INDIANAPOLIS —
The game — Indianapolis Colts (2-13, 1-3 AFC South) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11, 2-3 AFC South), EverBank Field (Grass), Jacksonville, FL, 1 p.m. (EST).

Coverage ­ CBS Sports (Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein); Colts Radio Network (Bob Lamey, Will Wolford, Kevin Lee); Sirius NFL Radio Channel 113 (Colts), Channel 112 (Jaguars); XM NFL Radio Channel Channel 233 (Jaguars).

The coaches — Colts: Jim Caldwell (26-21, 3rd year); Jaguars: Mel Tucker (1-3, 1st year). Jim Caldwell has a 3-2 career coaching record against the Jaguars. Tucker is Jacksonville¹s interim head coach and has never faced Indianapolis in his current role.

The series — 22nd regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 15-6. The Jaguars have posted wins in two of the last three matchups. Indianapolis, though, has won four of the past six and six of the past 10 meetings. The Colts have a 7-3 record against Jacksonville in road games. Six of the last eight games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. Eight of the last eight matchups have been decided by 14 points or less. Jaguars PK Josh Scobee has provided the margin of victory for Jacksonville in three of the series meetings (53 yards with 0:38 left on 10/24/04; 51 yards with 0:04 left on 9/21/08; and 59 yards with 0:05 left on 10/3/10).

Noting it ­ QB Dan Orlovsky has completed 34-of-58 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two weeks in wins over Tennessee and Houston. Orlovsky has a 95 passer rating in fourth quarter as a Colts starter in 2011ŠRB Joseph Addai had two rushing touchdowns in his last meeting at JacksonvilleŠWR Reggie Wayne needs 113 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the eighth consecutive season. Wayne has 887 receiving yards this seasonŠWayne has caught two touchdown passes in his last two games, wins over AFC South rivals Tennessee and HoustonŠWR Austin Collie has hauled in four touchdown receptions in his past four meetings with the JaguarsŠDE Robert Mathis has registered three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his last two gamesŠMathis needs 1.5 sacks to reach 10 for the fifth time in his NFL career.

Did you know? ­ With Minnesota winning last Saturday against Washington, it’s down to Indy and the Rams as to who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. But draft positioning is the farthest thing from the mind of the Colts.

Did you know 2? ­ The Colts have never been swept by an AFC South opponent since the division came into existence in 2002. The Titans and Texans fell the last two weeks and Jacksonville is up next.

Did you know 3? ­ WR Pierre Garcon needs 75 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the first time in his NFL career. Garcon has six touchdown receptions this year, which ties his single-season best (2010).

Did you know 4? ­ DE Dwight Freeney has recorded nine career sacks against Jacksonville. DE Robert Mathis is aiming for his third straight game with a sack against the Jaguars.

Stat of the week ­ Reggie Wayne has 1,599 receiving yards against the Jaguars, the most against any opponent.

The game plan –  Finish. That’s the goal heading into the Jacksonville game on Sunday.

Finish with a sweep of AFC South teams after knocking off Tennessee and Houston the last two weeks. Finish on offense when you’re in the red zone.

Find a way to punch the ball into the end zone. And finish on defense. Finish the turnaround that started in the second half of the loss to Baltimore.

Simply put, the Colts must be able to have a sustained running game while taking advantage of passing situations. Defensively, Indianapolis has to be able to slow down the Jaguars running game. And they must find a way to force mistakes by a rookie quarterback.

Key matchups –  Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. the Jaguars secondary. Wayne usually plays well against Jacksonville and he has played well over the last two weeks in wins over the Titans and Texans. Depending on how his offseason contract negotiations go, Sunday’s game with the Jaguars could very well be Wayne’s last in an Indianapolis uniform.

Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert vs. the Colts’ pass rush. Indianapolis didn’t do a bad overall job against Gabbert earlier in the season, although there were some crucial breakdowns in the second half of that game that allowed the rookie signal caller to break free of the pocket and make some plays downfield. That can’t happen on Sunday.

Colts run defense vs. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is considered to be the best running back that Indianapolis’ defense faces on a regular basis. He has been tough for the Colts to stop completely. They’ve slowed him down some on occasion, but Indianapolis — who came very close to drafting Jones-Drew in 2006 and teaming him with RB Joseph Addai — has yet to completely shut him down.

The Indianapolis Colts have struggled in 2011. The opened the season 0-13 and looked as if they had a possibility of going winless on the season. Then the team dug in and won two games in a row to move to 2-13 on the season. Through the ups and downs, Reggie Wayne has always been there and has had a very good season.

Indianapolis’ statistics are down across the board on offense from what fans are used to seeing. Peyton Manning has not played this season and the quarterback play has been just awful. Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter were downright awful for the first 11 games of the season. Dan Orlovsky has been a big improvement and has the team playing better football lately.

Even with the poor quarterback play, Reggie Wayne has hung in there and is quietly having a very good season at 33 years old. A lot of talk has been made recently about Wayne’s upcoming free agency and that the December 22 matchup against the Houston Texans could have been his last game at Lucas Oil Stadium. If it was, Wayne didn’t disappoint. He didn’t disappoint this entire season when you factor in what he’s had to play through.

