Updated Jan 7, 2011 1:21 PM ET

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett has been fined $35,000 for delivering a “blindside block” during Sunday’s game against the Tennesse Titans, and another unnecessary roughness call could lead to his suspension, FOXSports.com has learned.

Brackett hit Titans snapper Ken Amato, who had run down field while trying to tackle Colts safety Antoine Bethea.

Brackett has already been fined twice this season for illegal hits, according to The Associated Press.

Once left for dead, or at least irrelevancy, the Indianapolis Colts are a win away from being the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

Seriously, if Peyton Manning is rambling 27 yards on a naked bootleg to seal a win, there is undeniable mojo on the Colts’ side again.

The Colts, now featuring a running game just like a real NFL team, beat the Oakland Raiders 31-26 on Sunday at Oakland Coliseum in a game that clinched nothing, but meant everything in terms of momentum.

Now riding a modest three-game winning streak, the Colts can clinch the AFC South title and a playoff berth with a home win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday or a Jacksonville loss to Houston.

From my spot in front of the flat screen Sunday, the Colts look like a playoff team already. And not just because Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai appear poised to perform a sequel of their 2006 postseason two-man show.

Simply put, the strengths the Colts displayed against the Raiders – defense, running game and intelligence – are always playoff strengths.

(As if to conjure that old 2006 vibe, they even let Raiders return man Jacoby Ford pretend to be Devin Hester with a 99-yard score to open the game.)

The three areas of strength in the Colts’ latest win, all of which will be critical to potential postseason success, are:

♦Defense. This unit, hit by injuries all season, brings a certain kind of grit to the field every game now. Who could have expected that a first quarter in which the Colts denied the Raiders any offense whatsoever would include big plays by backup defensive tackle Antonio Johnson? He stepped in for Daniel Muir and brought some fury.

Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis looked at peak levels on the pass rush, and you had to love how Freeney set up Raiders left tackle Jared Veldheer with repeated spins until a bull-rush sack of Jason Campbell. Mathis remains a strip-sack away from turning the game.

Gary Brackett continues to show his speed burst, and even the Colts’ weakest link, the secondary, had its moments. Antoine Bethea was shaken up for a moment, but, thankfully for Colts fans, returned to the game without obvious injury.

The Colts limited the Raiders’ second-ranked running game to 80 yards, well under its average. Credit solid, swarming tackling, much like the Colts displayed against Jacksonville a week earlier.

♦The running game. Rhodes has clearly brought contagious energy to the entire offense.

Three weeks into his third stint with the Colts, Rhodes seems reinvigorated in a way even he might not have expected. He rushed for 98 yards (5.8 per carry) in a punishing, refuse-to-be-tackled manner.

Addai, back on the field for the first time since mid-October, added 45 yards and a touchdown. His pass protection and option as a receiver can’t be overstated in diversifying the Colts offense.

Donald Brown rushed for 28 yards on six carries, but wasn’t used late. I’m not sure if he was hurt or became the odd man out with Rhodes and Addai running well. Either way, there’s suddenly depth and effectiveness in the Colts backfield.

Indianapolis rushed for 191 yards (at 4.9 yards per carry). The Colts have now put back-to-back 150-yards-or-more rushing games together for the first times since – you guessed it – 2006.

Here’s the stat of the season: The Colts are 6-0 when Manning attempts fewer than 40 passes. He was 16 of 30 for 179 yards, three scores and two interceptions against the Raiders. (That back-shoulder touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon? That was right out of the Manning-to-Marvin Harrison playbook.)

♦Intelligence. If you want an example of why veteran players – savvy veteran players – can make a difference, look no further than the final game-sealing drive.

While the Colts were trying to eat the final 1:50 after the Raiders’ only offensive touchdown, Rhodes took a handoff and slid near the sideline after five yards. He could have tried for more yards and risked going out of bounds. Instead, he kept the clock running and forced a Raiders timeout.

Then, needing a first down to seal the win, Manning faked to Rhodes and ran the naked bootleg, sliding at the 2-yard line and setting up a final kneel for the win. These two plays were clearly the result of thinking men’s football players.

As we enter the final week of the regular season, the AFC is loaded with Super Bowl-worthy teams, starting with the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts don’t look quite as formidable, thanks in large part to their season-long injury bug.

Indianapolis has been a great team the past decade during the regular season. It has not always handled the role of heavy favorite well in the postseason.

As an underdog or a long shot, the Colts seem to be more dangerous and more unpredictable. One more successful Sunday, and we’ll start to find out how far that potential edge will take them.

Once left for dead, or at least irrelevancy, the Indianapolis Colts are a win away from being the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

Seriously, if Peyton Manning is rambling 27 yards on a naked bootleg to seal a win, there is undeniable mojo on the Colts’ side again.

