Luck And Colts Looking To End Drought vs New England
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will look to make it two in a row when they host the Indianapolis Colts in Thursday night.
The Patriots have dominated this series of late, winning the past seven matchups. Andrew Luck has struggled in his career vs Bill Belichick’s club as he’s gone winless in five career starts while throwing 10 interceptions.
It’s a trend that’s expected to continue at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Sportsbook, which lists New England as -10 favorites.
Before the Week 5 matchup, we’ll take a look at three headlines heading into this AFC battle between two teams still trying to find their footing.
Let’s get started.
Julian Edelman Returns For The Patriots
The New England Patriots are welcoming back a player they missed dearly during the first four games of the season.
New England Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman will return vs the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday after a four-game suspension to begin the season.
Edelman missed all of last season for the Patriots with a torn ACL. Knowing that, it would be a surprise for the long-time Patriot to simply produce at the rate he has over the past four seasons as Brady’s security blanket.
With Gronkowski listed as questionable with an ankle injury he re-injured last Sunday, keep an eye on Edelman’s snap count which may be higher than would usual be the case under these circumstances.
Will Andrew Luck Build Off Strong Start?
Andrew Luck was forced to pry the Colts back from a double digit deficit vs the Houston Texans defense last Sunday and he did just that even while missing top target T.Y. Hilton (hamstring) for most of the game.
Luck, who came into the game averaging 5.43 yards per completion, well under his career average, had a vintage performance in rallying the Colts back to send the game into overtime.
In a high octane shootout, Andrew Luck threw for a career-high 464 passing yards to go along with 4 TDs in a 37-34 OT loss to the Houston Texans.
Luck averaged 7.48 yards per completion in the game, his season high to this point and right around his career average of 7.1.
He doesn’t have a favorable matchup vs a New England Patriots team allowing 155.5 passing yards per game at Gillette Stadium this season. It also doesn’t help that T.Y. Hilton has been ruled out for the Thursday night tilt.
Will Colts Front Seven Make It A Game?
As mentioned previously, Indianapolis’ pass offense is sure to face some resistance in New England vs a defense that won’t have to worry about T.Y. Hilton demanding double teams.
This game thus comes down to Indianapolis’ defense stepping up to the task on a short week vs a Patriots offense expected to roll.
How can they do it? The Indianapolis Colts are surprisingly 2nd in the NFL in sacks with 17 in the first four weeks. Indianapolis Colts linebackers Darius Leonard and Jabaal Sheard as well as defensive ends Margus Hunt, Denice Autry and Jihad Ward have to play their best game of the season in order for Indianapolis to pull the upset.
These players have collected 14 of Indianapolis’ 17 sacks this season and that number will need to increase combined with pressure up the middle to disrupt New England’s offense on Thursday night.
What are your thoughts on Thursday night’s game in New England? Leave your comments below!
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