Indianapolis Colts: 5 Players that must shine vs. Raiders in Week 4
In order for the Indianapolis Colts to pick up a Week 4 win over the visiting Oakland Raiders, these five players must stand out.
Entering their Week 4 home game against the Oakland Raiders, the Indianapolis Colts are off to a solid start in 2019, bouncing back from a season-opening loss against the Chargers to win two in a row and tie the Houston Texans for the AFC South division lead.
While the Raiders go on the road to Lucas Oil Stadium with a 1-2 record, they have plenty of talent that can potentially cause problems. Thus, the Colts will have to be at their best on Sunday.
If the Colts want to remain on top of the division with a win, here are five players who must standout this afternoon.
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5. TE Eric Ebron
Coming off a breakout season during his first campaign in Indianapolis, Ebron has been quiet so far this season, only notching seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in his first three games.
It’s time for head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni to get him more involved in today’s game plan, especially with No. 1 receiver T.Y Hilton out with a quad injury. With quarterback Jacoby Brissett (more on him later) looking for new targets to get the ball too, don’t be surprised if Ebron finds his way into the end zone more than once Sunday afternoon.
4. WR Zach Pascal
Yeah, I know he only has two catches for 53 yards and a touchdown on the season. Yes, he’s unproven. And yes, this prediction could blow up in my face. But like I mentioned above, Hilton is out today with a quad injury. Reich, Sirianni and Brissett need receivers to step up in his absence. So why not Pascal?
His touchdown against the Falcons last week was a thing of beauty, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him repeat the feat on Sunday against a suspect Oakland secondary. For the past few seasons, the Colts have been looking for a reliable No. 2 receiver to pair Hilton. Don’t be surprised if it’s Pascal.
3. QB Jacoby Brissett
After playing a game-manager type role during the Colts’ first two games of the season, Reich and Sirianni finally took the training wheels off of Brissett during the Week 3 win over Atlanta. Brissett threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns during a 28 for 37 performance.
He has steadily improved during the first three weeks of the season and is looking like he could be the replacement for former franchise quarterback Andrew Luck that the Colts need. Going against a Raiders defense that hasn’t performed well so far this season, Brissett could easily have another 300-yard outing against the Raiders.
2. LB Bobby Okereke
Once again, the Colts’ defense will be without All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard, who is still in the concussion protocol. However, he has a solid replacement in Okereke, this year’s third round pick out of Stanford.
During his first career start against the Falcons last week, Okereke had eight combined tackles, including six solo stops, in over 90 percent of defensive plays. The Colts’ defense needs him to continue to perform at that level on Sunday. When Leonard returns, he and Okereke could be one of the league’s best linebacker combinations in short order.
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1. DE Jabaal Sheard
Sunday will be Sheard’s first game of the season following knee surgery. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus needs edge rushers, and Sheard is arguably the best one of the team except for Justin Houston. If he can come back today and play at a solid level, then life for Oakland quarterback Derek Carr just got much more difficult in Week 4.