there. It’s also not like this Bills team has a great history of playoff success to lean on here. They may be a misfortune or two away from losing it a little bit. The Colts as a team need to create a little doubt early. And we’ve talked about the takeaway ability of the secondary. I don’t think the Colts have a chance if they don’t make at least one huge defensive play. That would change the dynamic of this game.”
The first two keys are both semi-controllable. The third would be the cherry on top.
But in a way, does getting a big defensive play with what Matt Eberflus’ unit has done this year actually sound like a simpler route? When Indianapolis has needed it, guys like Darius Leonard and DeForest Buckner have always come through.
From a national perspective, the Colts are being counted out in a big way. But if they start to set the tone with the ground game like JMV discussed in point number one, it could in turn be a long day for the home squad.
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