Colts vs. Ravens: I think the Colts younger players will get more playing time

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Insiders Stephen Holder and Zak Keefer discuss Luck's future and coaching changes. Clark Wade/IndyStar

Five things I think ahead of the Indianapolis Colts (3-11) traveling to Baltimore to take on the 8-6 Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday (4:30 p.m., TV: CBS/NFL Network, Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), WLHK-FM (97.1)):

1. I think the Ravens’ D will feast on the Colts’ struggling offense.

What else is new? Indy’s porous unit is dead last in the league in yards per play, 30th in passing yards, 31st in red zone efficiency and 31st in points. The Colts are converting just 24 percent of their third downs this year, tied for worst in the NFL, and have averaged only 15.1 points per game since Week 8, second-worst in football, when the offensive struggles really began to sink the season.

This all spells trouble, especially against a Ravens’ defense that leads the league in turnover differential and boasts a back end that’s exceptional at taking the ball away. Can the Colts score consistently? Probably not.

Can they score at all? Maybe that’s the better question.

2. I think it’s time Jacoby Brissett snaps out of his funk.

Speaking of struggling offenses, Brissett’s play has severely leveled off in the second half of the season, giving the team no chance to win consistently. His completion percentage has dipped into the 50s in five straight games, and he’s thrown just three touchdowns across that span. The unit has regressed, and most of the time, it’s hard to watch.

It’s certainly not the defense holding the Colts back this year. Brissett can afford himself more opportunities if he gets rid of the football quicker and avoids those long, drawn out downs that inevitably lead to him on his backside. It’s time to let it fly. What does this team have to lose?

3. I think it could be a long day for the Colts’ young corners.

For a third straight week, the Colts will go with two rookies at corner: Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore. (Rashaan Melvin practiced all week but is still recovering from a hand injury and won’t go.) While the Ravens’ offense isn’t among the best in the league, statistically, Colts defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Thursday stressed how versatile and sound the unit is, from the offensive line to the running backs to the tight ends to the receivers to QB Joe Flacco.

“Collectively, that’s not for me to judge where they are numbers wise,” Monachino said. “I think numbers sometimes can be – we spend too much time thinking about them, and I get it. That’s what everybody does. We all look at them, and they all affect our opinions of things. But I look at them individually as players, and the guys they’ve got on their offensive line are a perfect fit for what they do ... No. 5 (Joe Flacco) can get it to any spot on the field. So yeah, they present a set of challenges that a lot of offenses don’t."

Neither Wilson or Moore have been exceptionally bad nor exceptionally good in recent weeks. But as solid as the Colts’ run defense has been in the second half of this season, expect Baltimore to attack the Colts through the air. That means Wilson and Moore better bring it.

4. I think if you can’t recognize some of these Colts, don’t feel ashamed. It’s been that kind of year.

The Colts have sent 16 players to injured reserve this season, more than any in the six-year Chuck Pagano era. Thirteen have been starters. They’ve signed the likes of Jason Vander Laan, K.J. Brent and Anthony Fabiano to the active roster in recent weeks. If you’re asking yourself “Who?” you’re not alone.

The silver lining, perhaps, is this: The Colts’ young players will get plenty of opportunities. Beyond Wilson at corner, rookie Tarell Basham has earned considerable praise in recent weeks and figures to see plenty of snaps at the outside linebacker spot. Anthony Walker will see time at inside linebacker. And Marlon Mack, the rookie running back, will continue to form half the team’s one-two punch at running back behind Frank Gore.

5. I think there are a few Colts’ milestones worth keeping an eye on.

Jack Doyle, who’s been among the few constants on offense amid this dreadful season, needs six catches to pass Dallas Clark for the second-most receptions (77) for a Colts tight end in a single season. Clark, of course, holds the record with 100 grabs back in 2009.

T.Y. Hilton is also looking to pass Clark. Six catches for T.Y. and he’ll slide past the former tight end for the fourth-most catches in franchise history (427), trailing only Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Raymond Berry.

And then there’s the age-defying Frank Gore. He needs 207 rushing yards over the final two games – unlikely, but not impossible -- to reach 1,000 for a second straight season, something no Colts back has done since the days of Edgerrin James. With another 1,000-yard campaign, Gore would join Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin as the only men in history to have done it in 10 different seasons. Gore would also become just the third player in history to do it at 34 or older.