The Colts, now featuring a running game just like a real NFL team, beat the Oakland Raiders 31-26 on Sunday at Oakland Coliseum in a game that clinched nothing, but meant everything in terms of momentum.

Now riding a modest three-game winning streak, the Colts can clinch the AFC South title and a playoff berth with a home win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday or a Jacksonville loss to Houston.

From my spot in front of the flat screen Sunday, the Colts look like a playoff team already. And not just because Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai appear poised to perform a sequel of their 2006 postseason two-man show.

Simply put, the strengths the Colts displayed against the Raiders – defense, running game and intelligence – are always playoff strengths.

(As if to conjure that old 2006 vibe, they even let Raiders return man Jacoby Ford pretend to be Devin Hester with a 99-yard score to open the game.)

The three areas of strength in the Colts’ latest win, all of which will be critical to potential postseason success, are:

♦Defense. This unit, hit by injuries all season, brings a certain kind of grit to the field every game now. Who could have expected that a first quarter in which the Colts denied the Raiders any offense whatsoever would include big plays by backup defensive tackle Antonio Johnson? He stepped in for Daniel Muir and brought some fury.

Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis looked at peak levels on the pass rush, and you had to love how Freeney set up Raiders left tackle Jared Veldheer with repeated spins until a bull-rush sack of Jason Campbell. Mathis remains a strip-sack away from turning the game.

Gary Brackett continues to show his speed burst, and even the Colts’ weakest link, the secondary, had its moments. Antoine Bethea was shaken up for a moment, but, thankfully for Colts fans, returned to the game without obvious injury.

The Colts limited the Raiders’ second-ranked running game to 80 yards, well under its average. Credit solid, swarming tackling, much like the Colts displayed against Jacksonville a week earlier.

♦The running game. Rhodes has clearly brought contagious energy to the entire offense.

Three weeks into his third stint with the Colts, Rhodes seems reinvigorated in a way even he might not have expected. He rushed for 98 yards (5.8 per carry) in a punishing, refuse-to-be-tackled manner.

Addai, back on the field for the first time since mid-October, added 45 yards and a touchdown. His pass protection and option as a receiver can’t be overstated in diversifying the Colts offense.

Donald Brown rushed for 28 yards on six carries, but wasn’t used late. I’m not sure if he was hurt or became the odd man out with Rhodes and Addai running well. Either way, there’s suddenly depth and effectiveness in the Colts backfield.

Indianapolis rushed for 191 yards (at 4.9 yards per carry). The Colts have now put back-to-back 150-yards-or-more rushing games together for the first times since – you guessed it – 2006.

Here’s the stat of the season: The Colts are 6-0 when Manning attempts fewer than 40 passes. He was 16 of 30 for 179 yards, three scores and two interceptions against the Raiders. (That back-shoulder touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon? That was right out of the Manning-to-Marvin Harrison playbook.)

♦Intelligence. If you want an example of why veteran players – savvy veteran players – can make a difference, look no further than the final game-sealing drive.

While the Colts were trying to eat the final 1:50 after the Raiders’ only offensive touchdown, Rhodes took a handoff and slid near the sideline after five yards. He could have tried for more yards and risked going out of bounds. Instead, he kept the clock running and forced a Raiders timeout.

Then, needing a first down to seal the win, Manning faked to Rhodes and ran the naked bootleg, sliding at the 2-yard line and setting up a final kneel for the win. These two plays were clearly the result of thinking men’s football players.

As we enter the final week of the regular season, the AFC is loaded with Super Bowl-worthy teams, starting with the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts don’t look quite as formidable, thanks in large part to their season-long injury bug.

Indianapolis has been a great team the past decade during the regular season. It has not always handled the role of heavy favorite well in the postseason.

As an underdog or a long shot, the Colts seem to be more dangerous and more unpredictable. One more successful Sunday, and we’ll start to find out how far that potential edge will take them.

Indianapolis Colts vs Oakland Raiders NFL Live Broadcast via CBS - The Indianapolis Colts were able to regain control of their playoff destiny with a sorely-needed victory last week, while the Oakland Raiders kept their slim postseason hopes alive by coming through with a big win of their own in their most recent outing.

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland, California) will be the official venue for Indianapolis Colts vs Oakland Raiders football matchup. The game will start at exactly 4:30 pm ET, Sunday, December 26, 2010.

Apparently, Indianapolis entered last weekend’s play one game behind resurgent Jacksonville for first place in the AFC South, a division the Colts have usually had an ironclad stranglehold upon in December in recent years. The reigning conference champions were able to restore a sense of order with one of their most complete performances of the season, receiving strong showings on both sides of the ball in a 34-24 triumph that prevented the Jaguars from clinching a playoff berth.

Indianapolis (8-6) won 34 -24 over Jacksonville last Sunday to forge a tie atop the South with the Jaguars, who would have claimed the division with a victory. The Colts, who cannot clinch the division title this week, will own the tiebreakers over the Jaguars with two more wins.

