New England Patriots: 3 keys to beating the Indianapolis Colts

Stop the receiving threats

Outside of Andrew Luck, the Indianapolis Colts strength is their receiving core.

Pro Bowler Jack Doyle was a DNP, but still has a shot at playing. His running mate Eric Ebron has been impressive as of late.

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Ebron a former top 10 pick, couldn’t find his way with the Detroit Lions. He is an incredible athlete, but struggled immensely with route running and was amongst the league leaders in drop since entering the NFL in 2014.

Indianapolis took a low risk, high reward shot when acquiring him and it is seemingly paid off.  In the Red Zone Ebron is a mismatch nightmare and it has shown. Through 4 games he already has 3 touchdowns and looks better than he did then his entire tenure in Detroit.

Patrick Chung will have his hands full, especially with such an athletic tight end like Ebron.

Elsewhere, Indianapolis has some underrated receiver talent. Wide receivers Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers look to be decent playmakers.

Last week against the Texans, Rodgers posted 8 catches for 85 yards and caught a crucial two-point conversion in the waning seconds that forced the game into overtime. He has really solid hands and his routes looked very crisp on film.

Ryan Grant is a solid slot receiver that can be an issue due to his shiftiness, He has yet to establish a relationship with Luck to this point, but is second to only injured TY Hilton in receiving yards this season. Look for Grant to get an increased workload, as well as a New England Patriots gameplan to stop it.