With one game left to play, Wayne has 67 receptions for 887 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Wayne has an average of 13.2 yards per catch which is higher than his averages of the last two seasons. You can’t fault Wayne for the fact that his quarterbacks have been awful and have not been able to get him the ball.

Indianapolis has two wins on the season and both wins were clinched with touchdown catches by Reggie Wayne. This is no coincidence.

Reggie needs 113 yards in the finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 1 to finish off his eighth straight season with over 1,000 yards receiving. This would be an amazing feat when fans look back on this seasons Indianapolis Colt team.

Wide receiver Pierre Garcon currently has one more catch and 37 more yards on the season than Wayne. Garcon has been the beneficiary of several deep balls early in the season and yardage that has been added on late in blowout losses. Wayne has consistently made the big plays and catches in key situations. Anyone who argues that Garcon has become the better player is simply not watching the games.

It’s impossible to say what would have been in Indianapolis if Peyton Manning had not missed the season. What I do know is that Reggie Wayne has not lost a step and deserves to be re-signed in Indianapolis to complete his career there. If anything, he needs to be rewarded for the work he has put in over the last 11 seasons. Fans have to appreciate the work Reggie Wayne has put in all season in 2011.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Indianapolis Colts piled up wins for more than a
decade. Their victory Sunday might go down as one of their most memorable.

After 14 straight losses, 50 weeks without a win and 14 years between
non-Peyton Manning victories, the Colts don’t have to worry about 0-16 anymore.
They’re 1-13.

Dan Orlovsky threw a touchdown pass and had the key block to spring an
80-yard touchdown run that sealed Indianapolis’ 27-13 victory over Tennessee,
giving Orlovsky the first win of his NFL career.

“To finally get one, and in the aspect of a lot of certain situations, it
feels great,” Orlovsky said. “I’m very humbled to be a part of it. I’m happy
for a lot of people on this team, for a lot of people in this organization. It
is a lot better than the feeling we have had lately.”

And for a change, the Colts had plenty to smile about.

Orlovsky had lost his nine previous NFL starts including the season-finale
in Detroit’s 0-16 season. He’s the first quarterback not named Manning to win a
game for the Colts since December 1997 when Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback.

Brown ran 16 times for a career-high 161 yards, tying Tom Matte’s franchise
record for longest run, set in 1964. The breakout performance might also
temporarily quiet some of Brown’s biggest critics, who have labeled him a
first-round draft bust.

Indy’s much-maligned defense forced three turnovers, scored a touchdown on
Jacob Lacey’s 32-yard interception return and stopped Tennessee (7-7) on fourth
down with less than 2 minutes left so Orlovsky could run out the clock with the
traditional kneel-down.

Even coach Jim Caldwell got some support.

“I just want to say how happy I am for Coach Caldwell, our coaching staff
and for our players for how diligently and spectacularly they’ve worked and
prepared through all this difficulty,” team vice chairman Bill Polian said.

But the celebration was muted. After the last defensive stop, Indy’s players
and coaches simply raised their arms as the remaining fans cheered loudly.

The good news was that Colts avoided becoming the first team in franchise
history to go 0-14.

The bad news: They’re still playing for the No. 1 draft pick, which goes to
the team with the worst overall record and will have to do it without Manning.
Polian ruled him out of the last two games just minutes after the victory.

“It (winning) means a lot, but we’re a proud ballclub so one game out of 13
or 14, we still have a ways to go,” defensive end Robert Mathis said.
“Everybody held the fort today. We just kept chopping wood and the tree fell
today.”

For Tennessee, it’s an inexplicable loss that could keep them out of the
playoffs.

By closing the season with three straight wins, the Titans could have
controlled their own destiny. Now, they’ll probably have to win their last two
and get help.

“In the first half, we played uninspired football on the offensive side of
the ball and we still had a 6-3 lead because the defense played very well,”
Titans coach Mike Munchak said. “You have to run the football and we couldn’t.
Not only could we not run it, we were losing yards and that put us in a tough
spot. The turnovers start creeping in and (Jared) Cook fumbles the one that
could’ve been the chance to get something going then the interception happened.
That’s really what killed us.”

There were plenty of other problems, too.

Matt Hasselbeck returned from his calf injury but didn’t play well,
finishing 27 of 40 for 223 yards with no TDs and two interceptions. Chris
Johnson ran 15 times for 55 yards. And when Jake Locker got the Titans back in
the game after relieving Hasselbeck, the defense couldn’t corral Brown.

Locker’s 7-yard TD pass to Nate Washington with 3:43 left got the Titans to
20-13.

But on Indy’s next offensive play, Tennessee’s defense appeared to have
Brown cornered in the backfield. That’s when Brown reversed field and Orlovsky
jumped in front of the defender closest to him, running a basketball pick. It
was just enough to get Brown a wide-open lane, and he sprinted right through it
80 yards for Indy’s longest run since Matte in 1964.

“He was about to go down. Akeem Ayers came in there for the tackle. Donald
just got out of it. I went in for the tackle, and the quarterback cut me off,”
safety Michael Griffin said. “From there I don’t know what happened, but we
have to tackle better.”

Indy opened the scoring with a 47-yard field goal that ended a of more than
500 minutes in which the Colts never had the lead

Rob Bironas answered with two field goals before halftime to give the Titans
the 6-3 lead.

