Could he possibly miss Marvin Harrison as much as it appears that he has?  The answer is probably yes as Harrison was always the one Manning looked to when he needed a first down.  Manning has completed 240 of 379 passes (63.3%) so far this season for 2,821 yards with 19 TD passes and 12 interceptions (89.4 QB Rating) so far this season.  The thinking here is that Manning will finish strong for the Colts and his final numbers will look much better than the ones he has right now.

The Colts looked pretty bad in the first quarter of this game as they fell behind 10-0.  But, like Champions often do the Colts righted the ship in the last three quarters outscoring the Falcons 31-3!  Peyton Manning had his best game in a while as he completed 22 of 32 passes for 272 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  Joseph Addai got a little banged up in this game as he finished with 44 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards.  Kenton Keith played well as he carried the ball 17 times for 74 yards (4.4 ypc).  Anthony Gonzalez led the way for the Colts receiving corps with 6 grabs for 105 yards (17.5 avg).  Reggie Wayne (5 rec, 66 yards), Dallas Clark (5 rec, 49 yards) and Ben Utecht (4 rec, 38 yards) each caught a TD pass in this game.  The Colts finished up with 118 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 32 passes for 247 yards.

The Colts defense played another outstanding game yesterday and they were led by linebacker Gary Brackett who had 13 tackles.  Bob Sanders also pitched in with 6 tackles and a fumble recovery.  The Falcons finished up with 112 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 30 passes for 138 yards.

The Colts are looking to stay in first place in the AFC South and they need a win here to keep at the top.  The Falcons are just looking to win a game.

Peyton Manning hasn’t been himself this season because of all the injuries to the offensive line and Marvin Harrison.  With that in mind the Colts will likely keep the ball on the ground more than usual with Joseph Addai and Kenton Keith.  The run defense is the weakness of the Falcons defense as they allow 124.0 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  The Falcons will likely double Reggie Wayne (63 rec, 945 yards, 6 TDs) will could force Manning to throw to guys like Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher and Craphonso Thorpe and that’s not a good thing.  Look for Manning to attack the safeties of the Falcons with Dallas Clark whose having a good season.

The Falcons would also like to run the ball with Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood against the front seven of the Colts who are allowing 102.0 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  Don’t think that the Falcons won’t throw the ball however as Joey Harrington is likely to get the start.  He had an awesome game last season on Thanksgiving against the Lions last season and he will be looking to repeat that performance.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 24, FALCONS 20

The Colts won this game because of their defense which was all over the place.  Linebacker Freddy Keiaho led the way for the Colts with 9 tackles.  The Chiefs finished up with 72 yards rushing 0n 27 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 27 passes for 162 yards.

Peyton Manning had one of his worst games in a long, long time as he only completed 16 of 32 passes for 163 yards with a interception.  Joseph Addai got a lot of work in as he carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards (3.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 34 yards (8.5 avg).  Reggie Wayne was the leading receiver for the Colts in this game as he caught 4 passes for 75 yards (18.8 avg).  The Colts finished up with 66 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 32 passes for 150 yards. 

The Chiefs picked a bad time to change QBs as the RCA Dome is an intimidating place to play.  The Chiefs will likely play this game close to the vest on offense to try to keep the Colts offense on the sideline.  That will be easier said than done as Priest Holmes looked a little rusty last week against the Broncos defense!  The Colts are allowing 105.3 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so it’s possible that the Chiefs could be somewhat effective on the ground.  The Colts pass defense has been outstanding this season so Brodie Croyle will have to be careful with the ball. 

The Colts will likely try to keep the ball on the ground more than usual with Peyton Manning coming off of his worst game in a long, long time.  Joseph Addai  and Kenton Keith will get a lot of work against a Chiefs defense that is allowing 108.9 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  But, don’t think for a minute that the Colts won’t throw the ball some.  Reggie Wayne (59 rec, 870 yards, 6 TDs) could have a big game but the Chiefs will likely double him.

PREDICTION:  This game will likely be a little closer than most experts predict.  COLTS 24, CHIEFS 13