PC Games » The Colts enter their Week 17 with a playoff spot on the line

Parris Campbell Jersey , and by the time they kick off, they may be playing for the division title. That’s a pretty impressive swing for a Colts team that was facing an embarrassing 1-5 record and the prospect of a top draft pick back in Week 6. Head coach Frank Reich and company righted the ship and have guided this team to a complete turnaround, putting together a run that makes this team one no one wants any part of in the playoffs. With all that said, they still need a win to make those playoff hopes possible, and that means showing up and winning their match-ups on Sunday night against the Titans. Here are the key match-ups to watch in that game.T.Y. Hilton vs Adoree JacksonPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesOver the past 7 games, T.Y. Hilton has been on fire, amassing 48 receptions and 856 yards. He topped 125 yards in 4 of those games and his 155-yard 2-TD romp against the Titans was the game that really got it all rolling. Despite being perpetually hurt this season and missing practices entirely for a couple weeks, Hilton has somehow managed to put together a stretch of incredible football that has served to underline just how valuable he is to this Colts team. He compared this game to a game 7 and said “You know I ain’t missing that,” in reference to whether he would be able to play this week. Adoree Jackson had been having a very solid year in pass coverage before he ran afoul of Hilton, and he will undoubtedly have done a lot of film study on the slippery receiver. The question is, will it matter? The Titans will be without CB Logan Ryan who was lost for the season with a broken fibula, which puts even more pressure on Jackson. If this game goes like the first, Hilton is due another big game.Anthony Walker vs Derrick HenryPhoto by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesDerrick Henry has been on a tear over the past three games. As Chris Shepherd points out in his scouting report, Henry is running more decisively than perhaps he has in his NFL career. He is a big man and can damage teams when he gets rolling. His 99-yard run against the Jaguars is one of the most impressive runs I’ve ever seen. Having said all that, he will face a tough challenge against our stiff Colts’ defense. This team has limited backs and been a solid team against the run all season long, and this will be a battle of strengths. The Colts have a solid defensive line and with Anthony Walker’s return http://www.coltsfanshop.com/Ben-Banogu-Jersey , a very good linebacker group. Anthony Walker has been a key part of the team’s run defense, and limiting Derrick Henry’s effectiveness, specifically in terms of getting to the edge, will likely be tasked largely to him. If the Colts can get a lead early and limit big plays from Henry, they will likely force the Titans to become one dimensional in their efforts, which will allow them to do what they love to do, pin their ears back and get after whichever guy starts under center for the Titans on Sunday.Marlon Mack vs Titans run defensePhoto by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesThe Colts may be without Ryan Kelly on Sunday as he hasn’t practiced this week with a neck injury. While Evan Boehm has been a solid backup, his loss hurts in the running game. The Titans are a stiff run defense anyway, but with the loss of Jurrell Casey to IR, they may not be unbeatable. It will be critical to this match-up to test themselves and see how they can match up against a talented defensive front seven. Marlon Mack has had a solid year over all, but the Colts would love to see him finish the regular season strong with a big statement performance. Given the offensive line’s injuries, that will mean making decisive reads, hitting the holes he gets, and running hard through contact. Mack has shown at times the ability to do all those things. If he can do that on Sunday night it will give the offense a ton of options and open the playbook up against a Titans defense that has been a reliable unit on the year. There are many people who think Mack cannot provide the long-term answer at running back for this Colts team. Sunday night is a chance for Mack to prove he is more than he gets credit for. Pierre Desir vs Corey DavisPhoto by Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesThe Colts have gotten better and better at the cornerback position as the year has progressed. The young unit has developed and grown, and are playing far better football than they were early in the season. Pierre Desir has perhaps had the best run of them, matching up with some very talented receivers and holding them well in check. DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper both struggled to make much headway against him Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , and the Colts will want the same performance from him against Davis, who is the Titans’ most dangerous receiver.Regardless of the quarterback throwing the ball, Davis provides a deep threat that the Titans will need to utilize if they want to keep up with the Colts’ offense, and limiting his production will mean seriously handicapping the Titans offense. If he can knock him off rhythm and throw off the timing on routes, it could give the defensive line enough time to get to the quarterback and force a sack or critical turnover. Frank Reich vs Mike Vrabel Round 2Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesFrank Reich is .500 in rematches as a head coach. He lost an ugly game against the Jaguars and won a big one against the Texans. Divisional match-ups between teams tend to be closer than we feel like they should, regardless of the level of play prior to those games. These Coaching staffs have had a chance to see each other and analyze each other’s personnel and tendencies