The Indianapolis Colts (11-0) had big comeback in the second half to take down the Houston Texans (5-6) and seal the AFC South conference.  Peyton Manning had a bad first half, throwing two interceptions, and the Colts found themselves down 20-7 at halftime.  Manning woke up in the second half though, throwing 2 touchdowns and leading the Colts to 28 straight points.  Manning finished the game with 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 244 yards on 27/35 passes.  The Colts running game was very effective, getting 114 yards on 23 carries as a team.

The Colts defense did not come out ready to play against Matt Schaub and the Texans’ offense.  They let them build a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and gave up way too many yards in the first half.  The secondary were able to get two picks off Schaub, but they let him throw for 2 touchdowns and 284 yards.  They also gave up way too many yards on the ground, with the Texans getting 122 yards on only 24 carries.  The Colts never gave up though and got their 5th straight comeback victory, which shows how resilient they are.  The Colts do not want to keep finding themselves down late in the game though and they need to bring the same effort for the full 60 minutes.

The Indianapolis Colts (10-0) narrowly escaped defeat against the Houston Texans (5-5) earlier this month, something the Colts have been making a habit out of lately.  The Colts won 20-17 in that game, and it could end up going down to the wire once again, especially since Peyton Manning is not 100% (glute).  Manning will play though and I would still take a hurt Peyton Manning over most quarterbacks in the league.  He should still put up some Manning-like numbers, but the glute will make Manning even less mobile than he was to begin with, which could cause some problems for the Colts.  Houston gives up 120 rushing yards per game, so the Colts may hand the ball off more than usual.  I’m not sure how effective it will be though, as the Colts have struggled to run the ball all season (only 85 yards per game) and Joseph Addai is battling a knee injury but is listed as probable.

The Colts defense hasn’t done a particularly good job stopping the run this season, but if they can shut down the Texans’ running game things wont be very easy for their quarterback Matt Schaub.  They may very well have a chance since the Texans top running back Steve Slaton has a neck injury, but he is expected to play.  Chris Brown will split the carries with Slaton.  Schaub is capable of putting up some big yardage numbers through the air, but is very prone to throwing interceptions.  He has thrown at least one pick in every game but two this year.  The Colts secondary may be able to get a pick from Schaub and the turnover story could be what decides the game.  Ultimately though, the Colts still have Peyton Manning and I am not going to bet against him.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 24, Houston Texans 17

The Colts didn’t play too well today but they were still good enough to beat the Ravens on their own field.  Peyton Manning completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Joseph Addai pitched in with 74 yards on 19 carries (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Pierre Garcon led the way in the passing game for the Colts today with 6 catches for 108 yards (18.0 avg).  Reggie Wayne also had a decent game with 7 grabs for 89 yards (12.7 avg) today.  TE Tom Santi was the secret weapon for the Colts today as he caught 6 passes for 80 yards (13.3 avg).  Dallas Clark only caught 1 pass for 3 yards but it was a spectacular TD grab made with one hand.  The Colts finished up with 375 total yards on offense (76 rushing, 299 passing) in this game. 

Linebacker Gary Brackett led the way on D for the Colts with 9 tackles and 2 passes defensed today.  The Ravens finished up with 354 total yards on offense (98 rushing, 254 passing) but the Colts held them to 5 field goals.  The Colts are now 10-0 on the season.

23-year old WR Pierre Garcon has really improved in his second NFL season.  As a rookie last season Garcon played in all 16 games for the Colts and he caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg).  He also returned 1 punt for 5 yards, 22 kickoffs for 475 yards (21.6 avg) and he made 9 tackles.  So far this season, Garcon has played in 9 games in which he has caught 26 passes for 403 yards (15.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 17 yards and he has made 2 tackles.  Garcon has come a long way in less than two years as he played his college ball at tiny Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.

The Colts are coming off a miracle win over the Patriots last week and a lot of experts expect them to be flat this week.  I am not one of them however as this is a good matchup for the Colts’ offense.  The Ravens are giving up 208.9 yards passing per game which is the strength of the Colts’ offense as they are averaging 315.1 yards passing per game.  Peyton Manning has only been sacked 8 times this season and the Ravens will be without Terrell Suggs in this game meaning that he will likely be comfortable in the pocket.  If he has time to throw the ball he will pick the Ravens’ secondary apart.  Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will likely both have big games this week.  The Ravens can’t double either of those guys or Manning will go to Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie who are both having good years.  The Colts’ running game has been weak this season so the Ravens’ strength of defending the run will be negated.

The Ravens will likely be more conservative than usual as they don’t want to get into a fire fight with the Colts.  That means that Ray Rice and Willis McGahee will likely get a lot of carries this week in a attempt to control the clock.  The Colts are giving up 108.7 yards rushing per game (4.3 ypc) so the Ravens should have some success on the ground.  But, the Ravens need Joe Flacco to play well especially if the Colts bring extra players in the box to defend the run.  That means that Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton will have to have good games for the Ravens to win on Sunday.  Another issue could be how much time that Flacco has to throw the football with DEs Dwight Freeney (9.5 sacks) and Robert Mathis (8.5 sacks) attacking from the edges of the pocket.

PREDICTION:  COLTS 30, RAVENS 17