By Clark Gerber, WRAL Sports contributor

Indianapolis Colts
Carolina Panthers
On CBS, November 5th at 4:05 PM EST.

Frank Reich was dismissed as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts on November 7, 2022.

Exactly one year later, Reich is feeling a bit more energized as he prepares to guide the Carolina Panthers against his previous team.

Reich stated that it holds added significance to him. He acknowledged that for some individuals, it may be interpreted as a form of retaliation. However, he personally does not view it in that manner. Instead, he sees it as a source of motivation and being highly driven.

The Panthers are aiming for another win after narrowly defeating Houston 15-13 in their last game.

Bryce Young, the quarterback, had a standout performance against the Texans, completing 71% of his passes for 235 yards and scoring a touchdown.

He was sacked six times, which is a concerning amount that Carolina cannot afford to repeat in the future. While the offensive line faced challenges, Young acknowledges his own role in maintaining the team’s offensive rhythm.

Young admitted, “I am responsible for some of those sacks. I can improve my ability to read defenses, go through my options, and make better decisions such as throwing the ball away when needed. We all share the responsibility.”

If the Panthers can prevent negative plays, they may have an opportunity to score against the Colts defense, which has given up 37 or more points in their previous three games.

However, the defense of Carolina (which has been struggling lately) will face a difficult task in trying to limit the Indy offense, which is ranked in the top ten for yards and points per game.

According to coaches, the key is for the Panthers to improve their 29th place ranking in run defense in order to contain the Colts’ dynamic dual ground attack.

“The running backs are quite large and difficult to bring down,” stated Ejiro Evero, the defensive coordinator. “Their offensive line works well as a unit. Their strategy is solid, not overly complicated, but they execute it at a very high level. We must be prepared for the challenge.”

According to Reich, we are determined to compete with and achieve success against the top competitors. As a team and on the defensive side, we have an opportunity to face an offense that is excelling in a unique way. This will be a valuable test for us.

Important factors for the game between the Panthers and Colts include:

Encourage the Colts to exercise patience. This approach proved successful against Houston in the previous week. The Texans were only able to complete one pass for more than 15 yards, thanks to the Panthers’ defense limiting CJ Stroud to an average of 5.8 yards per attempt. If they can also keep Gardner Minshew’s average below 6 yards per attempt, they will likely be able to dominate the game.

The Panthers need to establish a more balanced offense after their running backs only gained 33 yards on 20 attempts last week, with most of those yards coming after contact. They should take advantage of the Colts’ aversion to blitzing and aim for at least 80 rushing yards to keep their offense running smoothly.

Wrap up! In their previous game against Houston, Carolina failed to make 10 tackles, bringing their total for the season to 68 (second lowest in the NFL). Indianapolis has two talented running backs, Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss, who are known for gaining yards after contact. They also have two skilled receivers, Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, who are capable of gaining yards after catching the ball. To prevent the Colts’ weapons from being a threat, the Panthers must limit their missed tackles to no more than five.

Numbers to know

The Colts and Panthers possess two of the lowest ranking defenses in terms of points allowed in the league. The Colts currently hold the bottom spot, conceding an average of 28.6 points per game (38.0 over the last three games). The Panthers are ranked 30th, with an average of 28.4 points allowed per game (32.3 over the last three games).

In October, Adam Thielen had a 40% target share as a first read, which was tied with D.K. Metcalf for the 4th highest percentage in the league. The only receivers who were targeted more frequently than Thielen as their quarterback’s top choice were Garrett Wilson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Stefon Diggs.

The Indianapolis Colts’ defense has given up the highest number of “explosive” plays in the entire NFL (53). Additionally, they hold the top spot in the league for tackles for loss (51). This shows a pattern of either great success or major struggles.

Last week, Bryce Young had an impressive performance against the blitz, completing 8 out of 10 passes for 142 yards. However, it is unlikely that he will have the same success this week as the Colts have the lowest blitz rate in the NFL at 17.7%.

The Colts hold the record for consistently scoring a minimum of 20 points in every game in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Panthers have only managed to score 20 or more points three times, resulting in double-digit losses each time.

Source: wralsportsfan.com