a bit more frequently than others. That leaves us the question, how will Reich fare in his rematch with Vrabel? The first game was expertly called. The defense was well prepared for the Titans and the Colts offense went off, abusing Adoree Jackson and basically doing whatever they wanted on the way to a major blowout. Vrabel had few answers. Having said that, the Titans lost their defensive coordinator Dean Pees who was hospitalized during the first half of the last game. That is a kind of adversity few teams have to face, and it no doubt played a major role in the way the defense was called and how the game went. That, hopefully, won’t be the case on Sunday, as the Titans will be fully staffed and ready to go.What difference will it make to have their coaching staff whole and ready to go? We won’t know until the game is under way. It will be interesting to see how this plan differs from the first go around. Given Hilton’s hot streak, it is tough to see not using him heavily, especially with Ebron still a question mark in concussion protocol. Frank Reich is about to coach his biggest game of the season, and it is time to find out what he’s got. Now that the leader of the NFL Network’s draft arm Mike Mayock has moved into a real actual general manager job working with Jon Gruden for the Raiders https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Le_Raven-Clark-Jersey , it seemed like as good a time as any to take a look back at Mayock’s last 8 mock drafts and ask the question: What would the Colts be like if Mike Mayock had been our GM?Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images2018 - Mayock’s Pick: Trade back for S Minkah Fitzpatrick, G Isaiah WynnIn this year’s draft, Mayock had the Colts trading back with the Bills and taking safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at 12 and guard Isaiah Wynn at 22. It is pretty tough to imagine being without Quenton Nelson, and Isaiah Wynn has spent the season on IR. Is he a player who could be as good as Nelson at some point? Perhaps. But he wouldn’t have helped the Colts this season. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images2017 – Mayock’s Pick: DE Derek BarnettDefensive end Derek Barnett was Mayock’s pick for the Colts at 15th overall. Barnett has talent and could certainly continue to develop, but he has also been a part of a ridiculous defensive line group in Philly, so it is tough to know how good he would be as the go-to guy. He has just 7.5 sacks in his two years in the league though, which I would argue is less than you’d hope from a top 15 pick. Missing out on Malik Hooker and his upside seems like a miss here, but not a complete failure. 2016 – Mayock’s Pick: C Ryan KellyMayock nailed the pick right on the money for the Colts here, selecting center Ryan Kelly, who has had an incredible season in his 3rd year as a Colt. Behind Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton, Kelly is the best pick Ryan Grigson made. Good work Mike.2015 – Mayock’s Pick: OT Cedric OgbuehiWe all remember 2015 right? That’s the year that the Colts selected Phillip Dorsett, everyone’s favorite receiver. Yeah. That wasn’t great. What is worse than that? Well, the fact that Mike Mayock would have taken offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi with that 29th pick. Ogbuehi plays for the Bengals and is a likely prospect to be cut and never heard from again in the NFL. At least Dorsett got us Jacoby Brissett right?2014 – Mayock’s Pick: No one. Because reasons.Who did Mike Mayock have headed to the Colts in the first round in 2014? No one. Because Grigson traded that pick for Trent Richardson. While I’m sure local Indy restaurants benefitted, it didn’t do much for the running game.2013 – Mayock’s Pick: D.J. HaydenPhoto by Mark Brown/Getty ImagesIf you can’t remember who the Colts selected in 2013, that can be forgiven. Mainly because no one from that draft is currently on an NFL roster. The pick Ryan Grigson made was to draft Bjorn Werner at defensive end. Mayock’s pick for the Colts was cornerback D.J. Hayden who plays for the Jaguars. He is a definitively more valuable player than Werner, because he plays for a real NFL team and is actually capable of doing his job. He obviously would have made a nice addition to the Colts secondary rather than wasting the pick on Werner.Photo by MSA/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images2012 – Mayock’s Pick: QB Andrew LuckWas there any doubt really? Of course Andrew Luck was the pick. Anyone who tried to say differently was just kidding themselves. Luck has been a franchise altering player T.Y. Hilton Jersey , and it is nice to know that Mike could see that like everyone else.Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images2011 – Mayock’s Pick: OT Nate SolderIn the 2011 draft, Mike Mayock had the Colts taking a left tackle. He just didn’t have them taking the right one. He had them drafting Nate Solder with the 22nd pick overall instead of Anthony Castonzo. Castonzo has been one of the most reliable and underrated tackles in the league for a long time, and I’d take him over Solder any day. Despite the Colts having drafted pretty poorly in the last several years, I am not sure this team is even marginally better with Mayock’s draft picks than they are already. It is tough to give him credit for Andrew Luck, who was a no-brainer, but at least he hit on Ryan Kelly. The real miss is in this year’s draft. The Colts took Nelson, a better prospect, and were able to add to their pick total rather than give up picks. The result fixed both the offensive line problem, and their issue at linebacker for the foreseeable future. There is no way I’d take his trade over what the Colts got.In short, I’m glad Mike will be working for the Raiders, and Chris Ballard will be holding it down in Indianapolis. What do you think?