The Miami Dolphins are taking a trip up north to play the Indianapolis Colts at 1pm EST on Sunday. This is a battle between two squads coming off wins, the Dolphins are 2-3 while the Colts are 3-3. The Colts made some personnel changes this week, announced by the squad, which could affect the outcome of this game. Below I will breakdown the entirety of the Colts team, and how I think they can exploit the Dolphins.
It all starts at quarterback for the Colts, Indy is rolling with the second year man, the former Florida Gator, Anthony Richardson. AR15 has had a rough start to his second year in the NFL, as he currently holds a 3 touchdown to 6 interception ratio. He got injured in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks ago, and is going to return this Sunday. In his place, veteran Joe Flacco was playing great for the Colts, he had a 7 touchdown to 1 interception ratio in the few games that he played.
It is fair to question Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s decision, however there is context behind it. Richardson is a talented young player, and he was drafted with a top 5 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Richardson needs NFL reps to be a better player, him sitting on the bench wastes time and resources made by the organization.
At running back the Colts have star Jonathan Taylor, but he is questionable to play this Sunday. It is expected he will miss the game, and in that situation the Colts will start Trey Sermon. Sermon was a second round pick from the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, since then he has bounced around as a backup. He has found a home with the Colts now. He doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table, he is averaging 2.5 yards per carry on the year. Taylor is a big loss for the Colts.
In the receiving game, the Colts have some decent starters. Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs all are consistent players. Pittman is the alpha of the group, he stands tall at 6’4 and can bring in tough balls. Pierce is similar to Pittman, but does not have the same skill set as Pittman.
Downs is impressive for such a young player, coach Shane Steichen glows about his work ethic since he has been drafted. Mo Alie-Cox has 7 catches on the year, he’s not a huge threat in the receiving game but he is out there and will catch the ball when it comes his way.
The Colts offensive line has been a strength of the team for a long time. Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith have been anchors of the offensive line for a long time. Bernhard Raimann is becoming a player of his own for the Colts at left tackle. Right guard Dalton Tucker was an undrafted free agent for the Colts this year, he has stepped up to be a starter.
On defense, the Colts have a pretty league average unit. A strength of theirs is the consistency of a strong defensive line. Guys like Kwity Paye, Grover Stewart, and first round draft pick Laiatu Latu. Between those three, they have a strong baseline of run defense and pass rush. The staff is extremely high on Latu, and rightfully so. Latu was the Colts first round pick out of UCLA, and was considered the best defensive player in the draft. For the Colts to get him at pick 15 in the draft was a certified steal. He already has shown great pass rush moves and technique for a rookie.
The linebackers have always played well for Indy, Zaire Franklin and EJ Speed are the starters for them. They have been with the team for past years and are now spotlighted now that Shaquille Leonard is gone. They are consistent players who do not make many mistakes. They will be tested against a Miami scheme that confuses defenses with play action and motions.
The Colts secondary does not have much star power but they have been playing well all year. Their secondary consists of Samuel Womack III, Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Jaylon Jones, and Kenny Moore II. Not many notable names in that group, but the Colts have made it work. Kenny Moore has been a premier nickel corner in the NFL for a while, he has made his name and money with the Colts for the last eight years. He will be tasked with multiple receivers, the Dolphins move their receivers around all over.
All in all, this is a middle of the pack in the NFL team, their strengths lie in the run game and trench play. The good news for them is that is what has beaten the Dolphins in the Mike McDaniel era. We will see how it all translates on Sunday.