Jonathan Taylor and Ashton Jeanty expected to take center stage as Colts and Raiders try to rebound

Las Vegas (1-3) at Indianapolis (3-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX

BetMGM NFL Odds: Colts by 7

Against the spread: Raiders 1-3, Colts 3-1

Series record: Tied 11-11.

Last meeting: Colts beat Raiders 23-20 in Indianapolis on Dec. 31, 2023.

Last week: Raiders lost 25-24 to Bears; Colts lost 27-20 to Rams.

Raiders offense: overall (18), rush (15), pass (14), scoring (24).

Raiders defense: overall (21), rush (13), pass (23), scoring (23).

Colts offense: overall (3), rush (8), pass (4), scoring (4).

Colts defense: overall (17), rush (T-8), pass (21), scoring (12).

Turnover differential: Raiders minus-4; Colts plus-3.

Raiders player to watch

Left tackle Stone Forsythe. With Kolton Miller going on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Forsythe has the challenge of replacing one of the league’s top tackles. The offensive line is coming off its best game, but this is a unit that has struggled most of the first four games. That puts even more pressure on Forsythe to do his part.

Colts player to watch

QB Daniel Jones. Indy's new quarterback started fast — throwing three TD passes, running for three more scores and not committing a turnover as the Colts had their first 3-0 start since 2009. Last week, things changed. Jones threw two interceptions in Indy's first loss of the season, so the question Sunday is whether he — and his teammates — can rebound by cleaning up all the mistakes they made last week.

Key matchup

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby vs. Colts offensive line. Indy's rebuilt offensive line has allowed just four sacks this season, but Crosby may pose their biggest challenge yet. He's been one of the league's top pass rushers for years and though he has only two sacks this season, he does have seven tackles for loss. The Colts need Jones to remain upright to win this week — and that means containing Crosby.

Key injuries

The Raiders top two TEs — Bowers (knee) and former Notre Dame star Michael Mayer (concussion) — did limited work Wednesday. So did CB Eric Stokes (knee) and LB Brennan Jackson (foot). But Bowers and Stokes are expected to play. ... Indy got encouraging news about WR Alec Pierce, a full participant, and RG Matt Goncalves (toe), a limited participant, in Wednesday's practice. Neither played last weekend. But two starters — CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles tendon) and LB Zaire Franklin (ankle) — did not practice. RB Tyler Goodson (groin) and S Daniel Scott (knee) also were out Wednesday.

Series notes

The Colts have won two straight and three of the past four against the Raiders. Their lone loss during that stretch came in January 2022, which led to Indy missing the playoffs. ... This 22-game series has featured games played in five cities and six stadiums. ... The then-Oakland Raiders rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Indy 38-31 on Sept. 10, 2000 — the same day the late Bob Knight was fired by Indiana University. ... These teams have only met twice in the postseason, but the December 1977 playoff game might be the most memorable. Oakland beat the then-Baltimore Colts 37-31 in double overtime in the “The Ghost to the Post” game that featured Hall of Fame TE Dave Casper making an adjustment to Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler's high, arching pass that appeared to be overthrown and behind Casper. It set up the tying field goal late in regulation and Casper also caught the 10-yard pass to win it.

Stats and stuff

Las Vegas is trying to snap a thee-game losing streak and is 1-1 on the road this season. ... The Raiders have the longest active streak of consecutive games with a sack at 39. Denver is the next closest with 29. ...QB Geno Smith and Colts coach Shane Steichen worked together when they were with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018. ... TE Brock Bowers has caught at least two passes in his first 21 games, which ties the longest streak for a tight end to open a career. Detroit’s Sam LaPorta set the record in 2023-24. ... Ashton Jeanty had 155 scrimmage yards and three TDs last week despite being hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 15 of 21 carries, according to Next Gen Stats. He needs one TD catch to become the NFL’s first rookie running back with at least three TD catches in their first five games. … Crosby’s 112 tackles for loss since 2019 are the most in the NFL. … The Raiders have 18 plays of 20 or more yards, tied for second with three other teams. Baltimore has 19. … ... LB Devin White is the first player since Blake Martinez in 2020 to open a season with four straight games with six or more tackles and at least one tackle for loss. ... Raiders coach Pete Carroll has 171 victories, one fewer than Bill Parcells and Sean Payton, who are tied for 16th. ... Indianapolis has won its first two home games, extending its home winning streak to four. ... The Colts will hold a retirement ceremony at halftime for three-time All-Pro LB Shaquille Leonard. ... Steichen played quarterback at UNLV in college. ... The Colts are tied for third with 57 plays of 10 or more yards. ... QB Daniel Jones' completion rate of 71.9% ranks second in franchise history through four games, trailing only Philip Rivers 72.7% mark in 2020. ... Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in yards rushing (414) and has nine straight games with 95 or more yards from scrimmage. ... WR Michael Pittman Jr. has caught TD passes in back-to-back games and in three of the first four. He needs two catches to pass Dallas Clark (427) for the fifth-highest total in team history. ... Tyler Warren leads all NFL tight ends with 263 yards receiving. He also has 19 catches. ... Indy's defense has allowed the third-fewest red zone drives (nine) this season. ... P Rigoberto Sanchez leads the NFL in net punting average (51.0 yards) and Indy is the only team that has not allowed any punt return yards this year.

Fantasy tip

It's a push. Taylor and Jeanty are two of the top backs in the league while Bowers and Warren might be the two brightest, young tight ends in the game. You can't go wrong with any of them.