By: The Associated Press
Atlanta (3-5) vs. Indianapolis (7-2) in Berlin, Germany
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EST, NFL Network
BetMGM NFL Odds: Colts by 6 1/2
Against the spread: Falcons 4-4; Colts 6-3
Series record: Colts lead 15-3.
Last meeting: Falcons beat Colts 29-10 in Atlanta on Dec. 24, 2023.
Last week: Falcons lost to Patriots 24-23; Colts lost to Steelers 27-20.
Falcons offense: overall (15), rush (15), pass (15), scoring (28).
Falcons defense: overall (4), rush (23), pass (1), scoring (T-13).
Colts offense: overall (2), rush (8), pass (T-2), scoring (1).
Colts defense: overall (16), rush (4), pass (26), scoring (7).
Turnover differential: Falcons plus-4; Colts plus-3.
Falcons player to watch
QB Michael Penix Jr. The former Indiana Hoosier returned from a bruised bone in his left knee last week and delivered a strong performance. He was 22 of 37 with 221 yards, three touchdown passes and 19 yards rushing. But he’s struggled to string good performances together in back-to-back games this season. If the Colts continue to be a high-scoring team, Penix will need to be on top of his game.
Colts player to watch
CB Sauce Gardner. The New York Jets traded the two-time All-Pro to Indy on Tuesday, giving him less than 48 hours to get acclimated to his new team before heading to Berlin. He cleared the concussion protocol Thursday and coach Shane Steichen had said if he did, he would likely play Sunday. That means his first appearance with the Colts will come in Europe, giving everyone a chance to see how quickly he picks up the new defensive scheme — and how much he can help this ailing pass defense.
Key matchup
Falcons run defense vs. Jonathan Taylor. Despite gaining only 45 yards against the Steelers, Taylor still leads the NFL in rushing. Time will tell whether it was just a blip — or if the Steelers created a blueprint to contain him in future games. Taylor and the Colts will have something to prove with what a likely run-heavy strategy against a run defense that is allowing 124.4 yards per game. If the Falcons continue to struggle against the run, it’s could be a big game for Taylor.
Key injuries
Falcons: Four Atlanta players did not practice Wednesday — Guards Matthew Bergeron (ankle) and Chris Lindstrom (foot), CB Billy Bowman (hamstring) and OT Storm Norton (foot). … LB J.D. Bertrand (knee), CB Mike Hughes (neck) and DT LaCale London (shoulder) were limited in practice.
Colts: Indy still is trying to figure out whether DEs Samson Ebukam (knee) and Tyquan Lewis (groin) and receiver-kick returner Anthony Gould (knee) continue to miss games. Those three didn’t practice Wednesday, Neither did DT DeForest Buckner (neck), CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles tendon) and WR Michael Pittman Jr. (glute) also did not practice Wednesday.
Series notes
The Colts won the first 10 games in the series from 1966-89. Since then, the rare matchups have evened out. Atlanta got its first win in 1998 and is 3-5 over the past 27 years. … The Falcons are 1-7 as the road team but the series has never been played at a neutral site. … Atlanta’s career passing leader, Matt Ryan, played his first 14 NFL seasons with the Falcons. He played his final season in Indy. … The Colts have six players with Georgia connections while Atlanta has five players with Indiana ties.
Stats and stuff
Atlanta and Indy are playing their second international games in three years. Jacksonville defeated the Falcons 23-7 in London in 2023. The Colts defeated New England 10-6 in Frankfurt, Germany, also in ’23. Atlanta is 1-2 all time in international games. … The Falcons have lost three straight and are tied for third among fewest sacks allowed (11) in the NFL. … RB Bijan Robinson has not rushed for more than 40 yards or scored a touchdown since Oct. 13. … WR Drake London has three 100-yard games this season, including last week’s game in which he caught nine passes for 118 yards and a career-high 3 TDs. … OT Jake Matthews has the league’s longest active streak of consecutive regular-season games started at 186. … S Jesse Bates III is one of five active NFL players with 25 or more interceptions. … Rookie S Xavier Watts, a Notre Dame product, has 44 tackles and two interceptions this season. … Last week, three Atlanta players (Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London and Jalon Walker) had multiple sacks in a single game. It was the first time the Falcons did that since 2005. … Despite last week’s six-turnover game, Indy still averages a league-high 3.25 points per drive — the league’s fourth-best total since 2000. … The Colts are the only team in the league to score 20 or more points nine times this season. … Indy also has the sixth-best third down conversion rate (45%) and the best fourth down conversion percentage (88.2% on 15 of 17 chances). … QB Daniel Jones leads the league with 2,404 yards passing. He’s also thrown for a TD and run for a TD in four games this season. … Taylor needs one TD run to break a tie with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore (63) and two pass Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the most TD runs in franchise history. He also needs 105 yards for his fourth 1,000-yard season. … With eight games remaining, Tyler Warren needs four catches to pass Dwayne Allen (45) for the franchise receptions record by a rookie tight end. He also needs 118 yards to pass Ken Dilger (635) for the second most by a Colts rookie tight end. … Michael Pittman Jr. is the only receiver with a TD catch in six or more games this season. … Indy’s defense has allowed just seven points in the final two minutes of either half and just 2.04 yards per play in the red zone this season. … The Colts have missed only one field goal all season.
Fantasy tip
Taylor. With the Colts looking to rebound after last week’s performance, Colts coach Shane Steichen acknowledged he could have given Taylor more carries. Don’t expect Steichen to make the same mistake again, and against a Falcons defense struggling against the run, Taylor is the safest play.
