The Indianapolis Colts (11-0) had big comeback in the second half to take down the Houston Texans (5-6) and seal the AFC South conference.  Peyton Manning had a bad first half, throwing two interceptions, and the Colts found themselves down 20-7 at halftime.  Manning woke up in the second half though, throwing 2 touchdowns and leading the Colts to 28 straight points.  Manning finished the game with 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 244 yards on 27/35 passes.  The Colts running game was very effective, getting 114 yards on 23 carries as a team.

The Colts defense did not come out ready to play against Matt Schaub and the Texans’ offense.  They let them build a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and gave up way too many yards in the first half.  The secondary were able to get two picks off Schaub, but they let him throw for 2 touchdowns and 284 yards.  They also gave up way too many yards on the ground, with the Texans getting 122 yards on only 24 carries.  The Colts never gave up though and got their 5th straight comeback victory, which shows how resilient they are.  The Colts do not want to keep finding themselves down late in the game though and they need to bring the same effort for the full 60 minutes.

The Indianapolis Colts (10-0) narrowly escaped defeat against the Houston Texans (5-5) earlier this month, something the Colts have been making a habit out of lately.  The Colts won 20-17 in that game, and it could end up going down to the wire once again, especially since Peyton Manning is not 100% (glute).  Manning will play though and I would still take a hurt Peyton Manning over most quarterbacks in the league.  He should still put up some Manning-like numbers, but the glute will make Manning even less mobile than he was to begin with, which could cause some problems for the Colts.  Houston gives up 120 rushing yards per game, so the Colts may hand the ball off more than usual.  I’m not sure how effective it will be though, as the Colts have struggled to run the ball all season (only 85 yards per game) and Joseph Addai is battling a knee injury but is listed as probable.

The Colts defense hasn’t done a particularly good job stopping the run this season, but if they can shut down the Texans’ running game things wont be very easy for their quarterback Matt Schaub.  They may very well have a chance since the Texans top running back Steve Slaton has a neck injury, but he is expected to play.  Chris Brown will split the carries with Slaton.  Schaub is capable of putting up some big yardage numbers through the air, but is very prone to throwing interceptions.  He has thrown at least one pick in every game but two this year.  The Colts secondary may be able to get a pick from Schaub and the turnover story could be what decides the game.  Ultimately though, the Colts still have Peyton Manning and I am not going to bet against him.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 24, Houston Texans 17

The Colts didn’t play too well today but they were still good enough to beat the Ravens on their own field.  Peyton Manning completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Joseph Addai pitched in with 74 yards on 19 carries (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Pierre Garcon led the way in the passing game for the Colts today with 6 catches for 108 yards (18.0 avg).  Reggie Wayne also had a decent game with 7 grabs for 89 yards (12.7 avg) today.  TE Tom Santi was the secret weapon for the Colts today as he caught 6 passes for 80 yards (13.3 avg).  Dallas Clark only caught 1 pass for 3 yards but it was a spectacular TD grab made with one hand.  The Colts finished up with 375 total yards on offense (76 rushing, 299 passing) in this game. 

Linebacker Gary Brackett led the way on D for the Colts with 9 tackles and 2 passes defensed today.  The Ravens finished up with 354 total yards on offense (98 rushing, 254 passing) but the Colts held them to 5 field goals.  The Colts are now 10-0 on the season.

23-year old WR Pierre Garcon has really improved in his second NFL season.  As a rookie last season Garcon played in all 16 games for the Colts and he caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg).  He also returned 1 punt for 5 yards, 22 kickoffs for 475 yards (21.6 avg) and he made 9 tackles.  So far this season, Garcon has played in 9 games in which he has caught 26 passes for 403 yards (15.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 17 yards and he has made 2 tackles.  Garcon has come a long way in less than two years as he played his college ball at tiny Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.

The Colts are coming off a miracle win over the Patriots last week and a lot of experts expect them to be flat this week.  I am not one of them however as this is a good matchup for the Colts’ offense.  The Ravens are giving up 208.9 yards passing per game which is the strength of the Colts’ offense as they are averaging 315.1 yards passing per game.  Peyton Manning has only been sacked 8 times this season and the Ravens will be without Terrell Suggs in this game meaning that he will likely be comfortable in the pocket.  If he has time to throw the ball he will pick the Ravens’ secondary apart.  Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will likely both have big games this week.  The Ravens can’t double either of those guys or Manning will go to Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie who are both having good years.  The Colts’ running game has been weak this season so the Ravens’ strength of defending the run will be negated.

The Ravens will likely be more conservative than usual as they don’t want to get into a fire fight with the Colts.  That means that Ray Rice and Willis McGahee will likely get a lot of carries this week in a attempt to control the clock.  The Colts are giving up 108.7 yards rushing per game (4.3 ypc) so the Ravens should have some success on the ground.  But, the Ravens need Joe Flacco to play well especially if the Colts bring extra players in the box to defend the run.  That means that Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton will have to have good games for the Ravens to win on Sunday.  Another issue could be how much time that Flacco has to throw the football with DEs Dwight Freeney (9.5 sacks) and Robert Mathis (8.5 sacks) attacking from the edges of the pocket.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 30, RAVENS 17

The Indianapolis Colts (9-0) should be thanking New England Patriots’ (6-3) head coach Bill Belichick for this win.  With 2:08 to play and on their own 28-yard line, Belichick decided to go for it on 4th and 1.  The Patriots were up 34-28 at the time and could have made things a lot more difficult for Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense by punting the ball.  They decided to go for it though and did not get it, giving Manning a short field to work with.  He made quick work of the Patriots offense and actually purposely ran some time down before hitting Reggie Wayne in the endzone with 13 seconds left to put the Colts up 35-34.  Manning and Brady did not disappoint and they both put up some big numbers.  Manning went 28/44 for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions while Brady went 29/42 for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  Brady had a little bit better of a QB rating, but Brady could not make a play when it was needed most and Manning did.

