That's a good read; Rivers definitely doesn't respond well to adversity, so if our D can make a few stops to start the game and our offense can make a few scores, he could seal it with another meltdown.
Oliver only mildly concerns me because it's hard to be intimidated by a fourth-string back facing a top five run D. Were I a Bolts fan, I'd have the same concerns about him as I do about Hillman: He's a small scatback who can hurt a team if he gets lose, but against a solid run D that contain him, he can't move piles in short yardage like he needs to, and probably can't handle 25-30 carries against guys twice his size knocking the snot out of him. Royal's a much bigger concern, if only because Floyd, Allen and Gates are: We can't spare anyone to double cover any of them, and they're all good.
Last year they blitzed because they couldn't cover, and it's worse now, so if our line can keep guys off Mannings neck even half a second for a hot read, we could burn them a lot and often, and that could neutralize Oliver without our front seven doing anything. It makes their many receiving threats all the more critical though, so the flip side is that we need to reach Rivers quickly with just 4-5 guys because we need everyone else for coverage. Keep Moore deep (don't you DARE freelance!
) have Ward in man on Gates with Irving and Marshall in zone.
With that in mind: Talib on Floyd and Harris on Royal? With safety help over the top, I prefer Harris cover Royal (I think he's their slot guy anyway.) He may not get the flashy picks, but he allows very few catches, and makes quick tackles on those. Roby on Allen looks like a pretty good match on paper; Allen's good, but not (yet) in the same class as the other two, so it feels like Talib or Harris would be wasted there, while Roby might be overmatched against quality vets like Floyd and Royal.