FanHouse Preview: Colts at Chargers

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Considering they reside in two different divisions, the Colts and Chargers are quite the familiar foes. Last season the Chargers won a regular season game against Indy when Adam Vinatieri shanked what should have been a gimme game-winner, and then the Chargers went into Indianapolis and shocked the Colts in the playoffs. This season, the Colts went into San Diego and knocked the Chargers to an extremely disappointing 4-7 -- this time on the strength of a clutch Vinatieri kick. At the time, you would have been crazy to think the Colts would have to travel out there again this season.

Instead, the Chargers come into the playoffs winning four straight, and -- by virtue of an embarrassing division -- get the pleasure of hosting a team which holds a four game lead and head-to-head victory in the W column. I'm sure arguments can be made about whether or not this is "fair," but life ain't fair.

You can bet Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy aren't bringing their Colts into San Diego feeling sorry for themselves. If anything, this will light a fire under their bellies.

Three Key Questions:
1. Can the Chargers defense stop the Colts from scoring touchdowns with ease?
2. Is LaDanian Tomlinson healthy enough to take advantage of Indy's poor run defense?
3. Is either team really hot, or were they beating up on inferior competition?

Player in the Spotlight:
This is easily Philip Rivers. He got into several shouting matches with Colts fans last season as the Chargers were passing through Indy victoriously. Every Colts fan despises him to this very day -- seriously, check out the comments under this IndyStar article -- and now he's gonna have to keep up with Peyton Manning score for score, considering the Chargers pass defense is pathetic.

The way he's been playing lately, it's hard to bet against Rivers. He ended up with over 4,000 yards passing, 34 touchdowns to only 11 picks, and an NFL-best 105.5 passer rating.

Indianapolis' Path to Victory:
Really, they just need to do their thing on offense. Some balance from either Joseph Addai or Dominic Rhodes in the running game would be nice, but Manning should have his way with the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL. The offensive line is finally healthy for the first time all season, so they have the pieces in place.

Defensively they'll need to prevent Rivers and the Chargers from keeping pace. Bob Sanders will be back on the field, but Melvin Bullitt has been playing really well anyway. They do sport the NFL's sixth ranked pass defense, so they have the tools in place to handcuff Rivers a bit.

San Diego's Path to Victory:
The defense must step up. They need to find a way to disrupt the timing of the passing game by creatively blitzing Manning, which would not allow him time to set his feet and go through his reads.

Offensively, Rivers is going to need help from Tomlinson to keep the Colts solid pass defense from concentrating too much on stopping the pass. A balanced attack will leave more holes in the secondary for Rivers to exploit, and possibly keep pace with the Colts high-octane offense.

Finally, they need Antonio Gates to play. He needs to be on the field to at least garner attention in the middle of the field, which helps to free up Vincent Jackson on the outside. As of now, Gates' status is uncertain.

One Interesting Tidbit:
I'm not saying I would have voted for Rivers, but the fact that Manning won MVP this week will likely bring the already feisty Rivers with even more intensity. He had better numbers across the board than the MVP, unless you consider wins and losses part of a quarterback related stat. Some do, but some don't.

Prediction:
You wouldn't think that either defense could stop the opposing offense many times, but I don't think we should go overboard and believe it's gonna be in the 40s. I do think the Colts are too much better than the Chargers to lose this game, but it's going to be a good one.

Colts 31, Chargers 27