Blake Bortles has pretty much struggled for most of the season. He was benched for Cody Kessler a couple of games ago, and that's something which could quite possibly happen again in the next week or two. But Bortles is in Indianapolis this week, and there's some potential he'll have a good game.
The Colts seem to be a team on the rise. Frank Reich has the offense playing at a high level, and they've been very good at times against the run. But they've struggled against the pass, giving up great production to opposing quarterbacks in most of the last five games.
| QUARTERBACKS VS INDIANAPOLIS, LAST FIVE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Yards | TDs |
| Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 375 | 3 |
| Tom Brady, N.E. | 341 | 4 |
| Sam Darnold, NYJ | 280 | 2 |
| Derek Anderson, Buff. | 175 | 0 |
| Derek Carr, Oak. | 244 | 4 |
Above numbers include rushing scores; three of those passers scored touchdowns on the ground against the Colts. That's a part of Bortles' game; he averages 33 rushing yards.
Watson and Brady are a lot better than Bortles. But Darnold isn't, at this point, and Carr hasn't been either in every game except the Browns and Colts. Anderson struggled, but that isn't a Colts-specific thing.
Bortles makes some sense this week as a fill-in quarterback.
--Andy Richardson