1) First down play action: Against Pittsburgh, the Ravens were aggressive on first down and used the run-action fake to execute a greater percentage of their pass attempts. Although the offense was unable to hit on any completions downfield, the play action did help to slow down the Pittsburgh run, giving quarterback Joe Flacco enough time to go through all of his progressions.

Considering that the Colts will be keyed in to stop Baltimore’s rush attack, use of play action to get the linebackers and the safeties to bite could prove fruitful. Use of play action could be the only way for the Ravens to split the cover two coverage downfield. 

2) Slants and crossers: Near the end of the game against Tennessee, Flacco completed a couple of slants to Derrick Mason over the middle when the Titans flashed a run blitz look in short-yard conversion situations.

Flacco was fairly accurate on those attempts and one can expect to see that route implemented more frequently in this offense. Not only does he have the raw arm strength to fit that throw in-between the windows, but also if the pass were completed to the receiver in stride he would have the chance to gain extra yards after the catch.

Against the Colts, the slants and the inside routes will be available. Given that the inside backer, Gary Brackett, is excellent at squeezing the throwing lanes in the middle of the field, it is difficult to get the ball past him. Still, if Flacco is accurate enough, he could fit the ball behind Brackett or in front of him to complete enough underneath passes to keep drives going.

3) Changing the snap count: One of Flacco’s better moves against Tennessee took place before the ball was snapped. Flacco consistently changed his cadence of the snap to draw the Tennessee linemen offsides.

This same ploy would work against an equally aggressive Indianapolis front. The Indianapolis ends look to get upfield quickly, so if the cadence is altered, either by delaying the snap or by hastening it, not only could Flacco force a couple of procedural penalties against the Colts but he could also throw off the defenders’ timing to stop a play altogether.

Defense

1) Fake the fire blitz: The Colts have had more protection issues this season than at any other time in the Peyton Manning era. Defenses have been able to get to get to Manning through the interior and off the edges.

The big problem for the Colts has been their lack of stability on the line. At some point, all of the Indianapolis linemen have missed time this season. In particular, the top two linemen, Tony Ugoh and Jeff Saturday, have missed significant time.

One of the devices that defenses have used to get pressure is a variation of inside blitzes. For example, on almost every snap, the Chicago linebackers would line up directly on top of the line and show blitz to force the guards and the center to alter their protection to account for the rush.

Now, that strategy executed flawlessly by the Bears in week one came against a Colts offense without center Jeff Saturday. He will once again reprise his role as the line manager against the Ravens.

Still, the guards for the Colts are a major question mark. If the Ravens stay in a predominant 3-4 look and keep their linebackers running on the inside, they could split the gaps on crossing blitzes and stunts up the gut. If they fake the blitz, and Manning and Saturday make the wrong line adjustment, the outside rushers could have a cleaner path to Manning depending on how far he drops back and whether the tackles can handle their one-on-one blocks.

2) Front seven power: Last Sunday, the Ravens were often able to stop Tennessee’s vaunted rush attack with just seven defenders.

Against Indianapolis, the need to stop the run with only seven and maybe even six defenders will be even more critical.

As always, the Ravens will have to keep their safeties back to protect against downfield threats like Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez and Marvin Harrison. The safeties will not be in too many positions to come into the box to help against the run.

The front seven won’t need their help, though. The Indianapolis rush offense has been stagnant so far this season and against better rush offenses, the Ravens have controlled the running game despite playing more coverage-oriented schemes.

3) Beware of Manning’s checks: Two of the greatest players to ever play their positions will square off in a chess match between the harsh marks.

Quarterback Peyton Manning is the king of audibles. Much of the success that Indianapolis enjoys is predicated on what Manning does to get out of the original play call. Manning will either check to a run or a pass based on what look he sees from the defense. Or he will use a dummy audible and stick with the original play call, only to force the defense to make an improper adjustment before the snap based on his perceived check. 

On the other side of the line is middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis is about as good at deciphering an offensive play as any player who has ever played on the defensive side of the ball. Like Manning, he has the reigns to change the original defensive call made by defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.

Clearly, one of the biggest keys to this game will be Lewis’ ability to read Manning. There will be times when Manning makes the right audible. The key for the Baltimore defense is to not change their original plays too many times as a response to Manning, and to disguise their pre-snap looks to bait Manning into making the wrong check.