Manning Bowl, Part Two
By Ben Kelly - InReeseWeTrust.com 9/18/10
New York Giants (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-1), 8:20 p.m. Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.
This is the second matchup in the NFL careers of Peyton and Eli Manning, the first occurring in the 2006 season opener at the Meadowlands in a 26-21 Colts victory in the final minutes. Since then, both quarterbacks became Super Bowl MVPs in successive years. This time, New York visits Indianapolis with a 1-0 record and the Colts facing a potential 0-2 start for the first time since Peyton’s rookie year. The Colts lead the series, 7-6.
What happened last week?
Indianapolis suffered a bruising 34-24 defeat at division rival Houston, only the second time the Colts have lost to Houston in its eight-year history. Houston exposed Indianapolis’ defense on the break-out performance of second year running back Arian Foster, undrafted out of Tennessee, who rolled for 231 yards on 33 carries and 3 touchdowns. Last season the Texans owned the best passing offense in the league, yet surprisingly Houston quarterback Matt Schaub passed only 17 times for 9 completions and 107 yards. That Houston relied on its run game and abandoned the pass despite its usual success does not leave much to be impressed by Indianapolis’s run defense. On offense, the Colts ran the ball only ten times while trailing the entire game, while Peyton Manning had a career day completing 40 of 57 passes for 433 yards and 3 touchdowns.
What to expect from the Colts:
The Giants held Carolina’s star powered backfield tandem of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams to 74 yards on 21 carries, after both topped 1,000 yards last season. It the Colts are going to move the chains on offense, it is likely they will abandon the run against the Giants, after a near 6:1 pass to run ratio against Houston. New York should be tough on the run and force Manning to throw all over the field. The Giants won’t duplicate last week’s harassing performance against inexperienced Carolina quarterback Matt Moore, resulting in a 14 for 33 performance with three interceptions. Peyton will likely throw for big numbers and approach 40 to 50 pass attempts, leaving it up to the Giants’ pass rush to force an occasional bad throw to the secondary and create turnovers. Peyton will get his numbers, but its up to the Giants to make plays in the red zone and apply pressure from the defensive line.
What to expect from the Giants:
Run, run, run. The Giants two-headed attack of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs rushed for 120 yards on 32 carries last week, and based on Houston’s success, they should be able to at least replicate last week’s production. Keeping Peyton and his receivers on the bench as long as possible will be key but is dependant on the depth and stamina of New York’s offensive line, which right now is depleted with backup tackle William Beatty out for at least one month and Shaun O’Hara managing an ankle issue. Eli should again lead a balanced offense capable of grinding long drives to keep his brother on the bench.
Prediction:
Producing points early on long drives will go a long way to nullifying the Indianapolis crowd. The Giants will force Indianapolis to be one dimensional on offense by eliminating running lanes. New York’s talented secondary needs to produce one or two big plays, and are capable after notching three red zone interceptions last week. The Giants will win the time of possession and escape with the mini upset in a low scoring 21-17 victory.
Last week’s prediction: 28-16 Giants (Actual: 31-18 Giants)
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