Games that could make or break our season.....

[jvan1973]

You think we can't beat them

oh i think we can. would have to be a great performance, and we will be heavy underdogs

[CR91]

oh i think we can. would have to be a great performance, and we will be heavy underdogs

 

who cares. the media always thinks we're underdogs. we just gotta show them our teeth are bigger then they thought.

[In Luck We Trust]

Since a week from now,  we'll be dealing with training camp,  I thought now might be a good time to talk about games that could be the difference between the Colts making the playoffs in 2013 and sitting home for the winter wondering what happened....

 

There's going to be plenty here for everyone to disagree with....   I'm throwing out some thoughts simply for discussion....

 

The games that concern me most aren't the marquee games like San Fran, Seattle,  Denver,  Houston (in Texas)  and Cincinnati....  personally, I've got those games down as "L"...   

 

Don't get me wrong,   I'm not saying we will lose, or that we can't win those games,  but for right now, I've got them down as losses.

 

The games that concern me most are the 50/50 games.   And these are the games I see that could go either way....

 

-- Miami (think the'll be much improved)

-- St. Louis  (lots of young, fast talent on that roster.  They were 4-1-1 vs. NFC West last year)

-- Arizona  (think Arians will do a very good job;  there's more talent on that roster than some think)

-- Kansas City  (Improved coaching and roster; home game for KC late in season)

 

 

These are the games I think will make the difference for the Colts.   I think we'll wind up being upset in one of these four games.   My guess would be KC,  but it could be another....

 

Put another way,  last year Indy went from 2-14 to 11-5,  this year one of the 4 teams I've listed might improve enough that they're the surprise team of the NFL (not necessarily make the playoffs, but much improved)  and they could pull off the upset of the Colts.

 

As I said at the top....  they'll be plenty for people here to disagree with....  I look forward to your comments....

 

Hey, did I mention training camp is almost here?!        

i do agree with you on your 50/50 games for sure with the exception of St.Louis

 

I  honestly do not believe St.Louis has enough on offense yet. but they are def. heading in the right direction

 

AZ - not only do they have Arians, but they also have a QB they can count on since Kurt warner. A lot of people think Palmer is not a good QB. but their wrong. he was very good in cinci until injuries plagued him. and then in Oakland, i honestly don't think any QB can play there with the way that team is ran. plus Palmer is inheriting a really good WR Core.and honestly i think what could hurt them is having Mendenhall start at RB, I believe Stephon Taylor should be their starter with his power and speed.

 

 Their defense got a whole lot better through the draft, Okafor, Minter, and Mathieu i believe will make that defense better. Although Mathieu is slotted in the FS position behind bell, him and peterson make that special teams unit prob one of the scariest KR/PR teams in the NFL if not the scariest. Mathieu i was hoping we would have drafted to put next to Hilton on KR, def couldnt go wrong there.

 

KC - like AZ got a good QB to run that offense finally. Alex Smith was doing pretty good for San Fran until his concussion hurt him. can not forget he got the niners to the NFC Championship game two years ago, and he had them starting off very well last year until that concussion and HArbaugh decided to stick with Kap (which they could not have gone wrong with either QB, still think they would have made the superbowl). if Smith were to get hurt, they have a capable back up in Chase Daniel, not to mention they have both Bowe and Avery on the outside and McCluster in the slot. plus they still have charles at RB.

 

 Miami's season will be based off of how well Tannehill plays in his second season. 3,289 yards 12 TD's and 13 INT's in his first season, although not bad for a rookie (not comparing him to Wilson,RG3 or Luck) it still wasnt good enough for where he was drafted last year. but with the additions of Mike Wallace and Dustin Keller to go with Hartline should help him but i think the loss of LT Long and RB Reggie BUsh will hurt him a little also. I dont know to much about their defense so im not going to go into that side of the ball.

 

all in all i think we will win those 4 games.the only two games im worried about losing that we should come away with a win in is San Diego and Cinci. 

