Read More: Matt Hasselbeck (QB – TEN), Dwight Freeney (DE – IND), Jake Locker (QB – TEN), New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

The Tennesse Titans’ veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was questionable heading into Sunday’s game at the Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck left last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints with a calf injury, giving way to rookie quarterback Jake Locker.

The young Locker is far more athletic than Hasselbeck, creating a different type of play-making ability by adding a run threat. As a rookie though, Locker is inconsistent and with a playoff spot still in play, the Titans would rather rely on the steady hand of the veteran Hasselbeck on the road.

Well, it appears Hasselbeck has given the calf a test on Sunday morning and will indeed lineup behind center for the Titans in Lucas Oil Stadium. According to Adam Schefter, Hasselbeck will give it a go against the Colts.

Despite a calf injury, Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck will start today vs. Indianapolis.

At least Dwight Freeney won’t have to chase a moving target when he’s coming off the edge for the Colts and looking to make a play on defense.

In week 14, I posted a 3-1 mark with my picks for the AFC South Division. I correctly predicted that both the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans would lose their games while the Houston Texans would beat the Cincinnati Bengals. It would have been a perfect week if not for the Jaguars pummeling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41-14. However three out of four is still respectable and I’m hoping to duplicate my success with the games for week 15.

Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers:

Last week, the Texans clinched their first playoff berth in team history with a 20-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the rash of injuries during the season, the Texans have continued to roll. Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates played well last week, throwing for 300 yards along with two touchdowns. While Arian Foster (15 carries, 41 yards) and Ben Tate (8 carries, 67 yards) did not have great games last week, they did just enough to complement the passing game.

The Texans have also been playing pretty good defense this season and I think they will do a good job of containing both Cam Newton and Steve Smith. With that being said, I am picking the Texans to notch their 11th victory of the season.

Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts:

Both teams are coming off losses in week 14. The Titans played the New Orleans Saints close before falling 22-17 while the Colts extended their losing streak to 13 games with a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts’ 0-13 record is the primary reason why I’m picking the Titans this week. The second reason is because of the play of quarterback Jake Locker. He picked up the offensive slack last week throwing for 282 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Johnson rushed for only 23 yards on 11 carries.

While the Colts have been competitive in a few of their games this year, their overall play on defense has been pretty bad. Based on that premise, the Titans’ quarterbacks should have a good game regardless of who plays and Johnson should bounce back this week as well.

Please note – this article was written following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons, which is why this game was not included.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been an NFL fan for over 20 years. James is also a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and NJFFL Dynasty. For interesting discussions about the NFL, NBA and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Week 15 Picks and Predictions

NFL Scores and Schedules

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The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, December 11. The loss dropped the Colts to 0-13 on the season. The Colts are the sixth team since the league expanded in 1976 to start a season with 13 straight losses. Of the previous five teams to do it, two failed to win a game. Here is a look back at the five other teams to start the season 0-13 since 1976.

1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The expansion Bucs were a terrible football team. They ended up losing all 14 of their games in the 1976 season. Tampa Bay didn’t even score a point until their third game. They were shut out a total of five times in 1976 and only came within a touchdown of winning a game three times on the season. Tampa Bay went 2-12 the following season.

1980 New Orleans Saints

The Saints seemed to be making progress in 1979 when they finished 8-8. It was the first time the franchise didn’t have a losing season. However, it was all erased in 1980 when the Saints lost their first 14 games. New Orleans earned their first and only win of the season with a 21-20 win over the New York Jets in their 15^th game.

1986 Indianapolis Colts

The 2011 season wasn’t the first time the Colts started 0-13. They had the same start in 1986. The Colts had a couple of close calls but were unable to win any of their first 13 games. However, the team did win their final three games. Indianapolis beat the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Raiders to close the season with a 3-13 record.

2007 Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins had the worst season in team history in 2007. Miami dropped their first 13 games and looked pretty bad doing it. They finally earned a win in their 14^th game when they beat the Baltimore Ravens in overtime. Miami closed the season with two losses after that.

2008 Detroit Lions

The Lions famously lost all 16 of their games in 2008. Most of the games were blowouts, especially later in the season. The Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers in their final game to become the first team to ever go 0-16. They went just 2-14 the following season.

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Dan Orlovsky and the Indianapolis Colts gave their fans a glimmer of hope last week against the New England Patriots, but after returning to same general area of the country to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, things didn’t go so well.

Beyond the 24-10 final score in Baltimore’s favor, the box score is pretty grim from the perspective of a Colts fan. Actually watching them on TV wasn’t any better.

