Colts Gab

Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. Patriots secondary

It should be cornerback Ellis Hobbs on Wayne, but Hobbs was hurt twice last week, leaving in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. You have to wonder how healthy the Patriots cornerbacks are. Deltha O’Neal was pressed back into action late, even though he had suffered a concussion earlier in the game. Wayne is due to break out. He has had just five catches in the past two weeks, mostly due to double teams, but some of it is quarterback Peyton Manning forcing the ball when he shouldn’t.

Colts QB Peyton Manning vs. Patriots pass defense

Manning hasn’t been himself. His passer rating is at its worst since his rookie year, 1998. That doesn’t bode well for him when he’s facing the Patriots’ 3-4 defense that has befuddled him in the past. The Patriots have always discussed that the book on Manning is to pressure him and get the feet moving on his throws. Defensive end Richard Seymour has yet to sack Manning in seven starts, but the more important aspect is pressure. Linebacker Adalius Thomas is the player who has been accounting for sacks lately. The Patriots’ need for pressure is doubly important when you consider how banged up their secondary is.

Colts TE Dallas Clark vs. Patriots linebackers and safeties

This has been key. Strong safety Rodney Harrison (knee – Injured Reserve) was credited with doing a great job on Clark last year. It was actually Harrison and his friends, who made sure to bump Clark to disrupt his timing and routes. Clark is the Colts’ hottest receiver of late, with 15 catches and two touchdowns in the past two weeks. Expect a linebacker to bump Clark early, then a safety to pick him up on deep routes. The Patriots probably won’t count on linebackers in coverage for the entire game. Manning will be looking to establish Clark early.

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The season of injuries for the Indianapolis Colts continues, as NFL.com is reporting today that starting CB Marlin Jackson is going to miss the rest of the season after suffering a season-ending injury in Wednesday’s practice. Jackson tore both his ACL and meniscus cartilage in his knee that will force him to have at least one, possibly two surgeries.

He has started seven games this season for the Colts, and has made 41 tackles. The team could get Bob Sanders back this week, but losing Jackson will be a big blow to the secondary. It was two seasons ago that Jackson made the clinching pick in the AFC Title game when the Colts rallied to top the Pats, the team they will play Sunday night on Sunday Night Football.

Needing a win in the worst of ways Sunday night against the Pats, the Colts may get a lift with the possible return of last year’s defensive player of the year Bob Sanders and leading rusher Joseph Addai. “I expect that they will all be out there (Wednesday), and if all goes well, I expect them to play Sunday,” coach Tony Dungy said before practice today.

Corner Kelvin Hayden also practiced today, and also could play on Sunday as well. Pro Bowl WR Reggie Wayne and CB Marlin Jackson both sat out the session with knee injuries, but both should play on Sunday night vs New England.

Dungy said today that he wants to see how Sanders, Addai and Hayden each responds when they return to the team complex Thursday morning, and even then the Colts may limit their playing time.

The Colts seemed frustrated, yet still confident following Monday night’s 31-21 loss to the still undefeated Tennessee Titans. The Colts had a lead, stopped the Titans run in the first half, yet were unable to do enough to win. One has to wonder, is it just not this teams year?

“We played with energy and emotion, played very hard … but when the game got to the point you had to win it, we didn’t play well enough,” Tony Dungy said today. “We didn’t really stop them in the second half defensively, and we didn’t convert offensively. They outplayed us down the stretch where it was crunch time, and that was disappointing. We’ll have to go back and go to work just fundamentally playing well and making those things happen in crucial situations.”

The issues seem to be many for this Colts squad, from the sub-par play of QB Peyton Manning, to the never ending list of injuries that the team seems to be suffering from. If they are going to make a run at the playoffs at this point, they simply have to play more consistent.

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The Tennessee Titans‘ running attack didn’t do their usual number on the Indianapolis Colts on Monday; but then again they didn’t have to, as quarterback Kerry Collins outplayed Colts QB Peyton Manning and Titans running back LenDale White ran for a pair of touchdowns, helping Tennessee remain the NFL’s lone remaining undefeated team, defeating Indianapolis 31-21 at Nashville. The win gives the Titans a firm grasp of the AFC South that until recently had been the domain of the Colts.

The Colts had actually played relatively well as they held a 14-6 lead in the third quarter on two TD passes from Manning to tight end Dallas Clark, but the Titans tied things at 14 on a 1-yard TD run with 3:21 remaining in the period. Tennessee stopped Indianapolis on consecutive drives at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter; a 48-yard field goal by Titans kicker Rob Bironas put Tennessee up 17-14.

The Colts’ next possession came up empty yet again as Manning failed on a fourth-and-2 on an attempted pass play to wide receiver Reggie Wayne; the Titans would respond with a sustained drive, which culminated in a White TD run – his second – that exiended Tennessee’s lead. Titans safety Chris Hope then intercepted Manning with 3:38 left in the game and RB Chris Johnson scored on a 16-yard run, sealing the win for the Titans.

Collins, while outplaying Manning, didn’t have the best of numbers, going 24-of-37 for 193 yards while Manning went 26-of-41 for 223 yards with 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s and also ran for a score. The aforementioned Johnson led the Titans rushing attack with 77 yards on 19 carries and a TD while White added only 13 yards but scored twice. Dominic Rhodes led the Colts rushing attack with 70 yards on 17 carries.

TE Bo Scaife led all Titans receivers with 5 receptions for 44 yards while Clark led the Colts with 7 receptions for 94 yards and 2 TD’s. Tennessee (7-0) plays again on Sunday when they host the Green Bay Packers while Indianapolis (3-4) make the short trip home to host the New England Patriots – also on Sunday.

Monday night may very well be a changing of the guard in the AFC South, as the undefeated Tennessee Titans play host to the 3-3 Indianapolis Colts at LP Field. With a win the Colts will be a whopping four games back of the Titans with nine to play. If the Colts can upset the Titans, they will be back in striking distance of Tennessee, down two games for the division lead.

The Titans are 6-0 for a reason. They have pounded teams into submission all season, and really have played just two close games, opening day vs the Jags and three weeks ago in Baltimore. They are putting up 154.5 yards per game on the ground, and will once again look to Chris Johnson and LenDale White to punish the Colts run defense.

Kerry Collins has played well enough to keep Vince Young on the sidelines since week two. He has thrown for 863 yards and three TD’s with three picks. He hasn’t had to have many big games so far, and right now his role is not to make any critical mistakes that will put the Titans in a position to lose. So far, he’s done the job.

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