VS 
After winning 6 straight to start the season then losing 4 straight after the bye week, the Broncos are now on a 2 game winning streak after taking care of the Giants and Chiefs over the past 2 weeks. Now, Denver (8-4) is right in the middle of a playoff hunt and head to the RCA dome to face the Colts (12-0) who have ripped the Broncos to shreds over the last few meetings including some embarrassing playoff blowouts.
Denver heads into the game ranked 3rd overall in team defense in the NFL (16th against the run and 2nd against the pass). Indianapolis is ranked 17th overall in team defense (18th against the run and 19th against the pass).
Denver is currently ranked 17th in the league in total offense (19th in passing and 9th in rushing) while the Colts are sitting at 4th (1st in passing and 32nd in rushing).
This is pretty simple really. To beat the Colts, you need to stop Peyton Manning. Manning has historically had a field day against the Denver defense and I doubt their game plan will change much on Sunday.
If the Colts can effectively move the ball through the air and prevent any sort of a pass rush from the Broncos then this game will be quick and dirty. Indianapolis relies on the passing game as evidence from their offensive rankings. The other thing Indianapolis will need to do in order to win is to shut down the Denver running game and get to Kyle Orton. The question I have is whether or not their top pass rushers will be healthy enough to play.
On the Broncos side, Denver will need every ounce of defense to have a shot at winning. If they can pressure Manning into making some mistakes, they have a shot. That is no small task as he has only been sacked 10 times this season and is an absolute master at reading defenses. Denver will need to disguise coverages and not show their hand to have a chance.
Aside from the obvious defensive portion, Denver will need to keep with what works and establish their running attack early and often. The best way to beat Peyton Manning is to keep him watching and if Denver can control the clock with the running and short passing game, they will do a lot towards a victory.
I hate this game honestly because part of me thinks Denver has a great chance. They are rolling when they need to, playing great defense and controlling the ball well. Not to mention, Indy is a little banged up and is thinking about the postseason so they may need to rest some players. That said, this game for the Colts will lock every meaningful spot up for them so it is a big game on their end also. Denver needs as many wins out of their 4 remaining games as possible to stay alive for the wild card spot and possibly the division. I truly think the Colts don’t care about the undefeated aspect to this game, they just want to concentrate on what matters….the playoffs.
In my predictions, I said the Colts will win and I have to stick with that. I do think Denver will do what they need to in order to make a playoff run against the rest of their schedule and I think they have a decent chance on Sunday as well if everything goes right but history is hard to overlook. Unfortunately, I am calling a Colts win by a final score of 31 – 17.
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