Monday Night – Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

Once again, it feels as if we’ve angered the NFL scheduling gods. Whenever you’re forced to watch two AFC South teams battle it out, you know it’s not going to be pretty. Rather than wallowing in our own self-pity, let’s take a stab at figuring out which of these teams will come out on top. The winner will likely earn themselves an early division lead and an undeserved playoff spot. But that’s a story for another time. On the bright side, we get a glimpse at two of the league’s best young QBs in Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota.

Keys to the Game
Colts
As usual, Indy will need to focus on protecting Andrew Luck. The reason being that he’s their best option for putting points on the board, which will be very necessary against one of the league’s more underrated offenses. We know that the Colts’ defense won’t be doing a whole lot to slow down Mariota and company, so Luck will need to dial up a few touchdowns of his own. Keeping T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief fed all night is a great way for Indy to put crooked numbers on the board and chalk up another one in the win column.

Titans
The biggest key for Tennessee will be to limit the damage the Colts’ offense can do. They can do that by playing solid defense and controlling the ball on offense. Between Mariota and RB DeMarco Murray, controlling the ball should be no issue whatsoever for the Titans against a weak Colts D. Establishing the run early will chew up clock and help build an early lead that the Titans can ride all the way to victory.