Perfect Indianapolis Colts Looking At 15-0; Favored By 5 1/2 Over NY Jets

NFL News - December 22nd, 2009 - Written by John

Will they or won't they? That is the question posed of the Indianapolis Colts and whether or not they'll play their starters as they have a look at a perfect season.

This weekend, the Indianapolis Colts will put their unblemished 14-0 record on the line when they play host to the New York Jets.

Last weeks' game against Jacksonville, the Colts needed another fourth quarter comeback to preserve their perfect record.  QB Peyton Manning threw a 65-yard touchdown strike to WR Reggie Wayne with 05:23 remaining, putting the Colts up for good, 35-31.  

Of course, the comeback win is nothing new for Manning and the Colts.  The win over Jacksonville marks the sixth time Indianapolis has trailed in the fourth quarter yet still won the game.

Manning continued to put up his usual MVP-like numbers, completing 23 of 30 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown, the ninth time Peyton has thrown for over 300 yards this season.

On the other sideline, the New York Jets are fresh off one of their most inept offensive outputs of the entire season after a 10-7 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

In the loss, QB Mark Sanchez threw three interceptions, making for the fifth game this season with multiple interceptions.  On the year, Sanchez has thrown 20 interceptions compared to just 12 touchdowns, a rookie like performance.

The loss to the Falcons devastated the Jets' playoff hopes.  Falling to 7-7, the New York Jets are two full games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East division race.  If the Jets are to make the playoffs, a wild-card playoff berth will be necessary.

If the loss last week wasn't bad enough, the Jet's are definitely going to have their hands full with great Indianapolis team.

If New York somehow beats Indianapolis, it will most likely be from establishing the run.  The Jets are one of the few teams in the NFL that average more yards per game on the ground than through the air. 

RB Thomas Jones is having a productive year, rushing for over 1,253 yards on 281 carries and has scored 11 touchdowns. With that said, Jones had one of his poorest performances of the year against Atlanta, gaining only 52 yards on 19 carries.  To be competitive against the Colts, the Jets will have to find ways to create yards for Jones.

This season, the Colts' defense has been mediocre at stopping the run, surrendering an average of 112 yards per game.  The match-up of Jones versus the front four of the Colts' defense will be crucial.

Another match-up to watch in the game will the Colts' linebackers versus Jets' QB Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez is prone to making mistakes when forced out of the pocket and the Indianapolis defense will be sure to have their backers in opportune positions.

On the year, LB Clint Session leads the Colts' defense in tackles at 103, while fellow linebacker Gary Bracket is second on the team with 93 tackles.  Session and Bracket are also good in pass coverage.  Session has had two interceptions on the year and Bracket has one.

The Colts will look to confuse the rookie QB into making bad decisions, and rookie mistakes, making for a long day for the Jets.

Despite how the matchup looks on paper, oddsmakers believe that the New York Jets could challenge Indianapolis this week. The Week 16 NFL Betting Odds list the Colts as mere 5 1/2 points over the Jets.  The over/under for the contest has been set at a total of 40 1/2 points according to lines listed at BetUS Sportsbook.