Could he possibly miss Marvin Harrison as much as it appears that he has?  The answer is probably yes as Harrison was always the one Manning looked to when he needed a first down.  Manning has completed 240 of 379 passes (63.3%) so far this season for 2,821 yards with 19 TD passes and 12 interceptions (89.4 QB Rating) so far this season.  The thinking here is that Manning will finish strong for the Colts and his final numbers will look much better than the ones he has right now.

The Colts looked pretty bad in the first quarter of this game as they fell behind 10-0.  But, like Champions often do the Colts righted the ship in the last three quarters outscoring the Falcons 31-3!  Peyton Manning had his best game in a while as he completed 22 of 32 passes for 272 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  Joseph Addai got a little banged up in this game as he finished with 44 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards.  Kenton Keith played well as he carried the ball 17 times for 74 yards (4.4 ypc).  Anthony Gonzalez led the way for the Colts receiving corps with 6 grabs for 105 yards (17.5 avg).  Reggie Wayne (5 rec, 66 yards), Dallas Clark (5 rec, 49 yards) and Ben Utecht (4 rec, 38 yards) each caught a TD pass in this game.  The Colts finished up with 118 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 32 passes for 247 yards.

The Colts defense played another outstanding game yesterday and they were led by linebacker Gary Brackett who had 13 tackles.  Bob Sanders also pitched in with 6 tackles and a fumble recovery.  The Falcons finished up with 112 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 30 passes for 138 yards.

The Colts are looking to stay in first place in the AFC South and they need a win here to keep at the top.  The Falcons are just looking to win a game.

Peyton Manning hasn’t been himself this season because of all the injuries to the offensive line and Marvin Harrison.  With that in mind the Colts will likely keep the ball on the ground more than usual with Joseph Addai and Kenton Keith.  The run defense is the weakness of the Falcons defense as they allow 124.0 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Falcons will likely double Reggie Wayne (63 rec, 945 yards, 6 TDs) will could force Manning to throw to guys like Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher and Craphonso Thorpe and that’s not a good thing.  Look for Manning to attack the safeties of the Falcons with Dallas Clark whose having a good season.

The Falcons would also like to run the ball with Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood against the front seven of the Colts who are allowing 102.0 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  Don’t think that the Falcons won’t throw the ball however as Joey Harrington is likely to get the start.  He had an awesome game last season on Thanksgiving against the Lions last season and he will be looking to repeat that performance.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 24, FALCONS 20

The Colts won this game because of their defense which was all over the place.  Linebacker Freddy Keiaho led the way for the Colts with 9 tackles.  The Chiefs finished up with 72 yards rushing 0n 27 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 27 passes for 162 yards.

Peyton Manning had one of his worst games in a long, long time as he only completed 16 of 32 passes for 163 yards with a interception.  Joseph Addai got a lot of work in as he carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 34 yards (8.5 avg).  Reggie Wayne was the leading receiver for the Colts in this game as he caught 4 passes for 75 yards (18.8 avg).  The Colts finished up with 66 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 32 passes for 150 yards. 

The Chiefs picked a bad time to change QBs as the RCA Dome is an intimidating place to play.  The Chiefs will likely play this game close to the vest on offense to try to keep the Colts offense on the sideline.  That will be easier said than done as Priest Holmes looked a little rusty last week against the Broncos defense!  The Colts are allowing 105.3 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so it’s possible that the Chiefs could be somewhat effective on the ground.  The Colts pass defense has been outstanding this season so Brodie Croyle will have to be careful with the ball. 

The Colts will likely try to keep the ball on the ground more than usual with Peyton Manning coming off of his worst game in a long, long time.  Joseph Addai  and Kenton Keith will get a lot of work against a Chiefs defense that is allowing 108.9 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  But, don’t think for a minute that the Colts won’t throw the ball some.  Reggie Wayne (59 rec, 870 yards, 6 TDs) could have a big game but the Chiefs will likely double him.

