INDIANAPOLIS – The franchise quarterbacks of the Colts and Titans will be spectators on Sunday afternoon.
Injuries have ended the regular seasons for Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota, with their teams closing out the regular season at Lucas Oil Stadium.
What should fans be looking for when the Colts host the Titans in Week 17?
1. Take Care Of Own Business
-Yes, the Colts need more than a miracle on Sunday afternoon to get into the postseason. First things first though, the Colts have to beat the Titans with a starting quarterback who wasn't in the NFL at all this season. Quarterback competitions in Week 17 for a team still in the postseason race just don't happen. The Colts have dealt with one this week though.
2. Scoreboard Watch (A Lot)
-If the Colts can handle their own 60 minutes of work on Sunday, then they will be frantically watching the others around the league. The teams the Colts need to pull for on Sunday: Jaguars, Dolphins, Bills, Steelers, Ravens, Raiders, Broncos and Falcons.
3. Try And Feed Gore
-The word "try" is above because everyone knows the Titans are going to stack the box. Come Sunday, it wouldn't shock me to see both Titans safeties near the line of scrimmage, just daring the Colts to take chances one-on-one. Frank Gore reaching 1,000 yards this season (meaning 109 on Sunday) would be one of the more impressive individual feats in team history.
4. Create Short Fields
-Obviously, a productive run game would be beneficial on Sunday. With that task going to be very difficult, the Colts certainly would welcome any short fields. It's something they have received in the past month, despite being just 1-3 in their last four games. Return man Quan Bray and the coverage units led by Pat McAfee continue to put the Colts on the right side of the field position battle.
5. Plays After The Catch
-It's an area we've talked more and more about since the changes at quarterback. The deep ball is just not feasible right now. That means the Colts need for plays to made after the catch from their speed guys---T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett.
6. Know Where 82 Is
-The top weapon for the Titans is tight end Delanie Walker. You don't often see a tight end with 85 catches on the season, an amazing 49 more than the Titans second-leading pass catcher. While the Titans strive to develop some young skill players around Marcus Mariota, Walker is about as productive of a vet you will find. 7. Avoid Losing Season
-A win on Sunday would give the Colts an 8-8 season. Since 1999, the Colts have had just two losing seasons in 16 years. Of course, this season had aspirations leading into February. Yet, a slew of reasons have gone into the Colts needing serious help to get to into the postseason. With Andrew Luck missing nine games in 2015, the Colts still have a chance to salvage a .500 season.