 

Den/Seattle/ San Fran a lot of experts have us losing those three. between denver and Seattle i believe we win one of those because they are home games. I think we have the offense to go toe to toe with both teams. only difference is against denver we need to keep manning off the field as much as possible, and seattle stop their run game and force them to throw on the road and we should win that game. 

[Jules]

I could totally see this happening.....

 

Colts beat the Raiders week 1. Ho hum. 1-0.

 

Colts start 2-0 and beating the Dolphins gets everyones juices flowing since Miami is a sexy pick and winning a sophomore QB battle is hot!!!

 

Then everyone predicts a loss at SF but we pull a 2012 Packers on them and not only come back and win but do it on the road as Jim Harbaugh goes nuts (really nuts) but manages to hold it together long enough to hug Luck after the game.. Before the comeback in the game you will read comments in the game thread such as, "Well starting 2-1 isn't so bad. We knew how tough it would be to beat the NFC Champions on the road. I am just sick that we are getting it handed to us so early in the game though" and "I am turning this game off right now. No doubt we are not in the 49ers league yet."

 

Colts start 3-0 and have their first comeback win of the season!!!!

 

Then everyone goes nuts here and proclaims us SB champions for beating SF on the road. Emotions are high. ESPN decides to love the Colts.

 

Then week 4 we go to Jax and lose in one of those typical "I can't believe they beat us like THAT" games that makes us punch walls for a full week. 3-1.

 

And then after the Jags loss we have a trio of the Seahawks/Chargers and Broncos (who are they?) before the bye week......which makes or breaks the season since we cannot obviously lose all 3 of those games with a bye week and then on the road at Houston. After the Houston game the schedule gets much "easier" for the second half of the year.

 

    :36dancing: 

[AFCSouth]

The division games are so important, that I have to say the Texans game will have the most impact.

[funktacious2]

Yup.....

 

Not sure many know this because all of the attention was on Peyton,  but last year's Denver defense was top-5 overall in the NFL.

 

It was very, very good.     It's just hard to remember that because the last play anyone thinks of for the Denver defense was one of the great bone-head plays of the year (Heck, any year!)    Jacoby Jones simply can't get behind you.    And he did.

 

My point is much more than just Peyton....    that's a very good team...

Exactly, they made it to the playoffs the year before last with Tebow as their QB. No doubt Peyton has taken them to another level, but they look to remain a favorite to represent the AFC in the Superbowl. Us? We've still got plenty to prove. It's a home game, so I expect a good game, but if someone were to go ahead and just chalk down a win for us, I'd have to think they didn't watch the NFL last year.

[Stephen]

I expect between 10 to 14 wins. Our key games are the chargers, Arizona, rams, raiders. If we lose the opener to the raiders my expectations would go down tremendously.I think we Denver. I see manning throwing last second int.

[NewColtsFan]

I expect between 10 to 14 wins. Our key games are the chargers, Arizona, rams, raiders. If we lose the opener to the raiders my expectations would go down tremendously.I think we Denver. I see manning throwing last second int.

 

Of all the games on our schedule,  I think playing the Raiders at home in week one before they know what they're doing should rank among the safest in predicting a 'W'....

 

It would be a HUGE upset if the Colts were to lose that game!    As things stand today,  I don't think there's a reason to worry.  Things could change between now and early September,  but as of now,  I think we're safe!     

[BOTT]

I could totally see this happening.....

 

Colts beat the Raiders week 1. Ho hum. 1-0.

 

Colts start 2-0 and beating the Dolphins gets everyones juices flowing since Miami is a sexy pick and winning a sophomore QB battle is hot!!!

 

Then everyone predicts a loss at SF but we pull a 2012 Packers on them and not only come back and win but do it on the road as Jim Harbaugh goes nuts (really nuts) but manages to hold it together long enough to hug Luck after the game.. Before the comeback in the game you will read comments in the game thread such as, "Well starting 2-1 isn't so bad. We knew how tough it would be to beat the NFC Champions on the road. I am just sick that we are getting it handed to us so early in the game though" and "I am turning this game off right now. No doubt we are not in the 49ers league yet."

