The Baltimore Ravens are set to take on the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 5 Monday Night Football matchup. Both teams have talent on each side of the ball, but have also dealt with many injuries over the course of the 2021 season.

With the game on Monday night fast approaching, we talked with Kevin Hickey of The Colts Wire to hear his insight on how Indianapolis has been performing this year as well as to discuss his thoughts on the upcoming contest between the Colts and the Ravens.

How has the Carson Wentz era gone so far in Indianapolis?

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It’s been fine. That’s really the best way to put it. Throughout all the injuries around him, it’s kind of hard to truly determine whether he’s the future at the position for the Colts after four games. The offensive line has been battered while underperforming while the Colts haven’t done all that much to improve the playmakers around Wentz. He’s proven to be an extremely tough player battling through injuries but he’s done so even to a detriment of the team. He hasn’t been one of the issues through the first four weeks but at the same time, he hasn’t shown that he can be the answer the Colts need.

Which Colts’ pass catchers could give the Ravens trouble on Monday night and who are a few under the radar targets?

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The Colts like to spread the ball around but expect the majority of targets to go to WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Zach Pascal. Pittman Jr. is a second-year wideout who will play the X almost exclusively. He has the usage of a WR1 but hasn’t found the end zone yet this season. Pascal has three of the Colts’ five receiving touchdowns so expect him to be used in the red zone. Some under-the-radar targets include RB Nyheim Hines and TE Mo Alie-Cox. Hines’ usage is always shoddy, but he’s an electric player both in the run game and as a receiver. Alie-Cox is a massive tight end who is coming off of two touchdown receptions against the Dolphins. He’s been known to flash a bit here and there.

How big is the loss of Quenton Nelson for this game?

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It’s big. Before his injury, Nelson was easily the best offensive lineman for the Colts. The unit hasn’t looked at all like themselves to open the year between injuries and simply poor play. But Nelson’s presence means a lot to the unit, regardless of where you stand on positional value. It’s kind of funny that the Colts had their best rushing game with him out of the lineup but from a physicality, leadership and production standpoint, losing Nelson is a big blow to the line.

What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Indianapolis defense?

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The strength of the defense lies in its mentality and hustle. One of the aspects of Matt Eberflus’ zone-heavy scheme is that they want defenders flying around the ball. A lot of coaches preach it, but Eberflus’ defense does it. The interior defensive line is a massive strength with DeForest Buckner at the three-technique and Grover Stewart at the one-technique. They set the tone for the entire unit. The weaknesses seem to be coming out often this year. Given that they are a zone-heavy scheme, it’s easy to find holes when the pass rush doesn’t get home. Having an inconsistent pass rush has doomed the defense at times, especially when playing against elite competition. It’s not a very creative scheme either. They harp on execution over deception but when that execution fails, it’s a disaster.

Who wins this game and why?

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I’m not confident at all that the Colts will pull out the upset. They have too many injuries to deal with and haven’t played like a team ready to compete in the AFC. The Ravens pass rush will eventually be too much for the Colts offensive line and will allow Baltimore to control the line of scrimmage. Ravens 30, Colts 23.