PREDICTION:  This game will likely be a little closer than most experts predict.  COLTS 24, CHIEFS 13

The Colts just made too many mistakes to win this game.  Adam Vinatieri even missed two field goals including a chip shot that would have gave them a lead late in the game.  Peyton Manning completed 34 of 56 passes for 328 yards with 2 TD passes and 6 interceptions.  Joseph Addai also had a rough time finding running room as he carried the ball 22 times for 56 yards (2.5 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 16 yards (5.3 avg).  Kenton Keith also got some work in with 4 carries for 19 yards (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 7 yards (TD).  Reggie Wayne led the way for the receivers with 10 catches for 140 yards (14.0 avg) with a TD grab.  TE Bryan Fletcher also had a solid game with 8 grabs for 55 yards (6.9 avg).  Craphonso Thorpe even pitched in with 5 catches for 41 yards (8.2 avg).  The Colts finished up with 75 yards rushing on 26 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 34 of 56 passes for 311 yards.  It’s amazing that the Colts lost a game in which they had possession of the football for 36:12 of the football game.

Gary Brackett led an inspired effort by the Colts defense as he had 7 tackles and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD.  Clint Session also had an outstanding game with 3 tackles and 2 interceptions.  The Chargers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.8 ypc) and they completed 13 of 24 passes for 86 yards.  Too bad the special teams played so awful as Darren Sproles of the Chargers returned a kickoff 89 yards for a TD and a punt 45 yards for a TD……in the first quarter!

The Colts have lost WR Anthony Gonzalez for the next couple of weeks due to a dislocated left thumb.  Gonzalez has caught 15 passes for 207 yards (13.8 avg) so far this season.  With Marvin Harrison still dinged up it’s very possible that Aaron Moorehead will get to start in his place.  Moorehead has only caught 4 passes for 26 yards (6.5 avg) so far this season so the Colts could suffer a dropoff at WR until Gonzalez or Harrison returns.

The Indianapolis Colts were winning this game 20-10 in the 4th quarter before they choked!  Peyton Manning didn’t have his best game as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 225 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 1 yard but it was a TD.  Joseph Addai had a monster game for the Colts as he carried the ball 26 times for 112 yads (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 114 yards (22.8 avg) with a TD grab.  The Patriots held Reggie Wayne to only 5 catches for 62 yards (12.4 avg) and that’s saying something.  The Colts finished up with 119 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 27 passes for 210 yards.

The Colts defense did a good job for three quarters before the roof caved in.  Marlin Jackson led the way on defense with 9 tackles.  Gary Brackett also had a solid game with 7 tackles and a interception.  DE Robert Mathis was outstanding with 6 tackles and 2 sacks.  The Patriots finished with 106 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 32 passes for 237 yards.

The Panthers tried to play keep away from the Colts as they held the ball for 36:05 and it worked for one quarter before the Colts took over.  Peyton Manning was efficient as he completed 14 of 30 passes for 254 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Joseph Addai had an outstanding game as he carried the ball 23 times for 100 yards (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 8 yards and a TD.  Kenton Keith also ran well as he carried the ball 6 times for 33 yards (5.5 ypc).  Reggie Wayne had another outstanding game as he caught 7 passes for 168 yards (24.0 avg) with a TD grab.  The Colts finished up with 32 carries for 131 yards (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 32 passes for 263 yards.

The Colts defense was led by linebacker Gary Brackett who had 12 tackles.  The Panthers finished up with 108 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.3 ypc) and they completed 28 of 45 passes for 185 yards.

The Colts kicked the Jags but on Monday Night Football.  Peyton Manning was efficient as he completed 23 of 37 passes for 259 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Joseph Addai ran the ball very well as he had 16 carries for 85 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 22 yards.  Kenton Keith also had a solid game as he carried the ball 15 times for 56 yards (3.7 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 16 yards.  Reggie Wayne was the main man in the passing game as he caught 9 passes for 131 yards (14.6 avg).  TE Dallas Clark also had a solid game with 4 grabs for 66 yards (16.5 avg) with a TD grab.  The Colts finished up with 141 yards rushing on 33 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 37 passes for 243 yards.

Kelvin Hayden (8 tackles) and Bob Sanders (5 tackles) each had an interception.  DE Dwight Freeney was outstanding as he had 4 tackles and 2 sacks (one for a safety).  The Jaguars finished up with 117 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 36 passes for 109 yards.