2018 Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts Open Thread

The start of the 2018 NFL season for the Indianapolis Colts is officially here. For the second week in a row Frank Reich will lead his team against the Cincinnati Bengals but this time the outcome will actually count. As we prepare to kickoff today Authentic J'Marcus Webb Jersey , we will take a look at some keys to the game.Colts Tight Ends vs. Bengals Linebackers and SecondaryPerhaps the most talented offensive position group on the team is tight end. Jack Doyle has become a reliable check-down option for Andrew Luck and finds a way to get into position to make plays. Eric Ebron has been scarcely utilized by Frank Reich during preseason action. This is almost certainly because he will have an active role in the offense in the regular season and there wasn’t a great deal of motivation to tip off regular season opponents any earlier than absolutely necessary. Even Erik Swoope showed signs of becoming a match-up nightmare as a pass-catcher when he was last healthy in 2016.While the Bengals are certainly talented in the trenches and showed off some chops at generating pressure on quarterbacks over the course of the preseason, one of their most glaring weaknesses could be found in the short-middle areas of the field. Last year, Indianapolis utilized Jack Doyle to abuse a weak group of linebackers and generate a considerable portion of the offense. If this group can get going early, it could help put the Bengals on their heels.Colts Offensive Line vs. Bengals Pass RushRookie Quenton Nelson is carrying a great deal of hype into his NFL debut and will immediately face a multifaceted and multi-talented defensive line. Anthony Castonzo, Denzelle Good, and Le’Raven Clark are all inactive and they may represent the top three tackles on the roster. Who steps up in their collective absence?This Bengals defensive line features power and quickness inside with Geno Atkins, to go along with speed on the edges. If the Colts are planning to put together a deep rotation of defensive linemen who they can keep fresh throughout the game, they could use how the Bengals have constructed their own defensive line for a proper blueprint. If the offensive line can keep this talented group at bay, it will bode well for the rest of the season.Backfield Answers?The Colts head into the regular season with more question-marks in their backfield than answers. Which running back will end up carrying much of the load in 2018? Robert Turbin is clearly the most proven player in the group but he will be unavailable until Week 5. Marlon Mack is the presumed starter when he is healthy but he has been battling a hamstring injury and will not play. Nyheim Hines was brought in to move all over the field and allow Frank Reich to run an up-tempo, no-huddle style of offense but he has yet to provide fans with a reason to feel confident that he can be a big factor early in his rookie season.Perhaps the most promising player in the backfield throughout the preseason was fifth round pick Jordan Wilkins. He consistently showed a knack for gaining positive yards, even after taking contact in the backfield, and showed excellent vision and patience as a runner. For many fans he is the obvious choice to take on the bulk of the backfield load until Mack is healthy and Turbin returns from suspension. Of course, all of these observations could be thrown out of the window because veteran Christine Michael is on the roster and may have the trust of coaches more than any of the youngsters. It will be interesting to see how Reich utilizes each of these players and how he intends to establish a rotation throughout the season.Can Matt Eberflus Manufacture Pressure on Andy Dalton?Indianapolis lacks a marquee pass rusher. Jabaal Sheard played excellent football in the second half of the 2017 season but was quiet this preseason. John Simon showed the ability to generate pressure but was cut because he is “not a scheme fit.” Ryan Delaire did more with less than any other player on the Colts preseason roster but still couldn’t stick around after waiver claims. Second round rookie Kemoko Turay was limited for much of training camp and preseason. Second-year pass rusher Tarell Basham failed to take the second-year leap fans hoped he would with a move back to his more natural 4-3 defensive end position. Al-Quadin Muhammad just joined the roster and could need time work into the rotation.Oh yeah, the best interior pass rusher this preseason, Hassan Ridgeway, is inactive.For those keeping score that means that last year’s best defensive end has been quiet Youth Chester Rogers Jersey , the best pass rushers in preseason have been cut or are inactive, and the young players are either unproven or have failed to show signs of development. Let’s hope Matt Eberflus has some voodoo in the game plan today to keep Dalton uncomfortable. Otherwise, A.J. Green could have a career day.Opportunism on DefenseIf you’ve been a fan of the Colts for awhile, at least through the Peyton Manning era, you will be entirely familiar with the bend but don’t break defensive mantra. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has resurrected the Tampa 2 defense in Indianapolis and if preseason football is any indication, this group will give up yards between the twenties. It is likely that this unit will be soft up the middle against the run and that it will allow cushions on the outside for short passes. Expect to see the Bengals efficiently move the ball for much of the afternoon.This weakness tends to disappear in the red zone. This is due to shrinking zones and tighter windows making life far more difficult. It means that defenders are in a position to make plays on the ball and can create soul crushing turnovers just when it seems like there is no hope to stop an impending touchdown. This is where the Colts secondary, led by rangy ball-hawking safety Malik Hooker, will have to do their work. Winning the turnover battle means extra possessions for Andrew Luck. Extra possessions for Luck means a much better chance to win the game.Game Time1pm PM ET on Sunday September 8, 2018LocationLucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IndianaTV ChannelCBS - Andrew Catalon (Play-By-Play),James Lofton (Color Commentator), and Jane Slater (Sideline)RadioWFNI (107.5FM/1070 The Fan) and WLHK (Country 97.1 Hank FM)Referee AssignmentPete MorelliEnemy BlogCincy JungleTwitterFollow @StampedeBlue for the complete Colts coverage on Twitter before, during, and after every game.FacebookLike Stampede Blue on Facebook!PodcastFor all your Colts-related talk and information, subscribe http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-denico-autry-jersey , download, and review the Stampede Blue Colts Cast on iTunes, Stitcher, or BlogTalkRadio. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Adam Vinatieri remembers New England fondly.In 10 seasons, he won three Super Bowl rings, was dubbed the league's best clutch kicker and became the top scorer in franchise history. He has made the routine kicks look easy and the impossible ones look routine while earning the respect of two of the league's greatest coaches and one of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks..On Thursday, the 45-year-old kicker and the NFL's newly crowned career field goals leader returns to his former home stadium, perhaps for the final time."I suppose any person who's played somewhere for a certain amount of time and then has the opportunity to go back and just reminisce a little bit, maybe it holds a different feeling than some of the other places," Vinatieri said Tuesday. "But I'm thinking more about how can we get a win and right the ship and get back where we need to be."Vinatieri knows better than to expect a warm welcome for the Colts (1-3) and himself.Since signing with the dreaded Colts as a free agent in March 2006, Vinatieri has watched the video tributes former stars like Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James received when they returned to Indy with new teams. He's seen former players such as Jeff Saturday and Robert Mathis, and former coaches like Frank Reich come back to work inside the organization.But New England treats former players and coaches differently.Vinatieri shrugs off the chorus of boos he's heard at Gillette Stadium over the past dozen seasons, choosing instead to focus on those who acknowledge afterward just how much they actually respect him for having such a big hand in each of the franchise's first three Super Bowl titles.Back in 2006, New England figured it could find a cheaper, younger kicker than Vinatieri and the truth is, it worked out perfectly for both sides. Vinatieri found a home inside the controlled climate of Lucas Oil Stadium and has gone on to chase bigger and better milestones. His replacement with Patriots Skai Moore Jersey , Stephen Gostkowski, broke Vinatieri's franchise scoring record and is currently ranked No. 18 all-time with 1,642 points as the Pats (2-2) have gone 8-4 against Vinatieri's Colts. New England has won six of seven in Foxborough and seven straight in the series — including the 2014 AFC championship game, better known as "Deflategate."Still, Vinatieri seems to be aging like a fine wine.He made two more field goals Sunday to break Morten Andersen's career mark of 565 and heads back to New England needing one field goal attempt to break a tie with Gary Anderson (672) for second all-time. With 26 points, Vinatieri will break Morten Andersen's career scoring record (2,544 points), and Vinatieri just passed Hall of Famer George Blanda for fourth in games played."I'm the second oldest guy in the locker room and my first year of playing football was his second year in the league," Matt Slauson, the Colts' 32-year-old right guard, said recently. "So he's not only had one incredible career, he's essentially had two incredible careers with two different teams. It's amazing."The least surprised guy on the field Thursday might be Bill Belichick, who was an assistant coach on Bill Parcells' staff when Vinatieri won the Patriots' kicking job in 1996 over 18-year veteran Matt Bahr.Belichick watched the rookie kicker save his job with a 40-yard field goal into the wind and rain in a Week 3 victory over Arizona and make a textbook tackle while chasing down Herschel Walker to save a touchdown later that season.He will never forget the two kicks Vinatieri made in the Snow Bowl/Tuck Rule Game, the first to force overtime and the second to eliminate the Raiders in the divisional round, or the two last-minute Super Bowl winning kicks Vinatieri made to beat the Rams and Panthers."Certainly, in my opinion Authentic Anthony Walker Jersey , the greatest kicker in the game. Not just for his longevity and production but again the magnitude of some of the kicks that he made and the difficulty," Belichick said on a conference call with Indy reporters this week. "Back in 2001, it seemed like every game came down to the last possession or the last kick. Every point was critical. Those games we won in 2001 and 2003 — especially in the early part of the year in 2003 — were all close games and tough ones. Adam came through for us with some enormous kicks."Now, though, things clearly are winding down.Vinatieri signed a 1-year deal this offseason to stay in Indy and the current scheduling format doesn't have the Colts playing another round-robin against the AFC East until 2022.So if this is his last stand in New England, the South Dakota native whose great-great grandfather served as General George Custer's bandmaster has one goal: win one more time."It very well could be. Shoot, any game could be your last game ever, you know, so I haven't contemplated that too terribly much," he said. "It's a game that we really must win, we need to win and that would be a real good way to stick it to them."