Field Gulls
The Seahawks had to fight harder than expected to beat the Falcons. The first half from the offense was clearly below expectations, but the second half offered legitimate reasons to believe this unit can return to being productive. Adding even more value to the result is the fact that Atlanta had just beaten the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, making Seattle’s victory look better in context.
Now, the focus shifts to the Indianapolis Colts. Not long ago, Indianapolis looked like a strong candidate for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but a sharp decline in performance — combined with serious injuries at quarterback — has dramatically altered their outlook. Daniel Jones is now out after the team had already lost Anthony Richardson.
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The Colts have been anything but clear about their plan at quarterback. Shortly after Jones’ injury, the team indicated Brett Rypien would be the starter, with rookie tight end Tyler Warren listed as the emergency quarterback, and that no external additions would be made following Riley Leonard’s injury.
That changed quickly. Indianapolis ended up bringing in Philip Rivers, and Colts insiders believe he is on track to start based on what he has shown in practice. It’s also worth noting that Riley Leonard, who was initially ruled with a knee injury immediately after the Jaguars game, did not receive any game designation on the injury report.
On the other side of the ball, the Colts will be without several key contributors: starting cornerback Sauce Gardner, DeForest Buckner — once a nightmare matchup for Russell Wilson — and starting right tackle Braden Smith. These absences matter, whether it’s generating pressure, matching up against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or holding up in the run game.
The Colts’ defense is led by Lou Anarumo, who continues to do an outstanding job. The front seven features high-level talent such as Buckner, Laiatu Latu, linebackers Germaine Pratt and Zaire Franklin, while the secondary was bolstered by the addition of Sauce Gardner and free-agent safety Cam Bynum, who has fit seamlessly into the scheme.
This is a very physical defense that uses creative blitz packages to confuse quarterbacks. That’s been a major problem for the Seahawks’ offensive line recently, especially against blitz-heavy teams like the Falcons and Vikings, games in which Seattle allowed six sacks combined.
One example shows how this defense can impact even experienced quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford. The Colts align with five players on the line, with linebacker No. 44 appearing to blitz. Just before the snap, safety No. 0 rotates down into the box and becomes the actual blitzer, while the linebacker drops into coverage, replacing the safety’s zone. Stafford adjusts to the new rusher and fires quickly over the middle, but fails to see the linebacker underneath — nearly resulting in an interception.
In addition to late rotations and disguises, Anarumo frequently uses overload blitz concepts, something also commonly seen in...
