The Colts have six players going to the Pro Bowl but they hope that none of them get to play in that game because they would rather be playing in the Super Bowl.  33-year old QB Peyton Manning has made the game once again.  He has played in 15 games this season and he has completed 379 of 553 passes (68.5%) for 4,405 yards with 33 TD passes and 15 INTs (101.0 QB Rating).  31-year old WR Reggie Wayne is also going to the game along with his QB.  Wayne has played in 15 games this season in which he has caught 95 passes for 1,243 yards (13.1 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  30-year old TE Dallas Clark had his best season of his career earning him this honor.  Clark has played in 15 games for the Colts this season and he has caught 93 passes for 1,054 yards (11.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  34-year old center Jeff Saturday has also earned a trip to the Pro Bowl as he is the only Colts’ player who has touched the football as much as Peyton Manning.  29-year old DE Dwight Freeney played in 14 games in which he made 24 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 13.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defensed.  28-year old DE Robert Mathis is also going to the Bowl putting both of the Colts’ main defensive players in this game.  Mathis has played in 14 games for the Colts this season and he has made 37 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, forced 5 fumbles and he has defensed 2 passes.  This is a nice group the Colts have traveling to Miami to either play in the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl.

The Colts were winning this game 15-10 in the third quarter when they pulled a lot of the starting players which explains the result.  Peyton Manning completed 14 of 21 passes for 192 yards while he was in the game.  Curtis Painter had a debut to forget for the Colts as he completed 4 of 11 passes for 44 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also lost a fumble that resulted in a TD for the Jets.  Joseph Addai led the way for the Colts on the ground in this game with 40 yards rushing on 6 carries (6.7 ypc) with a TD run.  Rookie RB Donald Brown had a rough game for the Colts yesterday carrying the rock 16 times for 22 yards (1.4 ypc) with a TD run.  Austin Collie led the way in the passing game for the Colts yesterday with 6 grabs for 94 yards (15.7 avg).   The Colts finished up with 277 total yards on offense (64 rushing, 213 passing) in this game.

The defense got pushed around by the Jets in the running game yesterday.  LB Ramon Humber (9 tackles) and CB Eric Foster (7 tackles) led the way for the Colts on D in this game.  The Jets finished up with 293 total yards in this game (202 rushing, 91 passing).  The Colts also had a bad miscue on special teams as Brad Smith of the Jets returned a kickoff 106 yards for a TD.  The Colts are now 14-1 on the year.

The Colts had a knock down, drag out fight last night in Jacksonville, Florida.  Peyton Manning threw a 65-yard TD to Reggie Wayne with 5:23 left in the game which finished up the scoring on the night.  Peyton Manning completed 23 of 30 passes for 308 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT as he was outstanding last night.  Joseph Addai didn’t offer much help to Manning last night as he rushed for 59 yards on 16 carries (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 14 yards (4.7 avg).  Reggie Wayne led the way for the Colts in the passing game with 132 yards receiving on 5 catches (26.4 avg) with a TD grab.  Dallas Clark also had a solid game with 7 grabs for 95 yards (13.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Austin Collie pitched in with 3 grabs for 27 yards (9.0 avg) with a TD grab.  The Colts finished up with 369 total yards on offense (61 rushing, 308 passing) in this game.

The defense didn’t play too well last night for the Colts.  LB Philip Wheeler led the way for the Colts last night with 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and a pass defensed.  CB Jacob Lacey also had a decent game with 5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  The Jaguars finished up with 345 total yards (139 rushing, 206 passing) in this game.  The Colts also got a huge boost from the special teams as back-up running back Chad Simpson returned 3 kickoffs for 127 yards (42.3 avg) with a 93-yard return for a TD.  The Colts are now 14-0 on the season.

The Indianapolis Colts had their toughest test against the Jaguars in the season opener in which they prevailed only 14-12 at home.  They now travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on their field with them still clinging to the hopes of making the playoffs.  The Colts will likely come out throwing the ball as usual against a Jags’ D that is allowing 239.5 yards passing per game.  The idea will be to attempt to get a lead in the first half before turning the game over to the back-ups.  That means that rookie QB Curtis Painter could make his NFL debut tonight.  That is not likely a good thing in a hostile environment.  The Colts will likely run the ball more than usual when Painter is in the game to help protect him.  That means that Chad Simpson and Mike Hart could get the ball quite a bit in the 3rd and 4th quarters of this game.