This time, Indy needed only about 10 minutes to retake the lead. Orlovsky’s
18-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne made it 10-6. Lacey followed that with his
interception return and Vinatieri made it 20-6 after Indy forced a punt
following a muffed kickoff that went out of bounds inside the 1.

Locker’s TD put the game back in doubt, but Brown wrapped it up with the
long run.

“You just feel like a dark cloud has been removed for the time being, of
course,” the excited Mathis said. “Back to work Tuesday, trying to do it
again.”

Notes: Colts running back Delone Carter left in the first half with an
undisclosed forearm injury and did not return. … The Titans are 0-4 at Lucas
Oil Stadium. … Locker was 11 of 16 for 108 yards with one TD after relieving
Hasselbeck. … Johnson had eight catches for 54 yards.

The Indianapolis Colts are still in search of their first victory of the season in week 15. This is not what I expected to be writing about at the beginning of the season, but here we are. Indianapolis has only three games remaining to avoid finishing the season winless. This week they will face the Tennessee Titans at home on December 18.

This game will be the best chance for Dan Orlovsky to show what he can do against an average team. In his first two starts, Orlovsky faced the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens and was not terrible. He was clearly better than Curtis Painter and he actually moved the ball and helped the team score points on offense. There is no reason why he should not do significantly better against the Tennessee Titans.

Indianapolis needs to try to air it out downfield to Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne in this game. They have nothing to lose and need to be more aggressive in this game. As a fan of the team, it remains frustrating that the coaching staff refuses to do anything unconventional in an attempt to win. Why not go for it on every fourth down? There is no downside to it at all at this point. There is no reason why fans should expect anything different from Jim Caldwell this week though. It’s as if he has no idea that he is coaching for his job.

Colt fans early in the week appeared lucky enough to be facing rookie quarterback Jake Locker. Matt Hasselbeck now looks like he is on pace to start against the Colts. Whichever quarterback gets the start, they should have no trouble moving the ball against the Colt defense. One sign of hope is that Indianapolis generally does a very good job defending against running back Chris Johnson. If they can slow Johnson down, they may even stand a chance in this game. Tennessee does not have an explosive offense and should not be able to run away in this game.

I think this is a game where Indianapolis remains competitive and can put themselves in a position to win the game. They will likely fall short like every other game this year. At this point, fans can only hope that Dan Orlvosky will pull off his fourth quarter magic and make the game appear closer than it really is again. Orlovsky has shown that he is great at scoring points in the fourth quarter when the game is out of hand. Luckily, I think he’ll be able to do that and give fans hope that the game was actually closer than it really was.

Prediction: Titans 24, Colts 17

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

I get paid to watch the Indianapolis Colts. I don’t know how anyone else does it.

Don’t get me wrong. You have to admire Colts fans who stick by their team, which is now stuck at 0-13 after a 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

Loyalty in sports often ranks as a low priority among professional athletes as they jump from team to team, but it’s a requirement for true fans. Your team is your team whether it’s good, bad or Colts ’11. You don’t abandon it for another bandwagon, no matter how frustrating; just ask Cubs fans.

So, kudos to Colts fans who have persevered from Collins to Painter to Orlovsky, a football version of Tinkers to Evers to No Chance.

Still, this latest Colts exercise was more torturous than ever, almost impossible to endure and a cinch to mentally dispose of five minutes later.

By my unofficial count, there were two moments worth watching:

1. Dwight Freeney’s 100th sack. The great defensive end devoured Joe Flacco like he was engaged in some sort of salute to classic Pac-Man. Freeney just swallowed him whole. For Freeney, who was shut out in his attempt to make Tom Brady his 100th victim, it was a week late but sweet nonetheless.

2. Reggie Wayne’s one-handed grab. The greatest catch of the season didn’t count since Dan Orlovsky’s pass was a sliver too wide. Wayne went up with one hand, his arm stretching like made of elastic, and pulled in the pass. He was out of bounds. And, in a way, that captured Wayne’s season: Supreme talent wasted.

Beyond that, the only suspense was whether the Colts would break their 1954 record for fewest offensive yards in a game. They tried their worst, but failed when a fourth-quarter Orlovsky completion to Wayne put them well past the 67 yards set 57 years ago. Maybe next week.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell likes to say things are never as good or as bad as they seem, although we haven’t had to contemplate any good illusion for a while. In that light, Orlovsky is not as good as he looked against the Patriots [team stats]’ bend-and-crack-and-sometimes-break defense nor as bad as he looked against the Ravens’ Super Bowl-worthy defense.

But, wow, was Orlovsky discombobulated by Baltimore. Toward the end, before he threw a touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme as time expired – a personal moment of semi-excitement as it cemented my predicted 24-10 final score – he seemed to be taking the snap and throwing a pass simultaneously. And then he’d still get hit by a minimum of two Ravens.

On the bright side, Anthony Castonzo now has some good film on the difference between being a consistently strong left tackle and being a human blocking dummy for Terrell Suggs. I’m sure it was not a fun learning experience, but should be a valuable one moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, and other good news, the Colts have three games left, including their final two home games in a five-day span. They play the Titans at home next Sunday, followed by the Texans on NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football on Dec. 22. Then it’s off for Christmas. (Dear Santa, we’d like two lock-down corners and some luck. Or some Luck, depending on Peyton Manning’s health.)

