2020 Colts Preview: Colts/Texans, Week 15

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NOTES AND QUOTES​

Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship

• With one field goal made, he will pass Mike Vanderjagt (27) for the second-most field goals made by a rookie in franchise history.
• With three field goals made, he will tie Raul Allegre (30) for the most field goals made by a rookie in franchise history.
• With four field goals made, he will pass Raul Allegre (30) for the most field goals made by a rookie in franchise history.
• With one extra point made, he will tie Jim O'Brien (36) for the most extra points made by a rookie in franchise history.
• With two extra points made, he will pass Jim O'Brien (36) for the most extra points made by a rookie in franchise history.

Cornerback T.J. Carrie

• With one defensive or special teams return for a touchdown, he will tie Ray Buchanan and Terrence Wilkins (three) for the most such touchdowns in single-season franchise history.

Cornerback T.J. Carrie, cornerback Kenny Moore II, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, safety Khari Willis

• With one interception returned for a touchdown, they will tie numerous players for the second-most interceptions returned for a touchdown (two) in single-season franchise history.

Tight end Jack Doyle

• With four receptions, he will tie Ken Dilger (261) for the fourth-most receptions by a tight end in team history.

Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton

• With two receptions, he will reach 600 career receptions.
• With one touchdown, he will pass Jimmy Orr (50) and tie Marshall Faulk (51) for the eighth-most total touchdowns in team history.
• With one receiving touchdown, he will tie Jimmy Orr (50) for the fourth-most receiving touchdowns in team history.
• With two receiving touchdowns, he will pass Jimmy Orr (50) for the fourth-most receiving touchdowns in team history.
• With 18 yards from scrimmage, he will tie Raymond Berry (9,275) for the fifth-most scrimmage yards in team history.
• With 19 yards from scrimmage, he will pass Raymond Berry (9,275) for the fifth-most scrimmage yards in team history.
• With 73 receiving yards, he will tie Raymond Berry (9,275) for the third-most receiving yards in team history.
• With 74 receiving yards, he will pass Raymond Berry (9,275) for the third-most receiving yards in team history.
• With one game with 10+ receptions, he will pass Don McCauley, Lydell Mitchell, Joe Washington, Anthony Johnson and Dallas Clark, all with three, for the third-most games with 10+ receptions in team history.

Defensive end Justin Houston

• Needs 3.0 sacks to reach 100.0 for his career. He would become the 35th player in NFL history to reach that plateau since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
• With one safety, he will pass Ted Hendricks, Doug English and Jared Allen (four) for the most safeties in NFL history.

Linebacker Darius Leonard

• With three tackles, he will reach 100 total tackles this season for the third consecutive season. Since 2000, he would be just the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat and the only one to do so in their first three seasons in the league.

Cornerback Xavier Rhodes

• With one tackle, he will reach 400 career tackles.

Quarterback Philip Rivers

• With one game with three-or-more touchdown passes, he will tie Dan Marino (62) for the sixth-most games of three-or-more touchdown passes in NFL history.
• With one game with 400+ passing yards, he will tie Ben Roethlisberger (12) for the fourth-most games with 400+ passing yards in NFL history.
• With one game started, he will tie Tony Gonzalez (238) for the eighth-most games started in NFL history.
• With three touchdown passes, he will tie Dan Marino (420) for the fifth-most touchdown passes in NFL history.
• With four touchdown passes, he will pass Dan Marino (420) for the fifth-most touchdown passes in NFL history.

"From a physical standpoint, it's his accuracy and anticipation. They're elite, they are as good as anybody. Then from the mental side of it, he is just a complete master of the game – the run game, pass game, screen game. The things that he sees out on the field before they happen in coverages and pressures – we'll be watching the film and we'll say, 'How did he know that was going to happen?' We're sitting here as coaches watching the tape 50 times and he sees something or feels something out on the field that nobody else felt except for him. He is a special player like that." — Colts head coach Frank Reich, asked what specifically has impressed him about quarterback Philip Rivers this season.


"He's just been special since he's been here, just to be frank. He's a great young man, he has high character. He brings energy and enthusiasm on the practice field. He's very serious about his business, meaning that he's a true pro. When he comes in tomorrow and he's already been studying the opponent the last couple days and he'll be taking notes and asking questions and helping other guys understand the game plan. He's just a pro through and through. We're so excited to have him. Our scouting department did a great job finding a young man like him and the character that he has. He's a good player. That's the one thing you have to be. He's quick and explosive. He's a good tackler and plays well in space. We've been having him primarily as the guy that drops down for us, that covers guys and fits the run game, but he can play in the deep part of the field too. He does a lot of things well for us, but I would say the main thing is the way he practices and the way he prepares and his energy and enthusiasm all the way through the week and into the game time. He's pretty impressive." — Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, asked about his impressions of second-year safety Khari Willis.


"I think a little bit of everything that you just said, right? It's a little bit of the scheme – the emphasis of getting him the football, which we always have the emphasis of getting it to him. A little bit of the defense and a little bit that he is just getting better with each week of the season as the season goes. What I do know is this, when he has the football and when we're getting him the football, I know it's good for our offense and good for our team as a whole." — Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni on what has led to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton's resurgence the last three games.


"Not many unless I intentionally drove to it or flew to a place – a location where we were hoping to get snow. It was little bit Christmas Eve-ish. I say that and I haven't had a lot of Christmas Eves where it was going to snow on Christmas, but everybody was little excited last night at our house asking if there is going to be snow in the morning and what time was it going to start. You've never heard children talk about the weather and when the snow was going to start so much, I bet in any house. They were all fired up this morning. There were a bunch of picture texts I got in general just of the kids being excited seeing snow this morning." — Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, asked how many times he had woken up to snow prior to Wednesday in Indianapolis.


"It's great to see everybody. I wanted to start off by saying that I'm just happy to be here talking to you guys. I want to start off by thanking the Irsay family, the Colts organization, Coach (Frank) Reich, (Chris) Ballard, the list goes on and on – the team, the Colts fan base, idols that texted me from around the league that are punters and kickers. It was unbelievable. My wife obviously was there throughout the whole process. I was overwhelmed throughout this crazy process of ups and downs mentally and all of it but it helped out so much having everybody by my side – family members reaching out, friends, you name it. I could go on for hours of the amount of support that I received throughout this whole process. I know you guys might be curious of what type of cancer I had, but I'm going to keep that personal if that's OK with you guys. I'm just so thankful that they caught it early and it didn't spread anywhere around my body. I'm just so grateful for the doctors here in the Colts locker room and in Indiana as well. It's incredible how things pan out sometimes. I could have gone to any other team and Indiana is like where it's at for medicine. I'm just so grateful to be here with you guys and it's amazing to be back." — Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez's opening remarks to reporters on Wednesday, just a couple weeks after having a cancerous tumor surgically removed from his body. Sanchez is set to make his return to game action on Sunday vs. the Texans.