I don’t think anyone in their right mind expected the Colts to compete for any length of time against the Ravens. To the Colts’ credit, they never even allowed their fans to get their hopes up in this one, so it wasn’t a letdown or a heartbreaker of any sort. Early in the second quarter, the Ravens were already up 17-0, had outgained the Colts 180-10, and had 13 first downs to one (on a penalty) for the Colts.

It just went downhill from there for Indianapolis.

As it turns out, the Ravens’ defense is a bit better than the second-string Patriots defenders, and it now looks painfully like Orlovsky’s 15 minutes of fame are contained entirely within the 4th quarter of the Pats game. Against Baltimore, Orlovsky looked like he had been possessed by Curtis Painter.

Before the garbage-time touchdown march against the Ravens’ cheerleaders and food vendors who were playing a prevent defense and only using six people on the field at a time, Orlovsky was 9-of-25 for 60 yards, an interception, three fumbles (he didn’t lose any of them), and a 27.9 passer rating. That’s pretty much an average day for Painter. I was under the mistaken impression that Orlovsky might actually be better than that. The garbage drive got his yardage total up to 137, his passer rating up to 53.4, and the Colts’ point total up to 10.

I probably shouldn’t be so hard on Orlovsky. After all, the Ravens defense is really good. Who’s to say that Painter would have passed for any more than, oh, say, 20 or 25 yards and 9 interceptions?

I’m guessing that the Colts’ coaches and management yelled at Orlovsky for “almost” winning a game last week and for nearly thwarting the team’s Suck for Luck strategy, so Big Dan took a crash course from Painter on how to look completely incompetent. Orlovsky appears to be a quick study.

He certainly didn’t get any help from his teammates, though. The rushing attack, as usual, was pathetic. Donald Brown had 28 rushing yards on 9 carries. Joseph Addai carried it twice for 16 yards, and one of his runs was for 15. Delone Carter picked up 6 more incompetent yards on 5 carries. And that was it: 50 yards of rushing. Awesome.

Reggie Wayne made an awesome leaping one-handed catch in the end zone. I nearly forgot about that. It was really cool to see! Those one-handed grabs are a thing of beauty. Never mind that Wayne was 5 yards out of bounds when he caught it. It was a really great catch.

Orlovsky snapped the 11-consecutive-game streak of losing the time of possession battle last week against the Pats, but the Colts are back to being on the short end of that stick again. The Ravens held the ball for just over 36 minutes in the game to the Colts’ 24 minutes.

Um, let’s see. What else isn’t new? Oh, I know: the Colts still have no run defense. Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a touchdown. I guess I should be happy that he didn’t pick up 204 rushing yards, as he did last week against the Cleveland Browns.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, offensive lineman Ryan Diem went down with some sort of leg injury. It was one of those plays where he immediately dropped like a rock, clutching his knee with a grimace on his face. The replay showed that his leg was rolled up on, and he left the game. So the Colts may be without another starting offensive lineman next week against the Tennessee Titans. That’ll be awesome.

In other AFC South news, the Houston Texans—led by their third-string quarterback (a rookie, no less)—scored a touchdown with 2 seconds left to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, then waited as the New Orleans Saints beat the Titans. The Texans are now AFC South champions and in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That’s what their third-string quarterback can do.

Ours? Not so much.

The author is a resident of central Indiana and a long-time Colts fan. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook.

Also by this author:

How the Indianapolis Colts can beat the Baltimore Ravens

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Welcome to Indianapolis, Andrew Luck

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When the Indianapolis Colts travel back to Maryland to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14 of the NFL season, they’ll probably be lovingly welcomed with open arms by Baltimorians and enjoy a cordial Sunday afternoon jaunt for a few hours at M&T Bank Stadium.

You better watch out, Ray Lewis. The Colts just might shock your Ravens.
Wikimedia Commons

That is, until they win. Then it might get ugly.

The Colts may be 0-12 this season, minus Peyton Manning(notes) and about three-fourths of the rest of the team due to injuries, and come into Baltimore as 16- or 17-point underdogs to the Ravens, but that’s no reason to think they’re going to lose. In fact, if you tilt your head and squint just right, you’ll see that the Colts are actually set up perfectly to win this game.

Here’s how:

Trap Game for Baltimore

The Ravens’ 9-3 record and perch atop the AFC North Division may look daunting to some, but the winless Colts actually have the Ravens right where they want them. You see, Baltimore has the habit of losing to teams they should rout.

