NY Jets at Indianapolis
By Mike Chappell & J.P. Pelzman
For Sporting News
The winningest team of the past decade is in an ideal position: It will be playing in front of what promises to be a thunderous Lucas Oil Stadium sellout crowd, one win away from a second Super Bowl appearance in the past four seasons. It's time for Peyton Manning and his experienced teammates to deliver.
Even though 18 players on the active roster are in the midst of their first postseason run, the pressure of the moment shouldn't be too great. The core leadership -- Manning, center Jeff Saturday, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark, linebacker Gary Brackett and defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis -- has been here before.
Can the Colts finish off the Jets, something they refused to do on Dec. 27? That day, coach Jim Caldwell enraged the fan base by pulling the starters in the third quarter of what disintegrated into a 29-15 loss. The decision cost the team a chance at perfection. The Jets are the latest Cinderella team to challenge for a Super Bowl berth. They needed that comeback win over the Colts to even qualify for the playoffs. Once in, they've gone on the road and imposed their blue-collar will on the Bengals and Chargers.
Jets Keys For Success
1. Win the turnover battle. Hey, the Jets have to stick with what works. After having a 2-1 edge in takeaways over San Diego last week, the Jets are 10-0 when they have fewer giveaways than their opponents. That includes wins in their last four games. But they didn't force any turnovers against Peyton Manning in the first meeting, and that must change for them to win the rematch. They must find a way to pressure Peyton.
2. Stay the course on offense, but be flexible. Nobody is suggesting that the Jets should abandon the "ground and pound" philosophy that has gotten them this far, but keep in mind that 145 of their 202 rushing yards in the first meeting with Indianapolis came after Manning had been removed from the game, after all the emotion and momentum had shifted to the Jets. A well-timed long pass or two could work wonders, particularly if the Colts, as expected, stack the box. 3. Keep running on adrenaline. True, the Jets are on a normal work week, but they lost time having to fly back from the West Coast. This will be their sixth road game in an eight-week span, so coach Rex Ryan made a concession to possible fatigue by giving his team two days off at the start of the week. Indianapolis had an extra day to prepare and hasn't left home in three weeks, so the Colts figure to be much fresher. The Jets must ignore that and run on pure emotion.
Colts Keys For Success
1. Use last week's defensive game plan. It stymied the Ravens' punishing ground game in a divisional round win, and it should be utilized against the Jets' 1-2 punch of running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. The plan consists of being stout at the point of attack with tackles Dan Muir and Antonio Johnson, and having linebackers Clint Session and Gary Brackett and safeties Melvin Bullitt and Antoine Bethea fill their gaps and swarm to the ball.
2. Make Sanchez make plays. It's no secret. The Jets will try to control the game and the clock with Jones and Greene, and limit what they ask from rookie QB Mark Sanchez. Limiting New York's ground game should produce more favorable situations on third down, which should enable ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to make a difference. 3. Limit the bad plays. Rex Ryan's defense is physical and aggressive. Its makeup leads to uneven play even for the most efficient offense. Things aren't likely to come easily for Manning, especially if the Jets are able to exert pressure. But in what promises to be a tight game against an opponent not built for high-scoring games, it's incumbent upon Manning to take care of the football and not give the Jets short-field opportunities or easy scores.
The Bottom Line
The Colts could have KO'd the Jets in December, but declined. Now they've got to close the deal with a trip to Super Bowl 44 on the line. The Jets are a brass-knuckles bunch and the warm-and-fuzzy story among the NFL's Final Four. But they aren't likely to score enough to keep up with Manning. With so much on the line, Manning will show why he's the league's MVP.
Scoring prediction: Jets 17 - Colts 23
I LIKE THE SCORE JETS 23 - COLTS 17
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PTS AGNST 19.2
Originally Posted by DaColts
thats me laughing at the you picking the jets. hahahaha colts all the way.
------------------------Manning 
