INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts (2-0) are off to their hottest start in years, winners of each of their first two contests and boasting units on both sides of the ball that rank in the top five of the NFL, and a kicker who's yet to miss.
However, this weekend, the Colts are clear favorites as they travel to Nashville to take on the winless Tennessee Titans (0-2) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. While this does have the makings of a "trap game," the Colts know that they cannot take any opponent for granted, especially in a division matchup that could help bolster their postseason resume by year's end.
To find out more about what to expect from the Titans' side of things, Colts Roundtable got in touch with Stoney Keeley, the Editor-in-Chief of SoBros Network, based in Nashville, for a quick Q&A:
Colts Roundtable: Obviously, Tennessee's offense has disappointed so far, but how would you assess Cam Ward through two weeks?
Stoney Keeley: A lot of the assessment on Cam Ward so far is positive because of his mental makeup. He hasn't had the best statistical performances by any means, but he looks like a natural at the NFL level. He's poised and in control - the moment certainly doesn't feel too big for him. We started to see some of his creativity shine last week in a backyard ball situation that resulted in an Elic Ayomanor touchdown. He's competitive and he's mentally tough - the hope is that the production starts catching up with that.
CRT: What area has stood out more for Tennessee's defense: the front seven or the secondary?
SK: Can I answer "none of the above?" Or, maybe both have stood out for the wrong reasons. Jeffery Simmons is playing his tail off, and he's clearly the best player on the defense still, but there's little to no reason to be excited about the defense outside of him. They can't stop the run, and they have no pass rush whatsoever, so while the secondary (particularly, the safety room) is probably good enough to win games, they're being asked to be perfect in coverage, and that just isn't realistic. The defense, as a whole, is a massive concern.
CRT: What's a sneaky strength of the Titans that people don't talk about, nationally?
SK: Fourth-round receiver picks aren't going to make headline news in most cases, but the Titans have one to be excited about in Chimere Dike, who has emerged as a solution at returner. Despite the 0-2 start, special teams has become an area of strength for this team. Part of that is assignment discipline and the addition of John "Bones" Fassel, but it certainly helps having a speedy and dynamic return man who is a persistent threat to score. In a tight game, special teams could be the difference. Who knows?
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.