The Colts defense was not able to get enough pressure on Brady and he was able to hit Randy Moss for some big plays.  Moss had 9 catches for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns and was able to burn the Colts’ depleted secondary.  They were the main reason the Patriots had a 17 point lead going into the 4ht quarter.  The Colts defense did not do a very good job stopping the run either, giving up 113 rushing yards.  The Colts looked like they might be out of it, but they did not give up and with a little help from Bill Belichick they made an amazing comeback.  This was a great game with two of the best quarterbacks playing well.  The Colts defense wont have to face as good of an offense next game against the Baltimore Ravens, but they are very good football team that will definitely test the Colts.  Huge win for the Colts this week though, keeping their undefeated season alive.

This is the game of the week and perhaps the regular season game of the year, as Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (8-0) face off against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.  Both quarterbacks are great, but I have always though Peyton Manning is the better quarterback and that is why I think they are going to win this game.  The Patriots are borderline cheaters and Tom Brady doesn’t have the ability to read a defense like Peyton does.  Manning is proving he is the better quarterback this year, with over 300 passing yards every game but one.  This game will help solidify that argument and will hopefully be a precursor to the playoffs.

I expect Manning and the Colts offense to do what they have done all season long, but it is the defense that will be the deal breaker.  They have done a great job not letting teams beat them in the passing game, but they have not faced Tom Brady and his slew of receivers.  With Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to, the secondary needs to be on top of their game.  This could end up being a shootout if they don’t come prepared to stop Moss and the deep threat, along with Welker and his catch and run style.  I’m really looking forward to this matchup and it could end up being a high scoring affair.  I’m taking Peyton and the Colts in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 35

The Colts have signed 28-year old CB Anthony Madison.  Madison played in 4 games for the Browns earlier this season and he made 2 tackles.  In his four year career, Madison has played in 42 games in which he has made 44 tackles.  This was a good move for the Colts as Madison gives them some depth at corner and he is a good special teams player.

The Colts were in a tough battle today before prevailing in the end.  Peyton Manning completed 34 of 50 passes for 318 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Joseph Addai was the other guy who had a really big game for the Colts today as he carried the ball 14 times for 63 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 5 passes for 49 yards (9.8 avg) with a TD grab.  TE Dallas Clark was very busy for the Colts as he caught 14 passes for 119 yards (8.5 avg) today.  Reggie Wayne caught 8 passes for 64 yards (8.0 avg) today and he also threw an interception on his only pass attempt.  Pierre Garcon had his best game in a while as he caught 5 passes for 60 yards in this game.  The Colts rolled up 378 total yards on offense (72 rushing, 306 passing) in this game despite only having possession of the football for 25:27!

The defense of the Colts was in a bend but don’t break mode today.  Linebacker Clint Session led the way for the Colts in this game with 14 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Rookie CB Jerraud Powers also had a big game for the Colts as he finished up with 10 tackles, 1 pass defensed 1 interception.  The Texans finished up with 382 total yards of offense (81 rushing, 301 passing) in this game.  The Colts are now 8-0 on the year.

The Colts found no less than four players who now have key roles for them in last April’s NFL Draft.  RB Donald Brown (1st round, #27 overall) is pushing Joseph Addai for carries.  He has carried the ball 46 times for 212 yards (4.6 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He has also caught 7 passes for 138 yards (19.7 avg) and he has returned 1 kickoff for 21 yards.  Brown will be the featured back for the Colts some time in the very near future.  CB Jerraud Powers (3rd round, #92 overall) will have a much bigger role with the Colts going forward as he has 29 tackles, 1 forced fumble and he has defensed 4 passes this season.  The Colts have had a lot of injuries in the seconday so they will need Powers to step up.  WR Austin Collie (4th round, #127 overall) has been a godsend for the Colts.  He has been starting at WR most of the year due to Anthony Gonzalez’ injuries this season.  Collie has caught 30 passes for 330 yards (11.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs this season.  K/P Pat McAfee (7th round, #236 overall) has been the punter for the Colts this season despite having a background as a placekicker.  McAfee has punted the ball 26 times for 1,170 yards (45.0 avg) so far this season.  He has 3 touchbacks (11.5%) and he has pinned the opposing team inside the 20-yard line 8 times (30.8%) so far this year.  DT Fili Moala (2nd round, #56 overall) has been a bust so fat this season with only 1 tackle.  QB Curtis Painter (6th round, #201 overall) is the #3 QB for the Colts behind Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi so don’t expect to see him get on the field this season.  NT Terrance Taylor (4th round, #136 overall) and OG Jaimie Thomas (7th round, #236 overall) have not got into any games yet this season.  The Colts have to be ecstatic with the play they have gotten from their rookies so far this season and they hope they will be able to keep up the good work.