The end finally arrives on Jan.1 on the road in Jacksonville. The Colts’ New Year officially begins Jan. 2.

Colts fans will keep watching for three more weeks. It’s become a test of devotion now. The reward remains the prospect of the most entertaining NFL Draft since 1998. Now you couldn’t pay me to miss that.

———

Peyton Manning can still throw a football! As minor as this seems, this is big news for fans of Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. It’s been over three months since his last surgery and Manning recently got news that he is progressing. Coach Jim Caldwell announced on December 14 that Manning has begun throwing the ball again. He has yet to participate in practice but throwing the ball is a step forward.

The most important news will be whether Manning’s body responds well to increased activity. If he suffers no setback, Manning would very much be on pace to play at the beginning of the 2012 season. If he is in fact healthy, there is no doubt he should be playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck could also be in Indianapolis, but there is no doubt that Peyton Manning would be the quarterback.

As a fan of the team, it’s nice to hear any positive news on Manning. Indianapolis Colt fans have had very little positive news in 2011 and any progress for Manning is great news. Indianapolis is trying not to go winless after an 0-13 start to the season in 2011. Fans have had to suffer through seeing Manning watching the team from the sidelines this season.

For fans who questioned all year why Manning was still on the active roster, they may soon have an answer. If Manning is healthy enough and gets cleared to practice, he should. It will help a lot more to have him line up on the field and throw to the ball to Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Austin Collie than equipment managers and trainers. This is the reason Indianapolis has held out a roster spot for Manning in 2011. Owner Jim Irsay recently said that Manning is unlikely to suit up and play in games in 2011 at this point.

Even if they end the year 0-16, fans should all be encouraged if Manning is in pads and practicing with teammates soon. As a big fan of Manning, it leaves me excited and encouraged for the future.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Dan Orlovsky, QB

Averaging just 14.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Orlovsky is not the fantasy quarterback you want on your team leading you in the playoffs. He scored just 8.44 fantasy points last week against the Baltimore Ravens but looks to have a better matchup this week against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is giving up 15.54 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season but even if he were to hit his average, confidence is low during the playoffs when solid games are necessary.

Donald Brown, RB

Averaging 9.80 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Brown has been a surprise performer for owners in deeper leagues. He had a tough game against the Ravens last week scoring only 2.20 fantasy points but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is allowing 18.41 fantasy points per game to running backs this season but much like Orlovsky, my confidence in him during the playoffs is slim. RB Joseph Addai is also back in action but remains unreliable for the rest of the season.

Reggie Wayne, WR

Averaging 9.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Wayne remains one Indianapolis Colts player I am confident in throughout the fantasy playoffs. He scored just 4.10 fantasy points last week against a tough Ravens team but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is giving up 17.61 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, so while he is not expected to have a huge game, he is a reliable No. 3 receiver this week.

Pierre Garcon, WR

Averaging 11.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Garcon is undoubtedly the best fantasy player on the Colts’ team. While he scored only 4.60 fantasy points last week against the Ravens, he has a good matchup against the Titans and remains Orlovsky’s top target. His risk lies only in the fact Orlovsky is under center.

Jacob Tamme, TE

Both Tamme and TE Dallas Clark should not be given any consideration during the fantasy playoffs. While Tamme did score 7.30 fantasy points last week, it was due to a single 13-yard touchdown reception.

Adam Vinatieri, K

Averaging just 5.50 fantasy pointsper game in the last four weeks, Vinatieri is best suited on the waiver wire for the remainder of the season. It is sad for a kicker who has had such a great career, but history does not translate into fantasy points when gunning for a league championship.

Defense

Averaging 4.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, the Colts’ team defense belongs on the waiver wire with Vinatieri for the remainder of the season.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Indianapolis —
The game — Indianapolis Colts (0-12, 0-3 AFC South) at Baltimore Ravens (9-3, 4-0 AFC North), M&T Bank Stadium (Shaw Sportexe Momentum Turf), Baltimore, MD, 1 p.m. (EST).

Coverage –CBS Sports (Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker); Colts Radio Network (Bob Lamey, Will Wolford, Kevin Lee); Sirius NFL Radio Channel 06 (Colts), Channel 85 (Ravens); XM NFL Radio Channel 233 (Ravens).

The coaches — Colts: Jim Caldwell (24-20, 3rd year); Ravens: John Harbaugh (41-19, 4th year). Caldwell has a 2-0 record against the Ravens. Harbaugh is 0-3 in games against the Colts.

The series –  10th regular-season meeting. Colts lead the series, 7-2. Indianapolis has won every meeting between the two franchises since 2002 (six straight regular-season victories), including a pair of post-season victories (15-6, 2006; 20-3, 2009). The last time that the Ravens won a game in the series occurred in 2001 (39-27 in Baltimore). The Ravens’ two series victories came in 2001 and 1998 (38-31 in Baltimore). Indianapolis won the first game of the series, posting a 26-21 victory in Indianapolis in 1996. The Colts have a 3-2 regular-season road record against Baltimore, including a 17-15 decision at M&T Bank Stadium in 2009.

