INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) on Sunday play host to the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) in their 2020 Week 9 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium — and, accordingly, it's time to take a look at the team's unofficial depth chart for the game.
Here is a position-by-position look for the Ravens matchup, with some notes for each unit:
OFFENSE
» WR: T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Dezmon Patmon
» LT: Anthony Castonzo, Chaz Green
» LG: Quenton Nelson
» C: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter
» RG: Mark Glowinski
» RT: Braden Smith, Le'Raven Clark
» TE: Jack Doyle, Trey Burton
» TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Noah Togiai
» WR: Zach Pascal
» WR: Marcus Johnson, Ashton Dulin
» QB: Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Jacob Eason
» RB: Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins
Notes:
» The only offensive difference is at the first wide receiver spot, where Michael Pittman Jr. is now the second receiver listed, replacing Daurice Fountain, who was waived on Saturday when Pittman Jr. was officially activated from Injured Reserve after missing three games with a lower leg injury.
» The Colts shook things up at the running back position in last Sunday's 41-21 victory over the Detroit Lions, as third-year veteran Jordan Wilkins (39 offensive snaps) ended up getting the bulk of the playing time over rookie starter Jonathan Taylor (26 snaps) and Nyheim Hines (16 snaps). Head coach Frank Reich alluded to riding the "hot hand" with Wilkins, who ended up carrying the ball 20 times for 89 yards (4.5 avg.) and a touchdown; Wilkins also added a 24-yard reception on Indy's second play of the game. "In Jordan's case, there were a couple runs where you could just see his vision and balance in the hole, that it was just there. That he had the right feel – he had two cut-back runs that were really effective. One time they had a guy coming clean off the corner, it should be a four-yard loss and he turns it into a 10-yard gain or an eight-yard gain. (He ) somehow got through and kept his feet. He was doing those little things."
» Good luck trying to figure out which Colts receiver is getting the ball on any given play. Four of the five receivers active last Sunday against the Lions logged at least 28 offensive snaps, and the fifth receiver, Ashton Dulin, played nine offensive snaps but was still featured on one of the biggest plays of the game; with the Colts clinging to a 20-14 lead and facing 3rd and 14 from the Detroit 45 on the first play of the fourth quarter, quarterback Philip Rivers heaved a deep pass towards the end zone to the speedy Dulin, who was able to draw a pass interference call on cornerback Justin Coleman, setting up Indy at the Detroit 4. Three plays later, Wilkins ran it in from one yard out, and then he added a two-point conversion, and the Colts all of a sudden could breathe a little easier with a 28-14 lead, and would cruise from there.
» With Mo Alie-Cox back in action after missing the Week 6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals due to a knee injury, the Colts kept things pretty balanced at the tight end position last Sunday against the Lions, and all three were major contributors. Jack Doyle played 45 offensive snaps and caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown; Trey Burton played 39 offensive snaps and had three receptions for nine yards, but added a rushing touchdown for a second straight game; and Alie-Cox ended up logging 32 offensive snaps and had three receptions for 37 yards.
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DEFENSE
» DE: Justin Houston, Ben Banogu
» DT: DeForest Buckner, Tyquan Lewis, Sheldon Day
» NT: Grover Stewart, Taylor Stallworth
» DE: Denico Autry, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ron'Dell Carter
» WLB: Darius Leonard, Jordan Glasgow
» MLB: Anthony Walker, Zaire Franklin
» SAM: Bobby Okereke, E.J. Speed
» CB: Rock Ya-Sin, T.J. Carrie
» FS: Julian Blackmon, George Odum
» SS: Khari Willis, Tavon Wilson
» N: Kenny Moore II, Isaiah Rodgers
» CB: Xavier Rhodes, Tremon Smith
Notes:
» No differences this week compared to last week.
» Tyquan Lewis earned his first start of the season last Sunday against the Lions, and didn't disappoint. He finished the game with three tackles (two for a loss), two sacks and a pass defensed, giving credence to defensive line coach Brian Baker's recent comments that Lewis is clearly on the rise and in need of more playing time. Lewis and his fellow defensive tackle/end Denico Autry both had two sacks on the afternoon, and the Colts, as a whole, had a season-high five sacks overall. The fifth one was a doozy, and we'll get to it here soon.
» Staying on the defensive line, the Colts' deep rotation continues to evolve, as eight players up front logged at least 25 percent of the defensive snaps: DeForest Buckner (46 defensive snaps; 75 percent), Al-Quadin Muhammad (38 defensive snaps, 62 percent), Justin Houston (36 defensive snaps; 59 percent), Autry (33 defensive snaps; 54 percent), Lewis (25 defensive snaps; 41 percent), Grover Stewart (21 defensive snaps; 34 percent), Ben Banogu (18 defensive snaps; 30 percent) and Sheldon Day (15 defensive snaps; 25 percent), while Taylor Stallworth also logged 10 defensive snaps.
» All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard made his return to the lineup last Sunday after missing the last 2 1/2 games with a groin injury, and, man, did he not waste much time getting back up to speed. He not only led the team with nine tackles, but his first sack of the season couldn't have come at a better time, as he got to quarterback Matthew Stafford late in the third quarter with the Colts leading by just six, 20-14, and then Leonard, as he's known to do, popped the ball out, which was recovered by Justin Houston; the Colts would respond with that Wilkins 1-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion on the ensuing drive to go up 28-14 and take control from there.
» Also a note at linebacker: with all three starters back in the mix last Sunday against the Lions, Leonard played all 61 defensive snaps; he was followed by Bobby Okereke (48 defensive snaps) and Anthony Walker (26 defensive snaps). Okereke also had a solid outing, with seven total tackles, including two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit.
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SPECIALISTS
» P: Rigoberto Sanchez
» PK: Rodrigo Blankenship
» H: Rigoberto Sanchez
» LS: Luke Rhodes
» KR: Isaiah Rodgers, Ashton Dulin
» PR: Nyheim Hines, Isaiah Rodgers
Notes:
» No changes this week compared to last week.
