The Indianapolis Colts suffered yet another heartbreaking loss. Last week, it was the Houston Texans that pulled out a close win by the score of 22-17. It was a surprising result considering the Colts looked so dominant against the New York Jets in a 41-10 victory the week prior. Quarterback Andrew Luck had a long day against the Texans after being named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week thanks to his performance against the Jets. He threw two interceptions and posted a quarterback rating of 47.8. That was less than Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler who did not throw a single touchdown. This week, the Colts take on the Minnesota Vikings on the road. Now let’s take a look at the Indianapolis Colts week 15 keys to victory against the Vikings.
Indianapolis Colts Week 15 Keys to Victory
Run the Ball
The Colts never had a chance to build any momentum running the ball against the Texans. Running back Frank Gore only had 10 carries for 41 yards and two costly turnovers prevented the Colts from controlling the clock. Compare that to Texans running back Lamar Miller who rushed for more than 100 yards and one touchdown.
Minnesota’s run defense has generally been very stout. They’re allowing only 102.1 rushing yards per game. Gore and Robert Turbin are going to have to put their best effort into this game if the Colts want any chance at controlling the clock.
Limit Turnovers
If anything cost the Colts against the Texans it was turnovers. Luck threw two picks and the Colts lost the turnover battle. They also turned the ball over once on a fumble. That limited the Colts time of possession to only 23 minutes and 55 seconds. Moreover, Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford has not been one to throw interceptions as he only has three. The most critical turnover from the Texans game came in the red zone when the Colts had a chance to get their first real momentum swing. There is good reason to believe that if Luck can take care of the football then the Colts will have a great chance to win the game. Gore has taken good care of the ball as well.
The Colts defense got some tough news today in losing cornerback Patrick Robinson likely for the entire season as they placed him on injured reserve, according to SB Nation’s Stampede Blue. As a result the Colts will need cornerback Vontae Davis to play his best football of the season.
Play with Urgency
It’s time for the Colts to realize that their season is on the line every week. Losing to the Texans put them in third place in the AFC South. With the Texans and Tennessee Titans both at 7-6, and the Colts at 6-7, they will likely need to finish the last three weeks of the regular season on a three-game winning streak. The Vikings are in a similar position in the NFC North. They’re still battling with the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions for the division crown, or at least a Wild Card spot. It’s very likely that the winner of this game will be the team that simply plays with more heart and desperation.
