Still remaining in the AFC's Super Bowl gauntlet are the coach and quarterback who have won 3 Super Bowls this decade (Bill Belichick and Tom Brady), the 2006 NFL MVP (LaDanian Tomlinson), the league's most marketable and marketed star (Peyton Manning), and a pair of possible future Hall of Famers in the twilight of their careers, making one last run at a ring (Steve McNair and Ray Lewis).
Meanwhile, the NFC's defending champs are still alive (the Seahawks), as are the mercurial Bears, the improbably resurgent Eagles, and perhaps the greatest and most improbable resurgence in recent memory, the Saints.
Wildcard weekend was predictable, with all 4 favored home teams winning. This weekend, every single game is up for grabs, and it should be the best weekend of football we've seen this season.
So, let's look at the first matchup of this weekend's four-game funfest.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (13-4)
AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (13-3)
SATURDAY, 3:30 PM CST
RAVENS OFFENSE (17TH OVERALL, 25TH RUSH, 11TH PASS)
VS. COLTS D (21ST O, 32 R, 2 P)
How did the Colts defense, who less than a month ago gave up 375 rushing yards, that's 375 rushing yards, in one game against Jacksonville, manage to hold the Chiefs and Larry Johnson to only 44 rushing yards in last week's 23-8 win? Well, their offense played just as big a role in that performance as the defense did. The Colts ran 71 plays from scrimmage, while the Chiefs ran only 31. KC only ran the ball 17 times. The Chiefs couldn't get their offense on the field, and if the offense isn't on the field, it can't do very much. That's not going to be the case in this game. The Ravens may not run the ball very effectively, but they run it alot. They've had over 30 carries in 6 out of their last 7 games. They'll pound the ball again this week, keeping the Colts D on the field, and no matter what happened last week, that's a bad thing for the Colts.
ADVANTAGE- RAVENS
COLTS O (3RD OVERALL, 18TH RUSH, 2ND PASS)
VS. RAVENS D (1ST O, 2ND R, 6 P)
The Colts were able to mask the ineptitude of their defense last week by keeping it off the field. They ran it 40 times, and Peyton Manning stuck with a quick passing game that saw him complete 31 of 39 attempts and keep the chains and clock moving. They won't be able to play keep away against this defense. Running the ball against the Ravens is impossible, meaning the Colts only chance is to throw the ball. The more they throw, the more the clock stops, the more snaps their woeful defense has to be on the field.
ADVANTAGE- RAVENS
VARIOUS AND SUNDRY
The Colts' record in their last 4 games away from home is 0-4. None of the teams they lost to are still in the playoffs either. They are also 1-3 in games in which they've scored less than 20 points. Meanwhile, the Ravens are 7-1 at home this year, and haven't allowed over 20 points in a game in their last 7 times out.
ADVANTAGE- RAVENS
HERE'S YOUR FORECAST
This is going to be a game where the Colts are completely out of their comfort zone, and it's the game that will provide their annual disappointing exit from the AFC Playoffs.
RAVENS 23, COLTS 16
1 comment:
Wow! No mention of Trent Green's crapulence in that KC-Colts game. Has the Commish gone soft on this year's whipping boy from KC?
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