“The scenario has not changed,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “If we get a couple of victories, we’ll be in basically the same position.”

On the other hand, Oakland, which finished the day with 502 total yards one week after gaining 476 in a tough seven-point loss at Jacksonville the previous Sunday, will still need plenty of help in order to end an eight-year postseason drought. The Raiders trail Kansas City by two games for the division’s top spot with only two left to play, and are still one back of second-place San Diego in the standings.

The Raiders (7-7) present an unfamiliar opponent for Peyton Manning, who is 2-2 with nine touchdowns and six interceptions against them. This is only his second visit to Oakland, where the Colts won 21-14 in 2007 in the last meeting.

Manning, who has thrown for an NFL-leading 4,257 yards, has bounced back from throwing 11 interceptions during a three-game skid to throw four touchdowns and no picks in two games since. He was aided by a rushing attack that amassed 155 yards last week, marking the fourth time the Colts have topped 100.

Witness thereof your favourite football players and teams as the CBS will give their official live tv coverage of the  Indianapolis Colts vs Oakland Raiders match on the said date and time. Please stay tune here to get the latest feeds as well as live score and results of the NFL football game in just a short while.

GAME RESULTS:

Manning threw three touchdown passes and iced the game with a 27-yard keeper to help the Indianapolis Colts beat the Oakland Raiders 31-26 Sunday in a game that turned out to have little playoff meaning.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai expects to return Sunday at Oakland after missing the past eight games with a nerve injury in his left shoulder, the first positive news on the injury front for Indianapolis in quite a while.

“I feel like it’s a great chance. I feel like I’m heading in the right direction,” Addai said Thursday, one day after participating fully in practice. “I felt good. I didn’t set myself back. Really, I’m just happy to put on a uniform and just get back into it.”

Linebacker Clint Session also is likely to play after missing the past seven games with a broken arm and a dislocated elbow. Their returns coincide with the Colts losing wide receiver Austin Collie for the season. He sustained a concussion last Sunday against Jacksonville.

Addai has 5,280 yards from scrimmage and 46 touchdowns in five seasons. He rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown against Washington this season before hurting the shoulder.

“He understands all the nuances,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “He is very, very smart. He’s a guy that can make you miss, but also has power and catches the ball out of the backfield. He’s also a very good pass protector.”

The Colts average 95 yards rushing with Addai and 78 without him. They also has a higher average per carry and generally control the clock better when Addai plays.

“He brings so many intangibles,” Caldwell said. “He certainly does make a difference.”

Caldwell didn’t say whether Addai would start, or how carries would be distributed if he is available. Donald Brown is coming off a career-best 129-yard performance, and the ground game has been effective the past two weeks.

“A lot of it just depends on where he is when we finish the week,” Caldwell said. “We’ll get a real good sense of that. After we make that assessment, we’ll make a determination on how Joe will play for us.”

The Colts (8-6) are in control of the AFC South and will try to earn a third straight victory Sunday when they visit the Raiders.

Indianapolis’ win over Jacksonville last Sunday forged a tie atop the South with the Jaguars, who would have claimed the division with a victory. The Colts, who cannot clinch the division title this week, will own the tiebreakers over the Jags with two more wins.

The Raiders (7-7) are 0-5 against non-division AFC foes but 5-0 in division games, and visit Kansas City in their finale. They could become the first team to win every division game and miss the playoffs since the NFL went to divisions in 1967.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Colts running back Joseph Addai says he has a “great chance” of returning to play Sunday at Oakland.

Addai has missed the past eight games with a nerve injury in his left shoulder, yet he’s still the team’s No. 2 rusher. He was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, and he says he got through it without a setback. He said if the game was Thursday, he would play.

Addai’s improvement comes as the Colts deal with losing wide receiver Austin Collie for the season. Collie sustained a concussion Sunday against Jacksonville and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Coach Jim Caldwell says Addai’s versatility and ability to protect quarterback Peyton Manning make him valuable to the team as it goes for a playoff spot.

The Indianapolis Colts will have to make their final playoff push without receiver Austin Collie.

Collie, who on Sunday suffered his second concussion this season, was placed on injured reserve due to a concussion.

The Colts on Wednesday signed free-agent defensive back Ken Hamlin to the active roster.

Collie, a second-year receiver, was injured late in the first half of Sunday’s game against Jacksonville, when Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith appeared to hit him in the head with his forearm as Collie went low to make a catch.

Despite missing five games and more than a half in three others, Collie leads all Colts receivers with eight touchdown catches, is second in receptions (58) and third in yards (649).

If the Colts (8-6) win at Oakland and beat Tennessee at home, they will win their seventh AFC South title in eight years and earn a ninth straight playoff berth.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.