Head coach Chuck Pagano returned last weekend and the Colts beat the Texans in Houston.  They are hoping that they don’t have a let down this weekend against the Ravens, coming off such an emotional football game.  The fans of Indianapolis would love to stick it to Baltimore once again this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts should change things up and come out running the ball against the Ravens.  The Ravens have had issues stopping the run as they are giving up 122.8 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Running the ball with rookie Vick Ballard will help the Colts in a couple of ways, as long as he is effective.  It will help slow the Ravens’ pass rush a bit and it would help the Colts control the ball and keep the Ravens’ offense on the sidelines.  Andrew Luck needs to be careful with the football this Sunday as the Ravens have a solid secondary.  That being said, I look for Luck to attack the Ravens’ D by spreading the football around in the passing game to Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Donnie Avery, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Colts are going to need to slow down Ray Rice and force the Ravens to pass the ball.  That will be easier said than done as the Colts are giving up 137.5 yards rushing and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  Not only will the front seven have to deal with Rice, but they will also have to deal with power running rookie RB Bernard Pierce.  The Colts need OLBs Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney to get pressure on Joe Flacco, or he’s going to have a good day throwing the ball.  On the shorter stuff, the Colts’ secondary will have to worry about slowing down WR Anquan Boldin and TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.  When Flacco goes deep, he will be looking for WRs Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones, who are blazers.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 28, COLTS 20

Head coach Chuck Pagano is going to be back on the sidelines this Sunday and that will likely electrify both his Colts and the crowd.  The Colts are going to need all of the help they can get as the Texans are playing for home field advantage in the AFC Playoffs.  The Texans beat the Colts 29-17 in Houston, just two weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out passing this Sunday.  For that to work, the O-Line is going to have to keep DE J.J. Watt and his buddies away from Andrew Luck.  That is going to be easier said than done.  If Luck has time to throw the ball, he should be able to make plays down the field to WRs Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Donnie Avery.  If Luck has to get rid of the ball quickly, he’s going to be looking for TEs Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen.  Look for Luck to turn around and hand off to Vick Ballard if the Texans start putting extra DBs on the field.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Colts are going to have to tighten up their chinstraps as RBs Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Justin Forsett are coming to town.  The Colts are giving up 139.9 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year, so they are going to have to step up big time to slow down the Texans’ RBs.  The Colts must get a good pass rush on Matt Schaub, or he’s going to be playing a glorified game of catch with WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 26, COLTS 20

The Colts need one more win to lock up a playoff spot for sure and they could get it this weekend against the Chiefs in K.C.  The Colts lost 29-17 to the Texans in Houston last weekend.  The Chiefs are in a free fall right now and they hit rock bottom last weekend in losing 15-0 to the Raiders in Oakland.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  Look for the Colts to come out passing to get a lead and then grind it out on the ground with rookie RB Vick Ballard.  The Chiefs have two good OLBs in Tamba Hali and Justin Houston.  If the Colts’ O-Line can keep them out of their backfield, Andrew Luck could have a monster game.  Luck will likely spread the ball around to WRs Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Donnie Avery and TEs Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener in the passing game.  Vick Ballard has really run the ball well lately and the Chiefs are giving up 136.4 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to try to come out running the ball with Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis, so the front seven of the Colts is going to get challenged.  If the Colts can slow down Charles, they are going to shut down the Chiefs’ offense.  Brady Quinn and his receivers couldn’t scare the Indiana Hoosiers’ DBs.  The Colts won’t have to double team anyone that goes out for a pass on the Chiefs.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 27, CHIEFS 10

The Colts beat the Titans 27-23 in Indianapolis last weekend.  The Texans got embarrassed 42-14 by the Patriots in New England last Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this huge game in the AFC South:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out passing the ball later today.  The offensive line is going to have to step up and give Andrew Luck time to throw the ball, or it’s going to be a long day offensively for the Colts.  DE J.J. Watt (16 sacks) and OLB Whitney Mercilus (6 sacks) are going to be relentless in chasing after Luck tomorrow.  Luck is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly and accurately and let his receivers get yards after the catch.  Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery, T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen are all more than capable of making things happen after Luck gets them the ball.  Rookie RB Vick Ballard is going to have to make the Texans’ pay once in a while if they have too many DBs on the field.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Colts are going to have their hands full in trying to stop Arian Foster and the other backs (Justin Forsett and Ben Tate) of the Texans.  The Colts are giving up 120.6 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Colts are also going to need to get pressure on Matt Schaub, or they are going to be in trouble.  That is because WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels are big time players in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 33, COLTS 20

The Colts beat the Lions 35-33 in Detroit on the last play of the game last weekend.  The Titans lost 24-10 at home against the Texans last weekend.  The Colts beat the Titans 19-13 in O.T. in Tennessee, six weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out throwing the ball against the Titans this Sunday.  The Titans don’t have much of a pass rush, so Andrew Luck should have plenty of time to throw the ball.  That is bad news for a Titans’ secondary as they are giving up 257.5 yards passing per game so far this year.  Look for Luck to spread the ball around to WRs Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Donnie Avery and TEs Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener with success this Sunday.  The Colts will hand the ball off to Vick Ballard and Donald Brown once in a while to try to catch the Titans’ D off guard.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to come out running the ball with Chris Johnson against a Colts’ D that is giving up 122.6 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  That makes perfect sense, so the defense is going to have to be ready to slow Johnson down and try to force Jake Locker to beat them with his arm.  The Colts need to contain Locker in the pocket while getting pressure on him.  If Locker has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have success as Nate Washington, Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright and Jared Cook are all good WRs and TEs.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 30, TITANS 27

