The Indianapolis Colts are looking to rebound from their disappointing loss to the Bills, and face a difficult Jets team on Monday night. Here are five things to look for in the matchup that will determine the Colts' success:
5) Will Frank Gore and Andre Johnson step up?
The Colts understand that they can't trot Andrew Luck out there with a depleted cache of offensive weapons and escape the same fate as their 45-7 "Deflategate" drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots in the AFC title game last winter, which is why they got RB Frank Gore and WR Andre Johnson in the offseason.
However, the duo did not produce in their loss to the Bills, as they combined for just 55 total yards. That can't be the case again this week because...
4) How will T.Y. Hilton's injury affect the offense?
HIlton has been Luck's favorite target throughout his career, but a knee injury could keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future. This has put rookie Phillip Dorsett in a bigger role, and he needs to step up and play well with that increased responsibility for this offense to turn things around.
3) Will the offensive line step up?
The Colts employed a revolving door of offensive-line looks in 2014, but Indy appears to have a concrete first team in place with Castonzo, Mewhort, Holmes, and Herremans. The line held their own against the Bills, only allowing two sacks, but they'll face another extremely tough test against New York's vaunted front seven.
2) Can they get the running game going?
Indianapolis ran the ball 17 times for just 64 yards in Buffalo, a mark that just won't cut it. Given, they were forced to throw the ball a lot in the second half to try and pull off a comeback, but they need to average more than 3.8 yards per carry. Luck himself accounted for 20 of those yards - that's not a good sign for the running backs. Someone is going to have to step up for this team to become successful.
1) Will Andrew Luck be special?
Luck was good, but not great, against the Bills, and the offense sputtered because of it. Indy is built around Luck, and it's up to him to carry the team as far as they want to go. For that to happen, he has to be great every single game.
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