BERLIN – The Brandenburg Gate is a majestic landmark, having stood above Berlin since it was completed in 1791. It's one of Germany's most well-known and beautiful monuments.
This week, beneath the Brandenburg Gate is an image of Jonathan Taylor wearing a classic blue Colts jersey. He's carrying a football – with five points of pressure, good ball security – in his right hand while looking to his left. His left hand is starting to raise in the air, either to stiff-arm a defender or run away from him, as Taylor has done so many times in his career.
The Colts are in Berlin, here to host their first home game internationally in franchise history. Vibes around the German capital have been incredible this week, with the city center teeming with Colts fans from all over the world – I've already met fans here in Berlin from Germany, the Netherlands, England, Brazil and back home in Indiana.
"I think any time you go overseas and play in a different country, it's great for the National Football League in general," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Obviously, the game is evolving. It's becoming an international game. You see players coming into the NFL from all over the place now. And I think it's a great opportunity for our organization. I think it's a great opportunity for the NFL, just to see how big the NFL is becoming on a global stage. So, I think it's going to be great to get over there and go in front of fans. I know they wear all types of different jerseys. I'm sure there's going to be whistles and bells and all those different things. It's going to be real exciting, a great experience for our team."
There's plenty of fanfare around Berlin leading up to Sunday's game, but when the Colts take the field at Olympic Stadium, they'll do so hoping to improve to 8-2 heading into their Week 11 bye. And they'll do so with cornerback Sauce Gardner, who will make his Colts debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Berlin.
Here's what to watch for when the game kicks off:
When the Colts have the ball
The Falcons are one of two teams to send blitzes on over half their defensive snaps this season; per Pro Football Focus, Atlanta has sent pressure on 52.7 percent of the pass plays they've faced entering Week 10. That strategy has worked, as Atlanta is seventh in pressure rate (39.8 percent) and sixth in sack rate (8.6 percent).
Daniel Jones in 2025 has, for the most part, handled blitzes and pressure well. Entering Week 10, Jones has the second-highest passer rating under pressure (106.5) among quarterbacks with at least 50 such dropbacks, and his rate of plays graded as "turnover-worthy" by Pro Football Focus is the fifth-lowest (1.8 percent) in that same group.
In the Colts' Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, though, Jones was pressured on 16 dropbacks; he was sacked six times, lost two fumbles and completed five of 10 passes for 70 yards.
"We've played some pretty good football this year and we're looking forward to playing some more good football in the future, but not our best day the other day," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said.
The point is that game against Pittsburgh was a departure from what Jones and the Colts' offense has been this season, specifically when he's been pressured. The Falcons will present another challenge not just in their willingness to blitz and ability to generate pressure, but with how they marry their rush – with 2025 first-round picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. – and coverage, which is headlined by veterans in safety Jessie Bates III and cornerback A.J. Terrell.
It's all come together for the Falcons to allow just 158.1 passing yards per game, lowest in the NFL. Teams have been able to run the ball a bit on the Falcons, though – they're allowing 4.4 yards per rush, 20th in the NFL.
When the Falcons have the ball
Where else is there to start than Sauce Gardner making his Colts debut?
We'll see how much Gardner is matched up on Falcons wide receiver Drake London, who's fifth in the NFL with 83.9 receiving yards per game. But just the presence of Gardner, one of the NFL's best press-man cornerbacks, could have a gravitational impact on the entire Colts' defense.
"When you're able to get a player like him midseason, it just opens up the possibilities of everything we can do," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Obviously, there's more work to put in and – but when you get a guy like that, able to walk into your building mid-year, healthy and ready to go, it's definitely a huge positive."
The Colts will need to slow down running back Bijan Robinson, too – while he hasn't had more than 46 rushing yards in each of his last three games, he had over 90 yards from scrimmage in two of those games. And he, like Taylor, is a threat to score from anywhere on the field – he had an 81-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills – and he's second only to Taylor with 37 missed tackles forced, per Pro Football Focus.
"The runs that (Robinson) can make, the catches that London can make – it's a dynamic group for sure," defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. "He can touch the ball and can go the distance at any moment. So, we got to do a great job. I thought we had a great tackling game last week. It's certainly going to be paramount this week for in order for us to succeed."