Noting it — The Colts are closing in on tying the record for the worst regular-season start in franchise history. Indianapolis is currently 0-12 for the year. The 1986 team lost its first 13 games of the season before running off a three-game winning streak to close out the year…Indianapolis is the third home for the Colts’ franchise. The team initially began operations as the Dallas Texans in 1952 before moving to Baltimore for the 1953 season. The team was in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983 before moving to Indianapolis for the start of the 1984 season…QB Dan Orlovsky had career-bests in passing yards (353) and quarterback rating (113.2) in last week’s 31-24 loss at New England…DE Dwight Freeney needs half sack to become the 26th player with 100 career sacks. Freeney has registered 99.5 sacks during his NFL career…DE Robert Mathis has had four sacks in his last five career games against the Ravens…Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron grew up and attended high school in Terre Haute (South HS). Cameron, the stepson of former Indiana State football coach Tom Harp, played football and basketball at Indiana University. He also served as head football coach at IU….Ravens coach John Harbaugh is the brother-in-law of Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean.

Did you know? — Counting post-season games, the Colts defense has registered six interceptions in their last three meetings with Baltimore.

Did you know 2? — RB Donald Brown is shooting for his third straight games with a rushing touchdown this season.

Did you know 3? — WR Reggie Wayne, with his 52 pass receptions this season, has caught 50 or more passes in nine straight seasons.

Did you know 4? — WR Pierre Garcon has registered single-season best in receiving yardage (805) and has tied his career-high in touchdown receptions with six.

Stat of the week — Including postseason games, RB Joseph Addai has three rushing touchdowns in five career games with the Ravens.

The game plan — Continue to improve on offense. And keep tweaking the defense.

The Colts want to try, if possible, to control the tempo on offense. Indianapolis did a pretty good job against the Patriots defense last week, but the Ravens offer up one of the better defensive units in the league.

Continue their development of the running game, which has shown signs of improvement since the beginning of the season.

Defensively, the Colts can’t afford the communication issues that allowed three second quarter touchdowns at New England.

Getting consistent play from the cornerbacks is paramount, especially since there is only one starter available from the beginning of the season.

Key matchups — Colts QB Dan Orlovsky vs. Ravens rush DE Terrell Suggs. Orlovsky showed pretty good pocket presence last week against New England but was still sacked twice. Suggs, meanwhile, is a one-man wrecking crew for Baltimore with a team-high 10 sacks, two interceptions and five passes broken up.

Ravens RB Ray Rice vs. Colts’ run defense. Rice is coming off a 204-yard effort against Cleveland last week. Indianapolis’ run defense is allowing 99 yards per game and is ranked 26th in the league.

Colts secondary vs. Ravens QB Joe Flacco. Indianapolis cornerbacks are beat up and the safeties, with the exception of Pro Bowl free safety Antoine Bethea, are largely inexperienced. Flacco has completed 240-of-434 passes for 2,895 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Read More: Dallas Clark (TE – IND), Brody Eldridge (TE – IND), Terrence Johnson (DB – IND), Drake Nevis (DT – IND), Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens, Dec 11, 2011 1:00 PM EST

The Colts’ path to 0-16 got a little bit easier this week, as they have lost three more regulars for the season due to injuries. Colts DB Jerraud Powers (elbow), CB Terrence Johnson (ankle), and now DT Drake Nevis (lower back) were all placed on the injured reserve this week.

The good news is that tight end Dallas Clark was a full participant in practice and could play this weekend along with fellow tight ends Brody Eldridge and Ryan Mahaffey. 

Here is the full injury practice report from NFL.com: 

LB A.J. Edds (Ankle) – Did Not Participate In Practice –

WR Anthony Gonzalez (Groin) – Did Not Participate In Practice –

DE Robert Mathis (Not Injury Related)  – Did Not Participate In Practice –

C Jeff Saturday (Not Injury Related) – Did Not Participate In Practice –

WR Reggie Wayne (Not Injury Related) – Did Not Participate In Practice –

TE Dallas Clark (Fibula) – Full Participation in Practice –

TE Brody Eldridge (Hand) – Full Participation in Practice –

DE Dwight Freeney (Not Injury Related) – Full Participation in Practice –

TE Ryan Mahaffey (Concussion) – Full Participation in Practice –

LB Pat Angerer (Knee) —  Limited Participation in Practice –

LB Ernie Sims (Toe) – Limited Participation in Practice

Don’t think the New England Patriots take the winless Indianapolis Colts for granted.

In his weekly press conference at Gillette Stadium Wednesday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was pretty adamant about this coming Sunday’s game.

He reminded reporters that preparation is no different for him than other weeks even if the Colts are 0-11.

“We talk about it every game,” Belichick said. “It doesn’t matter. The 16 games on our schedule, they’re all the same. It’s our team against that team that week. We look at, try to learn about our opponent and scout them and pick up tendencies and strengths and weaknesses and all that, but how we match up against that team that day is all that matters.”

The Colts, who is missing star quarterback Peyton Manning and a slew of other key players, are 21-point underdogs.

Although the New England defense is dead last in the NFL in total yards per game, pass net yards per game and first downs per game, Indy is the distinct owner of the NFL’s worst stat — last in points allowed.

Still it doesn’t faze Belichick at all.

