My guess is the starters will only play half a game every week if we lock up top seed early, except for the aspects we need to work on, otherwise known as the O-line.
In my opinion it will end like this 1.Texans 2.Broncos 3.Patriots 4.Ravens Now I am pretty confident we will make it to the Championship game. But then we will have to face the Patriots or Broncos. Which one do you guys think will give us the toughest challenge?
My guess is the Patriots would be tougher, but we'll know more after tonight. I don't think Talib will shut down Andre, but with him, I think New England has a decent-enough secondary to not give up as many big downfield plays as Denver did when we played them. And on offense, the Pats have a better offensive line and more versatility with the tight ends. I could be wrong, but I'm not as scared of Denver as most people. They're good, yes, but I don't think they've become a "totally different team" than the one we played on Sept. 25, despite the media narrative to the contrary. I think the Broncos have been good all along (31-19 win over Pittsburgh in Week 1, 37-6 beatdown of Oakland in Week 4), but had a slow start due to drawing the Texans, Falcons and Patriots in the first five weeks. Now the schedule has softened and they're fattening up. That's not to say Denver isn't a good team, because winning eight straight games is tough no matter who the opponent is. But the Texans dominated that game in September (final score was misleading - a few awful penalty calls and three dropped INTs let Manning score twice late), and I think the matchups the Texans exploited are still there.
I completely agree with this. I'd rather play Denver at home than NE anywhere in the playoffs. I'm confident that the Texans are the best team in the NFL and tonight might prove that there isn't a close 2nd.
Based on what? Exactly 1 of the teams they've beaten during their 8-game winning streak is above .500. And that team is Cinci at 7-6. Like The Cat says, they are a good team. But I'm not scared of them coming to Reliant. I would LOVE the opportunity to end Peyton's comeback season. Sweet justice for all those years of tormenting us with the Colts.
Be careful what you wish for. I would stay far far away from the Manning's and Brady as long as I can. Baltimore yes please.
just stop please. all perception. peyton manning before facing us in week three was completing %70 of his passes. Against us, he was 50% only to go back to almost 70% the following games. It's not a coincidence he went 26/52 against the texans. After LOSING to the texans, all the defenses he has faced, give up a high passer rating in the 90s to the opposing qb. And their defense is still the same. They give up the middle of the field to those qbs that can pick a part defenses and have a running game to compliment, like schaub and brady. both of them exploited the zones with beautiful play actions. arian had his 100 as ridley came on to the scene for the patriots. No secret how to make that defense look silly... BALANCE it's unfortunate that some fantasy dorks think it's cool to throw it 6,000 , 000 times a game that they look down on how balance balances everything out. a 4,000 yard passer with an 1,500 rusher is a lovely thing and more impressive than a gameplan that is pass happy. But haters don't see that.
Whatever. The game will (hopefully) be at Reliant, so I'm not scared of either. In fact..... I WANT MANNING!!!!! Spoiler
Cam Cameron was the OC not the QBC. They promoted Jim Caldwell who was the QBC and also the old Colts HC. Apparently TV saw Harbaugh and Cameron in a heated argument on the sideline at the end of the first half. Firing your OC 4 weeks before the playoffs start is crazy!!!
Based on what? People keep repeating this nonsense without providing any evidence. Peyton had QB ratings of 129.2 and 130.0 in Week 1 and Week 4. His team scored 31 and 37 points. Basically, early-season Peyton was every bit as good (if not better) than he's been lately, except when he went up against an elite opponent. The likes of which they haven't played since Week 5. Maybe, just maybe, there's a correlation there? http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/1428/peyton-manning As imadrummer said, doesn't it seem more likely that Denver's "slow" start was based on drawing ATL/HOU/NE in its first 5 games, and its "recovery" is based on playing one team (7-6 Cincinnati) with a winning record in its last 8?
I haven't look through this thread all that much, so it might have been mentioned already, but after yesterday's games there's a pretty good chance that the Colts will have nothing to play for in week 17 (though that would require the Texans beating them next week).
a week 17 matchup of 2nd and 3rd stringers on both sides of the ball would be awesome (read trainwreck).
I believe in team chemistry. And getting to play more games with new guys, and winning those games, gives you something special. That and momentum. That's why I believe we need to finish the season strong, and get into the playoffs with a momentum.
