Week 5 Monday Night Football Preview: Colts vs. Ravens

Two playoff teams from last season in the NFL will meet to close out of week five of this NFL season when the Indianapolis Colts meet the Baltimore Ravens. These teams have had very different starts to this season, with the Colts struggling and Ravens flourishing so far. But that could change on Monday night, as both teams look to overcome some injuries and a formidable opponent simultaneously.

Indianapolis Colts

It has been a rough start to this season for the Indianapolis Colts, as they have won just one of their three games on the year. Their lone win came last week against the Miami Dolphins, who have been unable to get their offense going since Tua Tagovailoa suffered a rib injury early in the season. To Indianapolis’ credit, they did more than enough to win that game, thanks in large part to a 100-yard rushing game from Jonathan Taylor.

This week, the Colts will have to generate offense despite losing guard Quenton Nelson to injury. Nelson has been one of the driving forces behind Indianapolis’ success running the ball since last season. Without him, the Colts are going to have to find a way to keep Tylor moving in the right direction, and may have to rely more on the unreliable Carson Wentz in order to have success in this contest.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are off to a 3-1 start to this season, winning three straight games after dropping their season opener to Las Vegas in overtime. Last week, the Ravens dealt the Denver Broncos their first loss of the 2021 season, holding the Broncos’ offense to just one touchdown on the road. This week, the Ravens look to shut down another offense that hasn’t been up to par this season.

In order to get to 4-1 on the season, though, the Ravens will have to overcome Alejandro Villanueva and Ronnie Stanley being questionable on the Ravens’ offensive line. Lamar Jackson is one of the few quarterbacks who can simply outrun any issues associated with his offensive line. But those offensive line problems could slow them down just enough to make this game competitive.

Keys to the Game

Coming into this game as a touchdown underdog, the biggest key for the Colts will be containing Lamar Jackson. Indianapolis has been more than respectable on defense through the first month of the season, but having to keep Jackson’s dual-threat ability under wraps is often too much to ask a team to do. If Indianapolis can get pressure on Jackson by exploiting the Ravens’ depleted offensive line, this game could go either way.

For the Ravens, stopping the run on early downs will be a big key to this game. Carson Wentz is known to turn the ball over when he has to force the ball downfield. If Baltimore can lock down Jonathan Taylor on first and second down and force the Colts to put the ball in the air down the field on third down, they could force plenty of turnovers and run away with this one.