Insider: 14 things to watch in Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints

INDIANAPOLIS — A Colts team coming off back-to-back losses and a heartbreaker to Cleveland will try to protect its home turf against a scuffling New Orleans team this week.

Indianapolis hosts the Saints at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium (WXIN-59) in a game between two teams trying to stay in the mix of their division races.

The Colts (3-4) have piled up yards the past two weeks but been snakebit by turnovers, and the Saints (3-4) are on a two-game losing streak of their own, struggling to move the ball.

And whichever team loses its third straight Sunday will drop a little further back in the playoff chase as the season hits the halfway point, although the Colts (1.5 games back of Buffalo for the No. 7 spot in the AFC) face a tighter race than the Saints, who could get into the No. 7 seed with a win and the right amount of losses Sunday.

Gardner Minshew vs. the Saints and turnovers

1. Gardner Minshew has turned the ball over eight times in two games, and now he faces a New Orleans defense that has forced 12 turnovers, tied for fifth in the NFL. The Saints have eight interceptions already, tied for third in the NFL, and the hard part is there’s no single player that Minshew can avoid. Eight different Saints account for the eight interceptions.

2. New Orleans traditionally has a dangerous pass rush, but the Saints have just 13 sacks, tied for 24th in the NFL, this season. Defensive end Carl Granderson leads New Orleans with 4.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits; nobody else on the team has more than two sacks (linebacker Demario Davis) or four quarterback hits (Davis, Cameron Jordan). Granderson traditionally rushes off the right side, which puts him up against Indianapolis left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who has turned in a solid second season so far.

3. Rookie swing tackle Blake Freeland, who has given up two sacks this season, will play his third consecutive game at right tackle in place of an injured Braden Smith, matching him up against long-time Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who has 116.5 sacks in his career, but just one so far this season at the age of 34. Jordan has always been a power rusher, making him a little bit of a different challenge for Freeland.

Colts QB Gardner Minshew vs. Saints pass defense

4. New Orleans might not have the big pass-rush stats but is has gotten it done on the back end. New Orleans is allowing opposing quarterbacks just 5.6 yards per attempt, second-best in the NFL, and the Saints held Houston and Jacksonville to 199 passing yards and 217 yards, respectively, the past two weeks.

5. One week after the Colts played well in a matchup against Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, Indianapolis faces off against Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who is allowing opponents just a .407 completion percentage and a 47.8 rating against him in coverage this season, according to Sports Info Solutions. The other New Orleans cornerback, Paulson Adebo, is allowing 50% completions and a 54.4 rating, meaning life might be difficult for Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce on the outside.

Play Colts rookie receiver Josh Downs in fantasy

6. Electric Indianapolis rookie Josh Downs has been on fire out of the slot, catching 16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns over the past three games, and he’ll primarily line up against New Orleans nickel Alontae Taylor, who has been solid this season after beating out Bradley Roby for the job in training camp. Taylor has given up a quarterback rating of 86.5 in coverage so far this season.

7. Colts tight ends had one catch for minus-6 yards against the Browns last week, and now they will try to get back on track against a Saints defense that is giving up just 3.4 catches (second-best in the NFL) and 30.9 yards per game (3rd) to tight ends this season. Indianapolis will also be missing Kylen Granson (concussion) for the second consecutive week; Granson leads Colts tight ends with 16 catches for 170 yards this season.

8. Jonathan Taylor looked like himself against the Browns last week, rushing 18 times for 75 yards, catching three passes for 45 yards and getting back to the end zone for the first time. Taylor may have chances to make plays against the New Orleans defense; the Saints rank 17th in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.95), although they have been fairly consistent — outside of holding the Patriots to 45 rushing yards, the Saints have held every opponent to somewhere between 95 and 120 rushing yards.

9. Indianapolis continues to increase Taylor’s workload, but the Colts remain committed to giving snaps to Zack Moss (who is listed as questionable), and it will be interesting to see if the snaps start to fall in Taylor’s favor now that he appears back to full strength.

New Orleans receivers vs. Colts secondary

10. If New Orleans wants to stay in three-receiver sets, the Saints can put a lot of stress on a Colts secondary that will not have rookie cornerback JuJu Brents, who is dealing with a quad injury. Indianapolis still has Kenny Moore II and fellow rookie Jaylon Jones, but the Colts were unsure about their third cornerback. Darrell Baker Jr. seems like the most obvious player in that spot, but Baker has struggled this season. New Orleans can stress the Colts with its trio of talented receivers: Chris Olave (39 catches, 471 yards, one touchdown), Michael Thomas (34 catches, 371 yards, one touchdown) and speedster Rashid Shaheed (20 catches, 326 yards, two touchdowns).

11. Saints quarterback Derek Carr has struggled this season. Carr has completed 63.9% of his passes, far below his streak from 2018-2021, when he completed more than 68% of his throws. Carr, who has battled a sprained AC joint, is averaging just 6.3 yards per attempt, and he’s been visibly frustrated on the sideline after miscommunications with his talented corps of receivers.

12. The Indianapolis pass rush should have some opportunities. Carr has been sacked 18 times this season, and New Orleans has given up 20 sacks overall, 24th in the NFL. The Saints should get back talented right tackle Ryan Ramczyk from a concussion this week, but left tackle could be Andrus Peat, who typically plays left guard, offering Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam (four sacks, nine quarterback hits) an opportunity to make an impact again. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner should also have opportunity; the New Orleans interior line has struggled.

13. New Orleans will find ways to get the ball in the hands of Alvin Kamara, whether it’s on the ground or through the air. Kamara is averaging just 3.8 yards per game on the ground for a Saints rushing attack that ranks 28th in the NFL in yards per carry, but he’s also got 35 catches already, albeit for just 5.1 yards per reception. Kamara hasn’t been the big-play weapon he’s used to being in the past, but the way the Saints use him out of the backfield will put pressure on Zaire Franklin, Shaquille Leonard and E.J. Speed to make open-field tackles throughout the game.

14. Taysom Hill, the Saints’ Swiss Army knife, is the ultimate wild card for the Indianapolis defense. Hill can line up in the backfield, at tight end or out wide, and New Orleans can use him as a runner (4.8 yards per carry, 140 yards overall, one touchdown), a receiver (15 catches, 115 yards) or as a passer (3 of 3 for 25 yards so far). Hill’s usage can often vary wildly from week to week, making the versatile weapon a difficult player to prepare to play.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Saints: 14 things to watch