Exhibit A: Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans (7-5), back before Chris Johnson decided to participate in the 2011 season. The so-called vaunted Ravens defense gave up 432 yards of offense to the Titans, who normally average just 234.1 yards per game. The Ravens offense turned the ball over three times in that game, and both Joe Flacco(notes) and Ray Rice(notes) had terrible outings.

Exhibit 2: Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9). You can’t see or hear me, but I’m doing my Jim Mora impression when I say, “Jacksonville?! Don’t talk about Jacksonville! Are you kidding me?! JACKSONVILLE?!” Not only did Baltimore lose to rookie deer-in-the-headlights quarterback Blaine Gabbert(notes) and the lowly Jaguars, they allowed them to score 12 points, which is an outstanding game for the Jags. In this loss, the Ravens coughed the ball up twice, only produced 146 yards of total offense, and once again, Flacco and Rice were invisible.

Exhibit Batman Symbol: Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks (5-7). A loss against the team we all love to sneer at and spit on for winning the pathetic NFC West last season with a 7-9 record (well, everyone except for New Orleans Saints fans, that is) and that starts Tarvaris Jackson(notes) at quarterback. Does it get more humiliating than that? You’ll recognize a common theme developing here: three turnovers in this game and not much good from Flacco or Rice.

Oh sure, Baltimore has beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), the San Francisco 49ers, and the Houston Texans (with Matt Schaub(notes)), but rest assured that the Colts are no Steelers, 49ers, or Texans. They are truly awful, but that’s the kind of team that beats Baltimore.

Two Words: Dan Orlovsky(notes)

The Colts started Orlovsky over Curtis Painter(notes) last week against the New England Patriots, and the result was 353 passing yards and two touchdowns. That pretty much quintuples Painter’s season totals. As a team, the Colts scored three offensive touchdowns in the game. That hasn’t happened since … well … longer than anyone around here in central Indiana can remember. And that was against the Patriots. (Just ignore that it was in garbage time against their reserves.)

Heck, it took the Colts four consecutive games combined to score 27 points at one point during the season, so Orlovsky is a huge upgrade. Three offensive touchdowns and 24 points in a single game is like hitting the lottery for Colts fans.

The Colts were 913-point underdogs in that game, too, but they only lost by a touchdown. Yeah, Ravens fans should be sweating bullets right now. Feel the Or-love-sky.

Plus, Orlovsky played his college ball for Connecticut, which is kind of near Maryland. Sort of. I mean, it’s only two or three states away, and the states are really small up there. So that … um … uh … well, that’s probably not the best argument for Orlovsky, but he’s still a lot better than Painter.

Ravens Are No Passing Threat

Did you know that the Ravens have only scored 14 passing touchdowns on the season? That ranks in the bottom third of the NFL. Sure, the Colts defensive backs have been beaten like rented mules this season, and they just put two more of them on injured reserve, leaving … I don’t know who’s left on the roster … Larry, Moe, and Curly? That’s not a problem, though, since Baltimore can’t seem to score much through the air.

The Colts should just completely abandon covering any wide receivers or tight ends—the same strategy they used against Rob Gronkowski(notes) last week—and stack the entire defense on the line of scrimmage. That way the Colts can just focus on stopping Rice, especially since shutting him down been shown to be the Achilles heel of the Ravens. Stop Rice and you’ve stopped the Ravens, as demonstrated three times this season already.

Now, I’ll admit that stopping the run (or stopping the pass, or covering special teams, or scoring points, or gaining first downs, or holding on to the ball, or staying healthy, or winning games) is not the Colts’ forte. Things might also look a little grim with star linebacker Pat Angerer’s(notes) status in doubt for this game. His backup, A.J. Edds(notes) might also be out. So the Colts appear to be down to recently-acquired Zac Diles(notes), who was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at linebacker.

But all of that is okay because the Colts have been known to put 13 men on the field at a time, as they were caught doing against the Patriots (the Colts recently fired their defensive coordinator, and apparently new DC Mike Murphy likes to think outside the box). If they happen to draw Mr. Magoo or someone who can’t count as the game’s referee, consider Rice contained.

Now I’m not going to go all Joe Namath and guarantee a victory or anything. This is simply a recipe for success. The Colts still have their work cut out for them. But if they follow this plan, pray to everything holy, and bribe the groundskeeper to lock the Ravens out of the stadium all day, the boys in blue might just pull this one off.

The author is a Featured Contributor in Sports for Yahoo! Contributor Network. He’s a resident of central Indiana and a long-time Colts fan. While he may have lost most of his hair as a result of this train wreck of a season, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor about it. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook.

Also by this author:

In Colts debut, Dan Orlovsky is no Curtis Painter

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