Opponent Profile: Ravens Look To Slow Down Highly Potent Colts Offense
By Samuel Njoku
The Ravens just finished off an impressive home win against the Carolina Panthers. Now they will begin a grueling stretch of games as 4 out of their next 5 will be on the road. Their first test will be against a highly potent Indianapolis Colts team.
Colts on Offense
For the second straight week, Baltimore will go head-to-head against an impressive quarterback. This time it's Colts QB Andrew Luck that Dean Pees will have to deal with. The Colts let go of an all time great in Peyton Manning a few years ago. They've had very little drop off in talent since drafting Andrew Luck. He's one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the NFL with the ability to make all the throws. With the Ravens secondary in disarray there is no doubt that Luck is smelling blood. The Colts offense will look to isolate the Ravens safeties and make big plays down the field. If the Ravens hope to slow down the attack, they'll have to blitz frequently to make Luck as uncomfortable as possible.
The Ravens aren't nearly as concerned with the Colts running attack. But that doesn't mean they'll ignore it all together. Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson can make plays on the ground if you give them the opportunity. But with the way Baltimore has played so far this year, it would be surprising if both got much done on Sunday.
Colts on Defense
The Colts defense will be without S Laron Landry as he is currently serving a 4 game suspension for PEDs. That's a huge blow for a team that just watched Baltimore put up 38 points against a formidable defense. The Colts know the formula will be to lock down Flacco's favorite target in Steve Smith. But if the Colts can't stop the Ravens potent rushing attack, it'll be very hard to accomplish. Former Ravens DL/LB Arthur Jones is suffering an ankle injury and will likely not play when these two teams meet on Sunday.
Without Landry, expect Flacco to test the secondary early as Baltimore may find themselves in the middle of a shoot out in Indianapolis.
Colts Coaching
Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano is a former defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Pagano was hired by John Harbaugh in 2008 to be a part of his coaching staff. Since being hired by Indianapolis, Pagano has a record of 24-12. The last time these two teams met was in the playoffs 2 years ago when Baltimore defeated Indianapolis 24-9. The Colts have an all-time regular season record of 7-3 against the Ravens.
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Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
