This game looks like a mis-match in every possible way.  The 5-0 Colts had last week off giving them two weeks to get ready for the 0-6 Rams.  The Rams have lost 16 games in a row dating back to last season and they won’t have much of a chance of winning on Sunday.  The Colts will likely come out throwing the ball with Peyton Manning (114.1 QB Rating) working against a Rams’ defense that is allowing 252.0 yards passing per game.  WRs Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and TE Dallas Clark will likely be running free against the Rams’ secondary with Peyton Manning picking them apart with precision.  The Colts have only allowed 2 sacks this season but that won’t stop the Rams from trying to put pressure on Manning.  If the Colts jump out to a quick lead (which is likely) they might get Joseph Addai and Donald Brown more involved in the offense as the Rams are allowing 132.5 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.

The Rams probably have seen the game film of the Monday Night Football Game between the Dolphins and Colts and they will likely try to duplicate the Fins’ game plan.  That means that Steven Jackson will have a huge workload but he’s more than capable of handling it with his wide shoulders.  The best way to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts is to keep their offense on the sidelines.  The Colts are allowing 103.2 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry this season.  Jackson has rushed for 501 yards this season and he has caught the ball for 170 more so it’s no mystery who the Colts’ defense will be focusing on stopping.  The Rams don’t have the WRs or the offensive line to give Marc Bulger much of a chance to get a passing game going this week.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 35, RAMS 13

The Colts can’t depend on Peyton Manning to win every game this season.  They will need to find some kind of a running game to help balance the offense a little bit more.  Joseph Addai has carried the ball 62 times for only 210 yards (3.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs this season.  He has not responded to the fact that the Colts used a first round pick on someone that plays his position.  Donald Brown is the rookie who should be pushing Addai more but he has carried the ball 44 times for only 154 yards (3.5 ypc) so far this season.  The Colts are only averaging 78.8 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry and that just isn’t good enough to get the job done.  Addai and Brown have combined to catch 33 passes for 291 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab so at least they are helping out a little bit in the passing game but the Colts expected much more out of this pair.

Rookie Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have really stepped up while Anthony Gonzalez has been out of action.  Austin Collie has caught 20 passes for 228 yards (11.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs this season as he is on fire lately.  Garcon is more of a deep threat as he has caught 11 passes for 216 yards (19.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Colts have to feel real good right now as Collie and Garcon will slide right into the #3 and #4 WR roles for them when Gonzalez comes back.

The Colts have lost kicked Adam Vinatieri for at least the next six weeks after he underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage in his right knee.  Vinatieri has made 6 of 8 field goals (75%) this season and he has nailed all 17 of his extra points for 35 total points.  The Colts have signed 41-year old Matt Stover to fill in while Vinatieri is out of action and he is a darn good kicker himself.  He played in all 16 games last season for the Ravens and he made 27 of 33 field goals (81.8%) and he all made all 41 of his extra point attempts last season as he scored 122 points last season.  Stover has now kicked in 287 games in his NFL career and he has nailed 462 of 552 field goals (83.7%) and he has also converted 558 of 561 extra points.  Stover has scored 1,944 points in his NFL career.  The Colts were lucky to find a kicker as skilled as Stover sitting at home on the couch.

The Colts have released 25-year old DT Ed Johnson.  He played in 4 games for the Colts this season and he made 11 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  There must be something going on behind the scenes with Johnson as this seems to be a odd time for the Colts to give up on him.  We’ll keep you posted.