“The rest of it is a bunch of garbage,” Belichick said. “You guys can write about it all you want but it doesn’t matter, really. The winner of this game will be decided by which team plays better on Sunday, not what happened four weeks ago.”

Quarterback Tom Brady even said he wasn’t looking forward to seeing the Colts’ Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis on the defensive side.

“I think they’ve got some players that can really play,” Brady said. “I’ve played Dwight Freeney a bunch. I wish he was out this week, but he’s in there again. He’s a phenomenal player. If I could be a defensive end, I’d be like him, and Robert Mathis on the other side. Both those players can really wreak havoc and strip sacks.”

Brady knows New England will have to play just like they did a week ago.

“They’ve been in a lot of close games,” Brady said. “They haven’t won them, but they’re in them. We have to go out there and we have to try to play really well, play more consistent, kind of like we did last week. We played more consistent than we had the previous week. We’ve got to go out there and play very consistent this week, too.”

Indianapolis announced this week they will have 6-foot-5 journeyman Dan Orlovsky under center this Sunday instead of Curtis Painter.

Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said it doesn’t matter.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with their situation with the quarterback but whoever is out there, we’re going to play them,” Ninkovich said. “Whatever the Colts decide, we’re going to have to prepare for.”

Orlovsky will have dependable receivers to throw too as well.   

Indy still has superstar Reggie Wayne (47 receptions for 652 yards and a pair of touchdowns) and Pierre Garcon (46 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns).

“He’s fast,” New England safety James Ihedigbo said about Garcon. “He’s a run and catch type of guy … he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands. They do a good job of getting the ball to him. He can kind of do his thing. He’s definitely an explosive threat.

“Reggie is still the same but he has a different guy throwing him the ball. He is definitely one of the best players at his position.”

Ihedigbo himself said the Patriots need to improve each week even if they’re playing the winless Colts.

“We have the mentality as a team that it is about us,” Ihedigbo said. “The type of team that we want to continue to be, excelling at areas to get to where we want to go. So playing the Indianapolis Colts, it’s an opportunity for us to play the type of football that we want to. Record don’t matter to this team. It is based upon the game on Sunday and what each team brings to the table.”

So come Sunday, New England knows better not to let its guard down.

They’re still in the hunt for the best record in the AFC.

“In the NFL, it does not matter because there are players on every team,” Ninkovich said. “You have to respect everyone on the team. You have to go out there and play every week. Take one game at a time.”

Contact Steven Sanchez at ssanchez@tauntongazette.com

By Alex Boeder

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Indiana on Facebook.

Nov 30, 2011 – Admittedly, without Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts versus New England Patriots rivalry has lost most — if not all — of its luster. But even though the Colts have fallen on the hardest of times without the injured Manning behind center, Patriots coach Bill Belichick took great offense to the idea that his team would treat this weekend’s opponent any differently, via NFL.com.

When a television reporter suggested it’s easier gauge a team’s progress by facing a strong opponent, Belichick cut her off.

“Yeah … I don’t agree with that,” he said. “So, you can go ahead on your soliloquy about that, but I just don’t agree with that. You don’t think you can gauge a team based on how a player blocks Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis? I mean, who else would you gauge it against? What? Are you kidding me? Covering Reggie Wayne, (Austin) Collie, and (Pierre) Garcon — you don’t think you can gauge your coverage based on those players? I don’t care what their record is. You don’t think there’s better receivers around than them? Better pass rushers than Freeney and Mathis? I mean, I’m not sure what games you’re watching here.”

Not everyone sees the upcoming Colts/Patriots game in such a compelling light as Belichick — in fact, even the NFL rescheduled the Dec. 4 matchup from the Sunday evening prime time slot to 1:00 p.m. ET.

But even while Tom Brady versus Dan Orlovsky does not have the same ring to it, Belichick and the Patriots will be up for the game. And that they should be — after all, Indianapolis has likely reached the point where beating New England would make up for some — if not most — of their troubles in 2011.

Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Indiana on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

Indianapolis —
The game — Carolina Panthers (2-8, 0-2 AFC South) at Indianapolis Colts (0-10, 0-3 AFC South), Lucas Oil Stadium (FieldTurf), Indianapolis, IN, 1 p.m. (EST).

Coverage — FOX Sports (Chris Myers, Tim Ryan); Colts Radio Network (Bob Lamey, Will Wolford, Kevin Lee); Sirius NFL Radio Channel 91 (Panthers), Channel 104 (Colts); XM NFL Radio Channel 228 (Colts).

The coaches — Colts: Jim Caldwell (24-18, 3rd year); Panthers: Ron Rivera (2-8, 1st year). This is the first time that Caldwell has faced Carolina as a head coach.

The series — 4th regular-season meeting. The Panthers lead the series, 3-1. Indianapolis’ only win in the series occurred in the last meeting as the Colts posted a 31-7 win in Charlotte on 10/28/07. Carolina won the three previous matchups (1995, 13-10, Clemson; 1998, 27-19, RCA Dome; 2003, 23-20 in OT, RCA Dome). The Panthers are the only team that Indianapolis has not beaten in a home game.