 

Colts start 3-0 and have their first comeback win of the season!!!!

 

Then everyone goes nuts here and proclaims us SB champions for beating SF on the road. Emotions are high. ESPN decides to love the Colts.

 

Then week 4 we go to Jax and lose in one of those typical "I can't believe they beat us like THAT" games that makes us punch walls for a full week. 3-1.

 

And then after the Jags loss we have a trio of the Seahawks/Chargers and Broncos (who are they?) before the bye week......which makes or breaks the season since we cannot obviously lose all 3 of those games with a bye week and then on the road at Houston. After the Houston game the schedule gets much "easier" for the second half of the year.

 

    :36dancing: 

[Jules]

image.jpg

 

 

Yep. Along those lines.

 

We will see something like as the game finishes.

 

 

 

It is inevitable. :yes:

[Franklin County]

Yep. Along those lines.

 

We will see something like as the game finishes.

 

 

 

It is inevitable. :yes:

My sides hurt. roflmbo

[krunk]

The talent level of the 2013 Colts is such that I can not declare any automatic losses for us against any team. Now last year that is a different story because we didn't have a whole bunch of talent. This year however I stand by my statement. There is no team on our schedule who I think is just too good for us to handle. Including the 49ers and Seahawks! We've got enough firepower on both sides of the ball to give any of them a black eye in one game.

[In Luck We Trust]

it's a shame that Von Miller could not be suspended for 8 games lol. that means he would miss the game in indy. 

[Stephen]

Of all the games on our schedule,  I think playing the Raiders at home in week one before they know what they're doing should rank among the safest in predicting a 'W'....

 

It would be a HUGE upset if the Colts were to lose that game!    As things stand today,  I don't think there's a reason to worry.  Things could change between now and early September,  but as of now,  I think we're safe!     

be the upset of the year lol

[Stephen]

it's a shame that Von Miller could not be suspended for 8 games lol. that means he would miss the game in indy.

rather beat them at their best

[In Luck We Trust]

rather beat them at their best

they would still be at their " best " it isnt manning who is suspended. 

[james_zeigler1994]

Do the colts even have Werner the first round pick signed yet the Free agent tracker shows they are looking at another WR if they haven't signed Werner yet then I wonder what there waiting for.

[ColtJ82]

We have a lot of tough games this year on our schedule that I think could go either way, so I think it will be hard to duplicate our record of last year, but I still think we sneak into the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

9-7 is my expectation

[Stephen]

If we finish 9 - 7 we will not make playoffs

[Stephen]

16 and o is my expectation but nothing less than 11-5

[lollygagger8]

Any

 

 

 

 

Given 

 

 

 

 

Sunday

[Superman]

it's a shame that Von Miller could not be suspended for 8 games lol. that means he would miss the game in indy. 

 

Let's hope his appeal takes until Week 5 to settle, then he loses and has to miss the next four games.

[Franklin County]

Let's hope his appeal takes until Week 5 to settle, then he loses and has to miss the next four games.

I'll drink to that....

[Stephen]

I want miller to be there as I said better to beat broncos at their best so we aren't surprised by them in playoffs

[In Luck We Trust]

Let's hope his appeal takes until Week 5 to settle, then he loses and has to miss the next four games.

that is what im hoping for. because then he is guaranteed to miss the colts game lol

[Jason_]

Yep. Along those lines.

 

We will see something like as the game finishes.

 

 

 

It is inevitable. :yes:

 

Somebody just needs to bring some cake to keep him distracted

 

 

 

lol

[Jason_]

I want miller to be there as I said better to beat broncos at their best so we aren't surprised by them in playoffs

 

I'm with you...I'd always prefer to beat the opposing team at full strength.  

