Tag: Indianapolis Colts (Page 21 of 45)

      Ravens self-destruct in loss to Colts

      January 16, 2010 /

      If the Ravens wanted to resemble the exact opposite of the team that took the field last week in New England, then they accomplished their mission on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

      Baltimore turned the ball over four times in its 20-3 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Colts. If you count Ed Reed’s fumble (what a tremendous play by Pierre Garcon, by the way) following an interception of Peyton Manning, then the Ravens fumbled the ball three times tonight. Ray Rice was a small disaster, while Joe Flacco threw two interceptions and averaged just 5.4 yards per passing attempt.

      The Colts deserve a ton of credit for playing fundamentally sound for most of the night. But this game should have been closer then the final score indicates and there’s little doubt that head coach John Harbaugh will lose some sleep tonight thinking about how many opportunities his team coughed up. What happened to the Raven team that marched into Foxboro last week and gave the Patriots the beating of a lifetime? What happened to the team that was so focused, so mentally prepared to play that many people thought they would pull off the upset in Indy?

      The Colts once again proved that they match up extremely well with Baltimore. The Ravens beat themselves throughout the night, but it’s not like their offense was moving the ball at will either. They had a couple of nice drives that ended in turnovers, but for the most part the Ravens looked completely out of sync offensively.

      Baltimore reminded everyone tonight why it finished 9-7 this season. They were too inconsistent throughout the year to make a deep run in the postseason and maybe we should have seen this outcome coming.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

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      NFL Divisional Playoff Preview: Saturday

      January 16, 2010 /

      Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
      4:30 pm ET
      TV—FOX

      If last week’s wild card game between Arizona and Green Bay is any indication, the Cardinals are having a difficult time stopping the opposition. And when the opposition is the New Orleans Saints, who boast the top offense in the NFL, you have to believe this game today could get ugly. Pair that with the fact that the Cardinals racked up 51 points last Sunday against the NFL’s second ranked defense, and that New Orleans is 25th overall in team defense (26th against the pass), and there is more fuel to the shootout theory here. Of course, the game plan for each team should be to try and run the ball to control the clock, and if that’s the case, the Saints have a decided edge with their sixth ranked rushing attack. Remember, though, the key word in “game plan” is “plan,” because it’s not likely the Packers or Cards expected to play an arena league game last week. In other words, you can bet Kurt Warner and Drew Brees will wind up airing it out in this one, with those speedy receivers on both sides reducing the game to a track meet. And really, that’s how this game should be. As for the outcome, we’ll give the rested home team a slight edge. THE PICK: SAINTS 52, CARDINALS 49

      Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
      8:15 pm ET
      TV—CBS

      Speaking of rested players, there is going to be a mutiny in Indianapolis tonight if the Colts lose this game. Head coach Jim Caldwell and owner Bill Polian have been adamant about their belief that resting Peyton Manning and other regulars during most of the final two games, instead of pursuing a perfect 16-0 record, was the prudent thing to do. And while playing those guys would have been a huge risk (see Welker, Wes), you have to believe it was even riskier to not play them. Meanwhile, the Ravens, who come in with a solid ground game that is ranked fifth in the league, are just the kind of team that can give the Colts and their 24th ranked run defense fits anyway. John Harbaugh wants to run Ray Rice all day long and keep it away from Mr. Manning as much as possible, and he’d love to run the ball 52 times like he did against New England. When the Colts do have the ball, they are ranked dead last in rushing offense but second in passing. So guess what they’re gonna do? But the Ravens were in Tom Brady’s face all game last week, and you can expect Ray Lewis and company to try and do the same to Manning, who also has to worry about ball-hawking safety Ed Reed, voted Safety of the Decade earlier this week by USA Today. The Colts are extremely talented and didn’t win 14 games by accident, but that resting players thing is going to bite Caldwell and Polian in the butt. THE PICK: RAVENS 23, COLTS 20

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      2010 NFL Divisional Round Prediction: Ravens vs. Colts

      January 15, 2010 /

      Baltimore Ravens (9-7, 3-5 away) at Indianapolis Colts (14-2, 7-1 home)
      Kickoff: 8:15PM ET
      Odds: Colts –6.5

      Prediction:
      There are a lot of people that are hopping onto the Ravens bandwagon – and for good reason. They absolutely took the Patriots behind the woodshed last week and beat them in all phases of the game. Ray Rice is a legitimate star in the making and the defense is playing quality football.