Noting it — Former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison will be inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor at halftime of Sunday’s game with Carolina. Harrison joins Jim Harbaugh, Bill Brooks, Robert Irsay Sr., Chris Hinton, Ted Marchibroda, Tony Dungy and the 12th Man in the Ring of Honor…Indianapolis vice chairman Bill Polian served as Carolina’s general manager from 1994-96…Panthers defensive backs coach Ron Meeks was the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2002-08…Carolina offensive consultant Ricky Proehl played wide receiver for Indianapolis in 2006…Panthers LB Jordan Senn (2008-09), TE Ben Hartstock (2004-06), RB Josh Vaughan (2010), and P Jason Baker (2004) have all played for Indianapolis. Hartstock was a former draft pick of the Colts…Indianapolis DE Tyler Brayton (2008-10) and S Stevie Brown (2011) have both played for the Panthers…RB Joseph Addai had 100 yards rushing with three TDs (two rushing and one receiving) in his only meeting with the Panthers (10/28/07)…In two career games against the Panthers, WR Reggie Wayne has 11 catches for 239 yards and two touchdows…DE Dwight Freeney needs 1.5 sacks to become the 26th player with 100 career sacks…DE Robert Mathis needs 1.5 sacks to record 80 for his NFL career…Carolina tight ends coach Pete Hoener served as Indiana State’s offensive line coach and offensive coordinator from 1978-84. Hoener was also as an assistant coach at Purdue.

Did you know? –  Wayne needs eight catches to have at least 50 receptions for nine consecutive seasons.

Did you know 2? — WR Pierre Garcon needs 164 receiving yards to surpass his career-best of 704 yards, which was set last season.

Did you know 3? — Rookie RB Delone Carter ranks second among first-year running backs in the AFC with 327 rushing yards. Carter trails Miami’s Daniel Thomas, who has 406 rushing yards.

Did you know 4? — CB Jerraud Powers is aiming for his third consecutive game with an interception. Powers had picks against Atlanta and Jacksonville.

Stat of the week — The Colts have a 13-9 record after a bye week.

The game plan — Find a way to win. Scratch out a victory. Make plays on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, the Colts have to show more consistency in their possessions. Indianapolis continues to shoot themselves in the foot with untimely penalties and unforced errors.

Defensively, keeping the Carolina quarterback contained in the pocket is key. The Colts can’t allow any breakouts, or breakdowns, in assignments. Play the scheme, follow the game plan and play smarter.

Key matchups — Colts QB Curtis Painter vs. Panthers RDE Charles Johnson. Painter has been sacked 14 times this year. Johnson, meanwhile, has a team-leading seven sacks in 2011. The Indianapolis signal caller is more mobile than he’s given credit for, but is slow sometimes in getting rid of the football.

Panthers QB Cam Newton vs. Colts DEs Dwight Freeney/Robert Mathis. Indianapolis has had success in the past in putting pressure on big mobile quarterbacks, such as Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Duante Culpepper and Vince Young. But whether they can provide enough pressure against Newton remains a big concern.

Colts CB Jerraud Powers vs. Panthers WR Steve Smith. Powers is hands down Indianapolis’ best cornerback. Smith, meanwhile, is a game-breaking receiver who can make plays all over the field. He has caught a team-high 56 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Regardless of how you do the math, the numbers don’t add up well for the Indianapolis Colts.

The big one is the Colts’ 0-10 record.

Dig below the surface and past the glaring absence of injured quarterback Peyton Manning and the reasons for the winless season become more apparent.

The Colts have scored 27 points in their last four games.

Over the last 22 quarters, the Colts have scored five touchdowns and thrown seven interceptions.

Quarterback Curtis Painter, who will start against the Panthers after some discussion as to whether he should be replaced by Dan Orlovsky, has thrown five touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. His 67.7 passer rating is 31st in the league. His fourth-quarter passer rating ranks 39th.

The Colts rank 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. Their minus-10 turnover ratio is tied for 29th in the 32-team league.

“It’s been tough,” Painter said. “Any time you’re not winning games, it’s tough especially to be where we are. We’re still optimistic in the sense that we look at some of the things we’re doing and we’re still doing it to ourselves. We’re still positive that those are things we can correct and we look to do that and hope to end this last section of the season the right way.”

While outside chatter focuses on the Colts’ increasingly good chance of landing the first pick in next year’s college draft and, almost by default, securing the chance to pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the inside emphasis is on changing the direction of the suddenly struggling franchise which is likely to be without Manning for the rest of the season.

It’s still a team sprinkled with familiar names – receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, running back Joseph Addai and defensive end Dwight Freeney – but injuries have limited them. Besides Manning, receiver Dallas Clark is also out.

What started with a 34-7 loss at Houston in the season opener has spiraled downward. The Colts’ last four losses have come by an average score of 32-7.

Manning’s absence is a huge factor in the Colts’ struggles but not the only one.

“It’s not just one problem. It’s been different ones that have popped up,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “If I wanted to give you one word to describe the season it would be inconsistent. There have been games when we’ve played well offensively and maybe didn’t play well in other phases in order to get us a win. Or we’ve played well defensively and the opposite has been true. We’ve been turning the ball over a little bit too much and inconsistent play on and off throughout the season.

“What we’re trying to do is to see our team ascending and getting better. That’s the key here down the stretch. We’re working hard to make certain that happens. There’s a lot of things we need to keep concentrating on. It boils down to the same things week in and week out. It’s your fundamentals. Sometimes we’ve been just a little off, and in this league if you’re a little off, you’re going to have some problems.”

