Know your opponent: How Carolina Panthers match up with injured Indianapolis Colts

Could another Panthers win be on the horizon?

The Carolina Panthers (1-6), fresh off their buzzer-beating win this past weekend, are set to take on the Indianapolis Colts at 4:05 p.m. Sunday. Fans can watch the game on FOX, stream it on FuboTV and listen to it on WRFX 99.7 FM or your local affiliate on the Panthers Radio Network.

And while they won’t see a Bryce Young-Anthony Richardson showdown — another battle of rookie quarterbacks after Young’s highly anticipated face-off with Texans star CJ Stroud — there are other ways in which Sunday should be compelling.

Here’s a quick look at the Colts (3-5) before they travel to Carolina.

Frank Reich knows Indianapolis well

This is more team trivia than scouting insight, but it’s worth writing: Head coach Frank Reich was with the Colts up until Week 9 of last season, when the coach was fired after Indy’s 3-5-1 start.

Reich did a lot of good in Indianapolis, where he was a head coach for the first time. His brightest accomplishment: He helped the Colts to a 10-6 season in 2018, which included rebounding back from a 1-5 start — which has been pointed out frequently from his coaches and players alike. He finished his tenure at Indy 40-33-1 in the regular season with a 1-2 postseason record. His undoing ultimately came because of the revolving door at quarterback after Andrew Luck’s unexpected retirement in the 2019 offseason.

In his time in Indy, he developed a reputation for consistency and professionalism and built a great rapport with players. Justin Houston, a Panthers offseason signing at pass rusher, has now played under Reich at Indy and Carolina and has spoken highly of him at every opportunity, including Monday.

“If you asked any player that was there, they loved playing for Frank,” Houston told reporters Monday. He later said of his coach, “His records and his stats speak for themselves. The things he’s done to each organization that he’s been a part of, how he’s changed teams around.

“He changed the Colts around, and they started winning there, so I was surprised they let him go. I think he’s going to do the same here.”

Gardner Minshew an explosive backup for Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson, the Colts’ rookie quarterback, made it clear that he was a playmaker right out of the gate. In the four games he played in — and he only played for all four quarters in two of them — Richardson passed for 577 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another three scores.

But injuries cut his stellar rookie season short.

The 6-foot-4, 244-pound star and No. 4 overall draft pick was placed on injured reserve, and it was later announced that his season was finished after he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery. In his stead has been ECU product Gardner Minshew.

To say that all has been lost in Richardson’s wake wouldn’t be true. In fact, the Colts are Top 10 in points per game (25.6) and total offensive yards (362.4), and they’re above the league median in passing yards per game (233.4). Minshew, specifically, has been explosive: His best game this season was against the vaunted Cleveland Browns defense, where he threw two touchdowns, one interception and for 305 yards.

So in short: Losing Richardson as a playmaker hurts, but the passing offense is still good. Just ask their top two pass catchers Michael Pittman Jr. (50 receptions, 529 yards, three touchdowns) and UNC product Josh Downs (40 catches, 473 yards and two touchdowns).

The Colts’ passing offense will be going up against a Panthers defense that has gotten some key players back in the secondary recently — safety Xavier Woods and cornerback Donte Jackson to name a couple — and they had a banner day against the Texans in Week 8. The Panthers, after eight games, have a Top 10 passing defense in the league (only allowing 186.6 yards a contest).

What about the Colts’ rushing offense?

If you remember: how NFL teams value running backs was a discussion point around the league this past offseason. And the Colts were at the center of it.

Jonathan Taylor, one of the most prolific backs two seasons ago, signed a three-year, $42 million contract extension earlier this month and returned to the field after what was a tumultuous offseason — which included a trade request but also a stint on the physically unable to perform list due to an ankle injury from a season ago.

But Taylor is healthy now. And he appears to be back in form. In Sunday’s contest against the Saints, he took 12 carries for 95 yards, which included a 42-yard burst up the middle of the field.

He’s been splitting carries with Zack Moss, who recorded 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown this past weekend. The team ended Sunday ranked eighth in most rushing yards per game (129) — and that could spell trouble for a defense that has struggled against good rushing teams all season. The Panthers rank 30th in rushing defense (139.4 yards a game).

Turnovers plague Indianapolis through past three games

Despite all of the team’s offensive strengths, Indianapolis has lost its past three games. And a lot of that has to do with the turnover margin stat.

The Colts rank 23rd in giveaways per game (1.6). The past three games specifically? They had four turnovers against the Jaguars in Week 6 (three Minshew interceptions and a Minshew fumble), four turnovers against the Browns in Week 7 (three Minshew fumbles and one INT) and one interception against the Saints in Week 8.

Carolina is averaging 1.1 giveaways a game. In the lone win, for what it’s worth, the Panthers also came out ahead in turnovers.

Colts’ defense could be a Panthers opportunity

The Colts have a few standout defensive players. Linebacker Zaire Franklin leads the league in tackles after Sunday with 102, and three defensive linemen have notched three or more sacks in 2023 — Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner and Samson Ebukam.

But the Panthers could use the Week 9 matchup as another opportunity. Young has gotten into a groove the past few games — and so has his connection with receivers outside of Adam Thielen — and that could be further developed Sunday against a Colts defense that ranks last in points allowed per game (28.6), 25th in passing yards per game (247.3) and 23rd in rushing yards per game (124).