      But have we forgotten how good the Colts are? I get it – momentum can be very important in sports and the Colts don’t have any right now after dropping their final two regular season games. But this is Peyton Manning’s show and simply put, Baltimore’s secondary isn’t good enough to stop Indy’s offense for four quarters on the road.

      If Baltimore runs the ball effectively with Rice and keeps Manning on the sidelines, then I’ll be eating my words come late Saturday night. But the strength of Indy’s defense is its speed and I think they match up very well with the Ravens’ rushing attack. Plus, Flacco got away with only attempting 10 passes last week – that’s not going to be the case this Saturday. It’s going to be a much different game and I don’t see him out-gunning Manning.

      I like the Ravens, I really do. They’ve already proven that they can go into a hostile environment and win on the road. There’s also no doubt that they’re going to be well prepared thanks to John Harbaugh and they’ll be fired up to prove themselves once again. But in the end, I don’t think Baltimore has the talent in the secondary to slow Manning and the Colts’ offense down.

      Prediction: Colts 27, Ravens 17.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

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      2010 NFL Playoffs Fan Battle: Ravens vs. Colts Preview

      January 14, 2010 /

      To get you ready for the Ravens-Colts’ Divisional Round battle in Indy this Saturday, here’s a preview of the game via a mock dialogue between two fans.

      Colts Fan: If you think the Colts are going to be as disinterested in playing the Ravens as the Patriots were last week, then you’re delusional.

      Ravens Fan: Oh, I see – the Patriots lost, but the Ravens didn’t win. Do I have that right? Face it, the better team won last weekend in Foxboro. We came prepared to play and they couldn’t match our intensity. And if I were you, I’d be highly concerned that the Colts haven’t played in three weeks.

      Colt Fan: No, the starters haven’t played in three weeks – there’s a difference. But Peyton Manning, ahem, the MVP this year, will be ready to go as always. And if anyone should be concerned, it should be Baltimore’s pass defense.

      Raven Fan: Have you even been watching lately? The Ravens are tied for eighth in passing yards allowed per game with 207.3. Our total defense ranks third in the NFL and we’re allowing just 16.3 points per game. Plus, we almost beat you in the regular season.

      Colt Fan: There’s no prize for “almost,” my friend. Plus, that game was in Baltimore; now you have to travel to Indy this time. Had Jim Caldwell not pulled the starters in the second half against the Jets, we would have easily gone undefeated at home this season.

      Raven Fan: Now who’s talking about whoulda, coulda, shouldas? Speaking of Caldwell pulling the starters, that same philosophy has hurt the Colts in the past. Bill Polian insists that momentum means nothing for teams heading into the playoffs but he must be trying to block out all the times that his team has choked after resting starters before.

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      NFL Week 16 COY Power Rankings

      January 3, 2010 /

      Upsets galore and crazy outcomes have forced us to look a bit harder at the Coach of the Year rankings, but most of our contenders are hanging tough.

      1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—The poor guy is still dodging proverbial rocks being thrown by Colts’ fans, who wanted their team to continue its pursuit of perfection instead of rolling over against the Jets. Being that the Colts were still in position to go to 15-0 when Caldwell did that, we have to cut him some slack and remember that his team is still the top seed in the AFC and would be in the NFC as well.

      2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Payton surely did not want to back into the #1 seed in the NFC, but after losing two games in a row, his team did just that when the Vikings’ loss Monday night let the Saints snag the top position. And once again, we have to consider the entire season’s body of work.

      3. Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers—When you consider that Turner’s Chargers always play lousy in September, only to win when it really matters, that’s far better than it being the other way around. It’s time we started to give Turner his due.

      4. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals are another team not playing well, but they have dealt with two tragedies this season—the death of player Chris Henry, and the passing of the wife of D-coordinator Mike Zimmer. And still, the Bengals are 10-5 with an AFC North title. Raise your hand if you expected that.

      5. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Yes, the Vikings are floundering and in danger of losing the #2 seed to Philly or Dallas, but I’ll keep mentioning two players who Childress sought in the off-season that made this a championship caliber team—Brett Favre and Percy Harvin.

      Honorable mention: Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Mike McCarthy, Packers; Andy Reid, Eagles; Bill Belichick, Patriots; Rex Ryan, Jets; Wade Phillips, Cowboys; Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos

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