In Painter, the Colts are relying on a seventh-round draft choice out of Purdue who had played briefly in one 2009 game before this season. After Kerry Collins went down with an injury in the third week of the regular season, Painter was pushed into action.

He’s completing less than 55 percent of his passes as the Colts have made just 19 trips inside opponents’ 20-yard line this season. Two weeks ago, the Colts never got deeper into Falcons’ territory than the 33-yard line.

“(Painter is) a guy that has not played a whole lot of football for us,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to give him some help and give him a chance to learn and develop.”

After playing behind Manning for two seasons, Painter now takes pointers from the veteran recovering from neck surgery.

“He’s been around. He’s been helpful, certainly to me,” Painter said of Manning. “He’s been a great help whether it’s been during the week at practice or during game day when I’m coming off to the sideline and talking to him about different looks or things we’re doing offensively. I can’t say enough about how much he’s helped out this year.”

As the Colts move closer to locking down the first pick in the next draft and the likelihood they could use it on Luck, Painter said he hasn’t paid much attention to who might be playing quarterback for the Colts next season.

“It’s not much of my concern. It’s hard to worry about anybody that’s not here right now,” Painter said. “We’re really not looking any past (this week).”

INDIANAPOLIS – Carolina coach Ron Rivera looks at the Indianapolis Colts and sees more than a winless team. He worries about potential problems.

Whether it’s receivers Reggie Wayne or Pierre Garcon or young quarterback Curtis Painter, Rivera believes Indianapolis’ offence can still create havoc for his defence, even if that hasn’t been the case with anybody else.

“They can throw it down the field and score points, and you look defensively at Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney and they’re rushing as hard as ever,” Rivera said. “So we’re not approaching anybody lightly.”

It might seem odd to hear Rivera guarding against overconfidence, given the circumstances. At 2-8, the Panthers are not exactly in the playoff mix, and are trying to rebound after a major collapse last weekend in Detroit.

But this is what happens when a young, struggling team faces another that is reeling.

The numbers tell the Colts’ tale.

— Indy’s offence hasn’t scored a touchdown since Oct. 30 and is ranked No. 31 in the league, while the defence has yielded a league-high 30 points per game.

— The Colts have been outscored 137-27 over the past four games and haven’t lost by fewer than 10 points since Oct. 9.

— After enduring only one streak of more than three straight losses between 1998 and 2010, Indianapolis has now lost 11 straight counting last season’s playoff loss to the Jets and will go into Sunday’s game looking to end a 328-day winless drought. Indy’s last win, Jan. 2 over Tennessee, clinched its seventh AFC South title in eight years.

— Indianapolis has already been eliminated from the AFC South title chase and could be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs this weekend.

— Plus, the Colts aren’t just 0-10, they hold a two-game lead over their nearest competitor for the No. 1 draft pick.

The bye week gave Indianapolis a chance to forget about all the losing for a while, to regroup and refocus on how they could start winning.

They needed it.

“It’s been a long time coming, and we needed this bye week,” linebacker Ernie Sims said. “We can get a fresh start, a brand new start and start all over again. Now we can get back on the same page.”

It won’t be easy.

On Wednesday, coach Jim Caldwell announced Painter would continue to start despite posting quarterback ratings below 51.0 over each of the past four games. Tight end Dallas Clark (left fibula) has already been ruled out of Sunday’s game, and although injured running back Joseph Addai (hamstring) has practised this week, there’s no guarantee he’ll start against the Panthers.

And now, they have to face Cam Newton, who has already rushed for nine touchdowns, a rookie record for a quarterback, and has thrown for nearly 600 yards more than Peyton Manning did in his first 10 games in the NFL.

Newton already sounds like a veteran.

“We ain’t looking past nobody right now. We need as many moral victories as we can get, and I think you need to be asking the Colts don’t be looking past us, right?” Newton said. “I think we’re in a situation where we’re a team full of questions and we have to try to find an exclamation point somewhere.”

Carolina has run into its own bad luck. After starting 1-2, the Panthers have lost six of seven including three straight.

The difference: Carolina has plenty of offensive firepower. Newton has the Panthers ranked among the top 10 in total yards, yards passing and yards rushing, Steve Smith is eight yards from another 1,000-yard season, and Newton, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have Carolina averaging 5.0 yards per carry (No. 3 in the NFL).

The problem is that defensively, the Panthers’ continued struggles have caused consternation for Rivera.

“The thing that we’ve got to learn as a young football team is that you’ve got to overcome mistakes, you’ve got to overcome bad things, maintain your poise and composure and then go out and do it,” Rivera said.

All the Colts want to do is learn how to win again.

“I certainly hope we can score some points,” Painter said. “We certainly hope that we can attack some of the things that they’re doing, and again, just having an extra week here to hopefully correct some things and be able to be successful.”

But as both teams know, there are no guarantees in the NFL — even for two teams in desperate need of a win.

“Shoot, with their potential and ability, who knows?” Rivera said. “You can get behind early, and if that defence gets rolling, it could be a tough day. So we’re not approaching it lightly, and as far as I’m concerned this is the NFL. Anybody can beat anybody. It doesn’t matter who is playing.”