- Shaquille Leonard’s debut? Leonard, the three-time first-team All-Pro linebacker, is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game, meaning we’ll find out whether or not The Maniac will be playing 90 minutes before kick-off (when inactives are announced). . When Leonard plays, he will infuse the Colts’ defense with an injection of remarkable playmaking ability and unrelenting energy; If not, he and the team have great faith in the likes of Zaire Franklin and EJ Speed - who both played well early in 2022 – to replace them. Leonard, who missed the first three games of the season while working his way back after a procedure in June, explained this week the honesty he needs to guide the process of returning to the field.
"If I'm ready to go, I'm going to play," Leonard said. "Everybody know me. I mean, I went out there last year with one ankle. I love this game. I love this game with all my heart and I do anything to play this game for 100 years. So there's no such thing as me standing on the sideline just because of me. So if I feel like I can play to the ability that I know I can play and help this team win, I'm gonna be out there. But if I think that my ability is putting the team in trouble, I gotta respect my decision to say okay, Zaire's playing a whole lot faster, this defense would be better with me standing on the sideline. It's just me, I gotta look myself in the mirror and tell the coaches that. I'm just going to do everything in my will to be on the field each and every week. And when that time's come, I'm ready to rock and roll."
- The Colts’ run defense against Derrick Henry. After three games, Henry — the NFL’s rushing leader in 2019 and 2020 — ranks 34th among running backs averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Only seven of his 54 rushing attempts went on first downs, while five of those attempts gained more than 10 yards. The Colts, meanwhile, had the best running defense in the NFL: Behind Grover Stewart and a Mauling Front Seven, Indianapolis is first in rushing yards allowed per game (2.6), first in tackles to a loss/no win (23). First in running stops (58) and first in 10+ yard rushes allowed (1). But nobody – and I mean nobody – on the Colts coaching staff or in the team’s locker room sees Henry as anything but an elite running back and an incredibly difficult challenge.
"I have about 10 clips to show our guys on tackling plans and that's just from this year," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "Still running really hard, they still utilize him on the perimeter, breaking tackles. He looks very similar to what I've seen."
- The Titans running defense against Jonathan Taylor. The Titans enter Week 4 with the highest yards-per-carry average (5.8) and third most runs of 10+ yards (12) in the NFL. Taylor is 15th among running backs in yards per carry (4.7) and fourth in rushes of 10+ yards (8). But while this looks like an advantageous matchup for the Colts on paper, Taylor knows this goes out the window in a divisional matchup — particularly against a Titans physical defensive line led by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and versatile ex- Colt Denico Autry is led.
"It's a divisional game so everybody is super locked in," Taylor said. "We know these are tough matchups always. We see each other twice a year so we need to make sure we're ready for any and everything they throw at us."
- The Titans’ Blitz vs. the Colts’ Pass Protection. The Colts have spent this week fixing their communication problems with pass protection and getting all 11 players on the field on the same side to pick up strobes and get the ball out. While the Colts’ offensive line has been solid for the most part, they feel there have been too many games where an opposing defense had a free rusher at quarterback Matt Ryan.
"This is a good week to try and get that back on track because this front, with Simmons and Denico and with all the pressure packages that they have," Reich said. "They have all this simulated pressure, a lot of zone-dogs simulated pressure stuff, man pressure. They do it all and they disguise it exceedingly well. You can't tell what's coming, you can't tell what's not coming. So, we're really going to have to be on point."
- Key in the red area. The Titans lead the NFL with an 85.7 touchdown rate (six possessions out of seven) when they reach the red zone; The Colts have the fourth-lowest touchdown percentage at 40 percent (although their two red-zone drives against the Chiefs resulted in touchdowns against tight end Jelani Woods). Defensively, the Titans allow touchdowns on half of their opponent’s red-zone possessions (9th), while the Colts’ touchdown percentage allowable is 26th from 71.4. But the Colts kept the Chiefs out of the end zone on two of their three drives within the 20 last week; Maintaining that level of success against the Titans on Sunday will be important. Equally important: keep the Titans out of the red zone. Tennessee goes into Week 4 with the fewest red-zone possessions in the NFL.