First Look: Indianapolis Colts

I think this one rides on the shoulders of Defense. Obviously the Colts don't care about TOP, being down, not having timeouts, or only having 2:00 minutes left in the 4th. Therefore if the offense can keep the all wise, all knowing, all powerful, all awesome Peyton Manning on the sidelines and get a good 2:1 touchdown to field goal ratio then we can increase our chances from almost nothing to very little.

Also I'm hoping that Mike Nolan can create something that Peyton Manning has not seen that causes him to use timeouts or force him into a secondary plays… that's how I see Peyton as somewhat human. But while I was at the Giants game, there were times that we had 0….ZERO!…. down linemen and about 7 players just walking around at the LB's spot. Then the would blitz 4 and drop back3. That type of thing is going to be key.

I guess in short i think we have to bring it…and bring it hard and fast… if we are going to give indy anything to think about.

Actually if you look at the individual match ups (which is what one should do when scouting an opponent) we have an obvious advantage.

Offense

Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler vs small, inexperienced, mostly backup cb's and safety's. True the Colts pass D has played way above expectations so far this year. The match up is still in our favor however.

Moreno and Buckhalter vs a very poor Colts run defense. The Colts are two quick to have a lot of side to side gains but they have been gashed all year by runs up the middle.

Broncos Offensive line vs Colts D line. Mathis will probably give Polumbus fits but Clady will hold his own against Freeny allowing TE and RB help against Mathis if needed. Edge goes to Broncos.

Orton vs. Secondary. As mentioned before the Colts are playing surprisingly well with so many starters out. That being said Orton is a smart player who struggles the most when defense do a good job disguising their plays. The Colts have for the most part continued a Tony Dungy tradition of not disguising their defense though. They line up, show you what they are going to do and dare you to beat them. Unless the gameplan suddenly changes for this Sunday, the edge should go slightly to Orton.

Defense

The most glaring problem for the Colts is their horrible offensive line play. True Manning has only been sacked 10 times but it is do to his own ability to set pass protection and get rid of the ball quickly. They have also not played a team with a very good pass rush this year. Enter Doomerville. He is going to be in Manning's face all night long and Manning is extremely prone to get rattled when he is frustrated from being knocked down constantly. Edge – Even

Rush D vs Colts Rush. The Colts run a zone blocking scheme with a mostly undersized offensive line. Since they are not built on power and are LB's and D line are pretty quick we should be able to penetrate into the backfield often and give Addai fits all day. Edge – Broncos

Pass D vs Manning and Company. With Bailey shadowing Wayne all day and a mixture of Ty Law and Barrett on Clark we should slow those two down as much as can be expected. This should put more pressure on Collie and Garcon. Of the two Garcon is probably the biggest threat as Goodman will have to rely heavily on veteran savvy to keep up with the speedster. Still, I would rather be beat by Collie and Garcon than Wayne and Clark any day. As long as the pass rush continues putting on pressure, the match up is a tie.

There is absolutely no way barring complete breakdown of our coaching scheme or the players ability to execute it (i.e. blown d assignments or Orton making stupid decisions), we will not be extremely competitive in this game.

The Colts horrible offensive line play? Are they not 12-0?
Manning is having a career year, thanks to the play of his offensive line. Sure Dumerville is playing well. But I still give the edge there to Freeney and Mathis. You'd better not under estimate the Colts O and D lines.

I just love the low stress aspect of this game. Win, of course that is awesome, amazing, upsetting the undefeated Colts. Huge victory going into the playoffs.

We lose, whatever, we aren't even supposed to be this good. Meanwhile we are still solid in the Wildcard, just played a team we might see again in the playoffs and gained a lot of valuable experience. Just need to win out against Oak and KC and we are in, and when you are in anything can happen.. 2000 Ravens, 2005 Steelers, 2007 Giants and last years superbowl runner up Cardinals were all wildcards.

You offensive line looks good because you HAVE manning and because he is HAVING a career year. Don't get to cocky. Let the 12-0 stand for itself.

maybe its all the sudafed I've been taking lately (girl friend has a cat) but I'm really feeling good about this game. Maybe better then any match up all year. From the start of the season, I've read countless times that this game will most surely be in the L column. This team plays at its best with this sort of expectation. And when this team is playing to its potential, watch the F*** out. Moreno has a great game and finally breaks the big one. D line comes in w/ at least 2 sacks and Goodie gets a pick six.

Or maybe its just the sudafed

Come on people. We have an above average team up against one of the elite teams. The Colts always find a way to win. Especially coming out for the second half. They are a high octane offense with a speed defense. They score fast and then their opponents have to abandon the run and pass. Then their pass rushers go to work.

It would be nice to win this; but I would settle for just not being blown out. I'm sure that a lot of fans do the individual match up thing and convence themselves that they can beat this kind of a team. And then reality comes at game time. Oh well.

Go Bronc's.