Titans (

23) at
Colts (

20.5)

Game Overview ::

By hilow >>

• After missing the team’s Week 4 contest with a knee injury, wide receiver Treylon Burks has yet to practice this week (as of Thursday).
• Sound the alarm! Jonathan Taylor was a full participant in each practice period this week (as of Thursday) – it appears he will likely make his season debut against the Titans after calling his recent contract dispute with the team “an offseason issue.”
• Kwity Paye (concussion) and Shaquille Leonard (groin) have yet to practice this week for the Colts, two staples of their defense.
• Tennessee’s offensive line is blocking to just 1.06 yards before contact per rush, which ranks second worst in the league this year (behind only Carolina).
• Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is one of the most dynamic athletes in today’s game, and he brings weekly upside with both his arm and legs.
• The Colts have played at the fastest pace in the league through the first month of play.

How tennessee Will Try To Win ::

Run the damn ball and make it so the other team can’t run the damn ball, that’s how. Joking aside, that has been the formula for this Titans team for the previous four seasons, and there are no signs of that stopping any time soon, at least for as long as head coach Mike Vrabel remains in town. The biggest problem for this Titans team this season has been their offensive line, a unit blocking to just 1.06 yards before contact and allowing pressure at a 31-percent clip, both of which rank 31st in the league. Even for King Henry, it’s hard to establish any semblance of stability when your offensive line is struggling to that extent. Tennessee runs the slowest offense in the league at 32.6 seconds per play and holds the league’s fourth-highest rush rate over expectation, both of which were to be assumed coming into the season.

Derrick Henry has seen some of his empty snaps move to rookie Tyjae Spears this season, but he still carries a borderline elite 70.4 percent opportunity share (13th) and has seen the second-most carries of all backs this year. His actual yards per carry value is down at 3.7 (39th), which highlights the struggles of the Tennessee offensive line up to this point in the season. He has also seen a laughably high 7.1 average defenders in the box due primarily to the team tipping their hand when he is on the field (his high snap-to-touch ratio makes it evident what the team is doing when he is on the field), and his stacked front carry rate is the fourth highest in the league. Even so, Henry always has a path to 30 or more running back opportunities in the right environment, which doesn’t necessarily speak to the matchup as much as a game environment that remains competitive throughout. The matchup on the ground is neutral-to-negative against a Colts defense, ceding just 3.8 yards per carry this year. That said, they have allowed six rushing scores through four games, which is tied for the second most on the season. Spears should continue serving as the primary change of pace back. Still, he holds a low 29.6 percent opportunity share despite a solid 50.2 percent snap rate and a modest 0.74 fantasy points per opportunity, the last of which ranks 36th in the league.

Alpha wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins came into the team’s Week 4 contest with a questionable tag due to a lingering ankle issue, which could help explain his diminutive-for-him 53 percent snap rate in that contest. Treylon Burks has yet to practice this week (as of Thursday) after missing Week 4’s contest and appears unlikely to play again in Week 5. That should leave Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chris Moore in elevated roles against the Colts, two players who are borderline NFL talents. Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo also set his lowest snap rate of the season in Week 4 at 65 percent, likely due to the team wanting to get better run-blocking tight ends on the field (Trevon Wesco, Josh Whyle, and even Kevin Rader). Now take all of that against the backdrop of just 27.3 pass attempts per game, and we’re left with little to no upside from any member of this pass offense on a weekly basis.

How indianapolis Will Try To Win ::