[RMFN]

i do agree with you on your 50/50 games for sure with the exception of St.Louis

 

I  honestly do not believe St.Louis has enough on offense yet. but they are def. heading in the right direction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 You are right about the offense, they are really unproven. While I think the addition of Travon Austin will help Bradford, the running back situation with the lost of Jackson might be a big issue. Just need to see how Pead and RIchardson play out. 

The defense is better and I expect them to get after teams and get more turnovers, but I've been drinking some Kool Aid lately   ;)

 

I'm looking forward to coming to Ind to see the Colts vs the Rams and seeing Lucas Stadium. Maybe one day the Rams will have a nicer venue in St Louis. 

[Franklin County]

 

 You are right about the offense, they are really unproven. While I think the addition of Travon Austin will help Bradford, the running back situation with the lost of Jackson might be a big issue. Just need to see how Pead and RIchardson play out. 

The defense is better and I expect them to get after teams and get more turnovers, but I've been drinking some Kool Aid lately   ;)

 

I'm looking forward to coming to Ind to see the Colts vs the Rams and seeing Lucas Stadium. Maybe one day the Rams will have a nicer venue in St Louis. 

 

Welcome to the board Rams fan.

[GoColts8818]

I think the early game in San Fran is important.  This team has yet to prove it can beat a playoff level team on the road.  Now beating the 49ers period is a tall order to ask of anyone right now so it's not the most ideal choice but they are really the only playoff team we see on the road early.  If the Colts could win that game I think it will mean great things for their season. 

 

Honestly that stretch of 49ers, Jags, Seahawks, and Chargers is important.  How the Colts do in those four games will probably tell us a lot in terms of how the season will play out.  It's a pretty healthy mix of bad, playoff level teams, and fairly talented teams that should be challenging for the playoffs. 

 

Assuming we take care of business at home to start the year 2-0 and that the Broncos beat us right after that run (which I know isn't set in stone but in all likely hood the Broncos are going to be the favorite in that game) we would be 2-1 and then whatever we do in those other four games before the break.  A split would have us 4-3 going into the bye and headed for a huge game in Houston right out of the bye.  3-1 makes us 5-2 and probably in the conversation for top team in the South going into a game with the Texans, 1-3 or 0-4 and I think it's a sign the Colts are probably going to take a step back based on last year. 

[ColtsBTM12]

I was for peyton leaving. and your so call greatest player is still a choke artiest. top 5 d against mediocre teams like the chiefs chargers and raiders

What kind of Colts fan talks about Peyton like that? You should have some respect for the player that rose our team from the dead back in 98' and gave us Colts fans a lot of success through the years. He is the reason that beautiful stadium is standing. Peyton didn't deliberately walk through the door and leave, if you are gonna be mad at someone than be mad at Irsay.

[CR91]

What kind of Colts fan talks about Peyton like that? You should have some respect for the player that rose our team from the dead back in 98' and gave us Colts fans a lot of success through the years. He is the reason that beautiful stadium is standing. Peyton didn't deliberately walk through the door and leave, if you are gonna be mad at someone than be mad at Irsay.

 

your a day late and a dollar short on that comment. sorry Im not gonna kiss peyton's behind just because hes peyton manning. I only root for the colts end of story.

[ColtsBTM12]

your a day late and a dollar short on that comment. sorry Im not gonna kiss peyton's behind just because hes peyton manning. I only root for the colts end of story.

 You don't appreciate the greatest player in the history of your favorite team? Makes perfect sense. 

Edited July 27, 2013 by Nadine
personal shot

[GoColts8818]

What kind of Colts fan talks about Peyton like that? You should have some respect for the player that rose our team from the dead back in 98' and gave us Colts fans a lot of success through the years. He is the reason that beautiful stadium is standing. Peyton didn't deliberately walk through the door and leave, if you are gonna be mad at someone than be mad at Irsay.