The Colts got a nice win at home last weekend, 20-13 over the Bills.  The Lions lost a heartbreaker, 34-31 in O.T. on Thanksgiving against the Houston Texans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out throwing this weekend, in what looks to be a high scoring game.  If the Colts’ O-Line can give Andrew Luck, he’s going to make some plays down the field against the pretty awful secondary of the Lions.  WRs Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Donnie Avery and TE Dwayne Allen are all in line to have solid games for the Colts this Sunday.  RBs Vick Ballard and Donald Brown should have success on the ground when the Colts decide to try to trick the Lions’ D.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Colts could be in trouble in this game if they can’t get to Matthew Stafford.  The secondary just doesn’t match up well with WR Calvin Johnson.  They will likely double cover him, but he’s still going to get his catches and yards this Sunday.  WR Ryan Broyles and TE Brandon Pettigrew are also going to have to concern the Colts’ secondary too, as they have really played well for the Lions lately.  The Lions also have a good power runner in Mikel Leshoure and a solid all-around back in Joique Bell for the Colts’ D to worry about.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 27, COLTS 23

The Colts got punished 59-24 by the Patriots in New England last weekend.  The Bills beat the Dolphins 19-14 in Buffalo last week.  The Colts are a different team at home this year, where they are 4-1 on the year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are going to come out throwing the ball this Sunday.  I’m sure the Colts don’t mind getting into a shootout with the Bills this Sunday.  If Luck has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game as the Bills are giving up 234.1 yards passing per game so far this year and they had already given up 19 TD passes against only 8 interceptions.  I look for Luck to spread the ball around to Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery, T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen to keep everyone happy.  Vick Ballard is also likely to get a lot of work against a Bills’ D that is giving up 153.3 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Colts are going to have to go all out to stop RB C.J. Spiller, as he is a game breaker.  The Colts are also going to have to get the pass rush going or Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to torch their secondary, which is the weakness of the D right now.  Fitzpatrick will likely spread the ball around to WR Donald Jones, WR Steve Johnson and TE Scott Chandler to keep the D guessing.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 30, BILLS 27

Both of these teams have a lot to prove this Sunday.  The Colts beat the Jaguars 27-10 in Jacksonville last week.  The Colts have now won four games in a row, all over lousy teams.  The Patriots beat the visiting Buffalo Bills 37-31 at home last weekend.  The Patriots are on a 3-game winning streak and they have not beat a good team in that streak either.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts have run the ball better as of late and they will try to do so again tomorrow, but the Patriots have an outstanding front seven on D.  So, the Colts might as well just come out throwing the ball and take their chances with Andrew Luck against a Colts’ D that is giving up 285.3 yards passing per game so far this year.  If the Colts can protect Luck, he is going to have success throwing the ball to Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery, Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton.  He will have to be careful with the ball as the Patriots have 10 interceptions and CB Aqib Talib will be playing for them this weekend.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to cause big matchup problems for the Colts tomorrow.  Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead are going to give the Colts big time issues, because the front seven is going to be almost solely responsible for slowing them down….because the DBs are going to have their hands full worrying about stopping Tom Brady and his receivers.  The Colts need to get after Tom Brady, or they are in big trouble as they are thin at CB for this game due to injuries.  Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd are likely going to find a lot of open spots against the Colts’ secondary.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 37, COLTS 24

The Colts won 23-20 last weekend at home against the Dolphins.  The Colts have won three games in a row, so they are on a roll.  The Jaguars lost 31-14 at home last Sunday.  The Jaguars are now 0-4 at home this year where they have been outscored 126-34!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  I look for the Colts to come out throwing the ball in this game.  The Jaguars are giving up 255.5 yards passing per game so far this year and they only have 8 sacks and 4 interceptions.  So, Andrew Luck should have a lot of time to throw the ball and his WRs and TEs should be able to get open quite a bit.  WRs Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton could all have good games like they did last weekend against the Dolphins.  Vick Ballard, Donald Brown and Delone Carter will likely split carries against a Jaguars’ D that is giving up 137.4 yards rushing per game.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars will probably come out trying to run the ball with Rashad Jennings.  Jennings is only averaging 3.1 yards per carry so far this year, but the Colts are giving up 130.8 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry, so something has to give this Sunday.  Blaine Gabbert is much improved over last year, but he’s still a ways from being a good QB.  Look for Gabbert to try to spread the ball around to WRs Cecil Shorts, Justin Blackmon, Laurent Robinson and TE Marcedes Lewis.  None of those guys strike fear into a Colts’ secondary that has had a rough season to this point.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 20, JAGUARS 13

The Indianapolis Colts have won two games in a row now after beating the Titans on the road, 19-13 in O.T. last weekend.  The Dolphins are also hot, having won three games in a row.  The Dolphins beat the Jets 30-9 on the road last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts have been a lot more balanced lately offensively and I look for that to continue in this game.  The Colts will need to run the ball with Donald Brown and Vick Ballard in an attempt to keep the Dolphins’ D honest in this game.  The Colts are going to have to have help with TEs and RBs blocking on OLB Cameron Wake’s (7.5 sacks) side of the field in this game.  If they can keep Wake out of the backfield, Luck is going to have success throwing the ball to Reggie Wayne, Donnie Avery and his rookie TEs.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Colts’ front seven better tighten up their chinstraps, because they are going to have to deal with RBs Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas quite often tomorrow.  Ryan Tannehill (quad) or Matt Moore will start at QB for the Fins.  The Colts will need to get a decent pass rush on them in this game, or they could be in a little trouble.  WRs Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and TE Anthony Fasano are more stick movers than downfield threats for the Fins.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 21, DOLPHINS 20