Scouting the Saints 2015 Opponents: Week 7 vs. Colts

The Saints face the Indianapolis Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, October 25th - Let’s do some breakdowns ahead of the match-up to get a glimpse of what the Saints are marching into.

Series Matchup All-Time

(Full list here, via The Football Database)

Saints 7 - Colts 5

Last 5 Games

(2011-2012)  Colts 7 - Saints 62

(2009-2010) Colts 17 - Saints 31*

(2007-2008) Colts 41- Saints 10

(2003-2004) Colts 55 - Saints 21

(2001-2002) Colts 20 - Saints 34

Make no mistake, Saints fans - that 62-7 trouncing was against a Curtis Painter/Dan Orlovsky Colts team. If anything, Indy owes us a bit of a friendly nudge for assisting them get Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft. The matchup prior, I think we all know, and each game before that is just a medley of madness.

*Super Bowl XLIV

2014-2015 Colts Totals

(Saints #1 total offense, #31 total defense according to ESPN)

Total Offense #3

Passing/YPG #1

Rushing/YPG #22

Total Defense #11

Passing/YPG #12

Rushing/YPG #18

Projected Depth Charts

Courtesy of Ourlads

	Saints	Colts
	Offense
QB	Drew Brees	Andrew Luck
	Ryan Griffin	Matt Hasselbeck
	Garrett Grayson	Bryan Bennett
RB	Mark Ingram	Frank Gore
	C.J. Spiller	Dan Herron
	Khiry Robinson	Zurlon Tipton
WR	Brandin Cooks	T.Y. Hilton
	Marques Colston	Andre Johnson
	Brandon Coleman	Phillip Dorsett
TE	Josh Hill	Dwayne Allen
	Benjamin Watson	Coby Fleener
LT	Terron Armstead	Anthony Costanzo
LG	Tim Lelito	Louis Lance
C	Max Unger	Khaled Holmes
RG	Jahri Evans	Todd Herremans
RT	Zach Strief	Jack Mewhort
	Defense
LDE	Akiem Hicks	Kendall Langford
NT/LDT	John Jenkins	Josh Chapman
NT/RDT	Kevin Williams
RDE	Cam Jordan	Arthur Jones
Sam/LOLB	Hau'oli Kikaha	Erik Walden
Mike/LILB	Stephone Anthony	D’Qwell Jackson
RILB		Jerrell Freeman
Will/ROLB	Dannell Ellerbe	Trent Cole
LCB	Keenan Lewis	Greg Toler
RCB	Brandon Browner	Vontae Davis
NCB	Delvin Breaux	Darius Butler
SS	Kenny Vaccaro	Mike Adams
FS	Jairus Byrd	Dwight Lowery
	Special Teams
K	Dustin Hopkins	Adam Vinatieri
P	Thomas Morstead	Pat McAfee

Key Colts

Offense

Andrew Luck (3 x Pro Bowl): Believe it or not, this is the first regular season match-up between the Saints defense and Andrew Luck. Given his abilities and our recent, ahem, struggles, Luck (and some figurative luck) will be Rob Ryan's focal point; with Andrew Luck as Krang and his legion of receivers being his protective mechanical suit. Not only did Luck lead the NFL in passing TDs last season, he also presided over the Colts top-ranked passing offense. This is notable as the Saints have had some woes. The addition of Andre Johnson, Phillip Dorsett, and Frank Gore this season represent the biggest challenge the Saints defense will have faced to this point in the season.

The Colts entire receiving corps: Usually I'd list the sum of the receivers' accolades, but it's mostly just Andre Johnson (7 x Pro Bowl, 2 x FT All Pro, 2 x ST All Pro). Make no mistake though, the cast also including T.Y. Hilton (1 x Pro Bowl), Donte Moncrief, and rookie Phillip Dorsett (still such an odd 1st round selection, imo) comprises one of the best group of wide outs in the league. PFF's #9 TE Dwayne Allen, a respectable blocker, doesn't make matters easier for our guys. That said, should the Colts use former CFL standout Duron Carter, we might just have a guy that has shut him down in the past ;)

Frank Gore (5 x Pro Bowl, 1 x ST All Pro): The 49ers all-time rushing yards (11,073) and rushing TDs (64) leader, despite being a bit long in the tooth (32), is a significant upgrade from the Colts 2014 RB grab bag of Trent Richardson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Dan Herron, and Zurlon Tipton. Gore, playing behind a superior run blocking offensive line in San Francisco last season, rushed for 81 yards and a TD on 23 attempts against the Saints last season. I do not anticipate Gore getting as much mileage this season as years past, but he still must be respected both between the tackles and in the flat as an outlet for Luck.

Defense

D'Qwell Jackson (1 x Pro Bowl): Like teammate Vontae Davis, D'QJax was voted to his first Pro Bowl in 2014. The veteran inside linebacker, having spent his first 8 seasons in Cleveland, really came on for the Colts last season, racking up 140 total tackles, 4 sacks, and 4 fumble recoveries (and a TD).

Vontae Davis (1 x Pro Bowl): Though PFF ranked him the #2 CB from 2014 with a great #2 pass coverage rank and #5 in defense, Davis has only been voted to a single Pro Bowl and has yet to receive even a 2nd team All Pro nod (despite being part of a crowded class of elite CBs). The 27 year old was drafted by the Dolphins out of Illinois in 2009, and since entering the league has accumulated 70 passes defensed and 17 picks (including three 4-pick seasons). In 2014, Davis also notably held opposing QBs to a league-leading 38.8 passer rating when targeted.

TL;DR

The Colts are fielding another eventual HoF QB in Luck, flanked by a deadly cast of receivers and an appreciable upgrade in the backfield. The Colts defense defense has some savvy veterans but, outside of Vontae Davis, no real game changers. Veteran safety Mike Adams and re-signed nickel corner Darius Butler help shore up the secondary somewhat, but I suspect this game is going to be a good old fashioned shoot out between Brees and Luck, and mini-men Cooks and Hilton - And our #1 offense from last year has looked quite formidable so far.

Feedback on depth chart and other bits of information to include in this series is appreciated.