Honestly, Manning leaving benefited Manning as much as it did the Colts at the time.  Manning knew if he stayed the Colts were going to have to go into some form of rebuilding, with the cap situation there was no way around it (which would have only been worse with Manning's contract still on the books) and frankly with Manning's age that wasn't in his best interest in terms of wanting to win another Super Bowl or two before he retires.  As for the Colts it was much easier to rebuild without Manning's contract being the books and with the guy many felt like was the best QB in the NFL draft since Elway looking at you that made a lot more sense to rebuild around him.  Manning leaving benefit both parties which is why anyone who wasn't emotionally attached to the situation knew that is what was going to happen well before it did happen.  So I don't think anyone should be mad at Manning or Irsay over it.  If anything just be mad at that situation that caused it which was out of both of their hands.  It was the perfect storm that resulted in Manning being released, if the Colts were in better shape with the cap, if they weren't in position to draft Luck, if Manning's neck had been fully healthy, if Manning was just five years younger, if any of those things had happened Manning is probably still a Colt today. 

[ColtsBTM12]

Honestly, Manning leaving benefited Manning as much as it did the Colts at the time.  Manning knew if he stayed the Colts were going to have to go into some form of rebuilding, with the cap situation there was no way around it (which would have only been worse with Manning's contract still on the books) and frankly with Manning's age that wasn't in his best interest in terms of wanting to win another Super Bowl or two before he retires.  As for the Colts it was much easier to rebuild without Manning's contract being the books and with the guy many felt like was the best QB in the NFL draft since Elway looking at you that made a lot more sense to rebuild around him.  Manning leaving benefit both parties which is why anyone who wasn't emotionally attached to the situation knew that is what was going to happen well before it did happen.  So I don't think anyone should be mad at Manning or Irsay over it.  If anything just be mad at that situation that caused it which was out of both of their hands.  It was the perfect storm that resulted in Manning being released, if the Colts were in better shape with the cap, if they weren't in position to draft Luck, if Manning's neck had been fully healthy, if Manning was just five years younger, if any of those things had happened Manning is probably still a Colt today. 

I agree. Obviously it had to be done with the situation the Colts were in. To this day i'm not mad at either of them and never will be. The whole point of the comment I made was for coltsrule91 to realize that he has no reason in the world to dislike Peyton Manning.

[GoColts8818]

I agree. Obviously it had to be done with the situation the Colts were in. To this day i'm not mad at either of them and never will be. The whole point of the comment I made was for coltsrule91 to realize that he has no reason in the world to not like Peyton Manning.

Right, I was just kinda taking it a different direction, I don't think there is a reason to dislike Irsay over it either. 

[CR91]

You don't appreciate the greatest player in the history of your favorite team? Makes perfect sense. You're ignorant.

What exactly is there to appreciate? One championship and 8 first round playoff defeats. Peyton will always be known for rebuilding the colts and thats great, but do I think Peyton is the greatest of all time no.

[GoColts8818]

What exactly is there to appreciate? One championship and 8 first round playoff defeats. Peyton will always be known for rebuilding the colts and thats great, but do I think Peyton is the greatest of all time no.

Since every other QB the Indianapolis Colts have had has won us zero Super Bowls and only been the playoffs four times yeah I do appreciate the one championship and eight first round playoff defeats, it's still twice as much as we had without him...

[CR91]

Since every other QB the Indianapolis Colts have had has won us zero Super Bowls and only been the playoffs four times yeah I do appreciate the one championship and eight first round playoff defeats, it's still twice as much as we had without him...

what's the point if all you get is misery

[GoColts8818]

what's the point if all you get is misery

I had a lot of joy in there, misery is what life was like before Peyton Manning for the most part or 2011, that was misery.  Losing in the playoffs with Peyton was a sour ending to a great season most of the time but I'll take that over 2-14 and hoping for a 9-7 season which is what life was like before Peyton came here. If winning it all is the only thing that makes you happy about sports then every team is going to disappoint you, even the great Tom Brady has had way more disappointing endings to his seasons than he has had happy endings and no happy endings since 2004.  Since then he's been to as many Super Bowls as Peyton and has a worse record in them than Peyton.