The Colts must go all out to stop Maurice Jones-Drew.  That will be easier said than done as he has 1,439 yards from scrimmage this season and he has scored 14 TDs (all on the ground).  David Garrard doesn’t have great receivers but he is a decent QB who could cause problems for the Colts who are allowing 227.0 yards passing per game this year.  Garrard also is a threat to take off running at any time which will put even more pressure on the front seven of the Colts tonight.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 23, COLTS 20

When the Colts got rid of Edgerrin James a couple of years ago they thought that Joseph Addai was ready to shoulder the complete load in the running game.  They appear to have been wrong as Addai has not excelled as the main man in the running game.  Addai has played in 13 games this season and he has carried the ball 197 times for 729 yards (3.7 ypc) with 9 TD runs and he has also caught 48 passes for 322 yards (6.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Addai wouldn’t have gotten as much playing time this season if rookie first round pick Donald Brown hadn’t gotten hurt.  Look for Addai to have to battle Brown next year to keep his role as the featured back.  Until then they need Addai to pick up his game or teams will come right after Peyton Manning in the playoffs.

30-year old TE Dallas Clark is having by far his best year in his NFL career.  Clark has caught 82 passes for 902 yards (11.0 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He will be adding to career highs in both catches and yards receiving the remainder of this season.  He did catch 11 TD passes in 2007 so he has some work to do if he’s going to set a new career high there.  With Anthony Gonzalez missing the whole year and Marvin Harrison not around anymore the Colts needed someone to step up and Clark answered the call.

31-year old WR Reggie Wayne is showing no signs of slowing down and that’s great news for the Colts.  Wayne has played in 13 games for the Colts this season and he has caught 87 passes for 1,078 yards (12.4 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He has now played in 138 games in his nine years with the Colts and he has caught 663 passes for 9,207 yards (13.9 avg) with 62 TD grabs.  If Wayne can play at least three or four more years at a high level he will no doubt be joining Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Head Coach Jim Caldwell will follow in Tony Dungy’s footsteps by allowing his dinged up players to get some rest over the next three weeks.  That means that the Colts might trip up and lose a game or two the rest of the year.  Peyton Manning will start all three of the games left but he might only play in the first half as the Colts really don’t have anything to play for except a 16-0 record.  That does not seem to be too important to them however as winning the Super Bowl is their goal.  The positive of resting the players is twofold for the Colts as they keep the team healthy and it gives some of the younger players the time needed to show what they can do.  It should be a interesting last three weeks against the Jaguars, Jets and Bills.

The Indianapolis Colts blew an early 21-0 lead against the Denver Broncos, but they held on for the win to stay undefeated.  It was the Colts 22nd straight regular season win, a new NFL record.  It was also their 114th win of the decade which is the most of any decade.  This all came despite Peyton Manning having his worst game of the season, with a season high 3 interceptions and a season low of 220 passing yards.  He started the day off great, leading the Colts to three touchdowns on their first four possessions.  Manning’s hot hand went very cold after that though, as balls were bouncing all over the place and he threw three interceptions before finding the endzone again late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory.  Peyton did get some solid support from his running backs, with Joseph Addai and Mike Hart combining for 95 yards on 25 carries.

The Colts defense played pretty well, except when it came to covering Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall.  Marshall killed the Colts for a record breaking 21 catches for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Marshall broke the single game reception mark previously held by Terrell Owens.  The Colts were able to pick off Broncos’ quarterback Kyle Orton once, but Marshall helped him finish with 2 touchdowns and 277 yards (2nd highest of his season).  The Colts defense did do a good job considering their offense turned the ball over three times.  With only the Jaguars, Jets, and Bills left on their schedule, the Colts look like they just might get that undefeated regular season.

The Indianapolis Colts (12-0) have clinched their division, but they are still one win away from clinching home-field advantage.  They will be looking for that win against the Denver Broncos (8-4) on Sunday.  Unlike the Colts, the Broncos have a great running game lead by Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter.  The Broncos use both running backs a lot, and the two combined for nearly 200 yards last week.  The Colts have been hold teams to 112 rushing yards per game, so if they can keep the Broncos around that average they will be in good shape.  Their quarterback Kyle Orton has proven he can win games in this league, but he still isn’t a very impressive quarterback.  If the Colts offense can build an early lead, it will force Orton to throw more which will likely lead to some turnovers.

Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense will have a little bit of a challenge on their hands against this Broncos defense.  They can stop both the pass and the run.  They are holding teams to an impressive 180 passing yards per game, over 120 yards less than what the Colts average.  I think Manning and the passing game will be able to have the kind of success they have had all year, but Peyton needs to be careful and not throw any interceptions.  The running game is still not great, both Joseph Addai has been showing some good things lately so if the Colts can get anything out of the running game they should win with ease.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 31, Denver Broncos 21