Raiders host the Colts for ‘do or die’ game

With the Colts in a battle with Jacksonville to win the AFC South and Oakland having to win out to keep their play-off hopes alive, this game will definitely be an interesting one. Tell us something we don’t know, right? Well, in recent weeks the Colts have not only got their running game together but their run defence has also been kicked up a notch. They managed to hold the #2 running back in Maurice Jones Drew to just 46 yards, so how will they do against the dynamic Oakland offence that we all know can put up some serious numbers?

We have the explosiveness of McFadden and Bush going against the likes of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. If Oakland are going to be able to establish any sort of a running game, their offensive line is going to have to step up like they did in the Denver game and the Chargers game before that, to stop these guys from getting into the backfield.

We all know how dangerous Freeney can be when rushing the passer, gaining 8 sacks on the season so far, but just the threat of Freeney coming from the outside can often knock quarterbacks off their rhythm. Jason Campbell is the kind of player that needs a certain kind of steady rhythm in order to keep the offence in order and make his throws. Just the presence of a player like Dwight Freeney can often be enough to make quarterbacks let go of the ball just that split second earlier than they would be comfortable with, leading to incompletions and turnovers, so he will definitely be a huge factor in both run and pass defence.

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Jacoby Ford should be able to get some yardage on the Colts secondary, which I think is the area that Oakland can most take advantage of, should Indianapolis continue to be stout against the run. Although the Colts allow 209 passing yards on average per game, he is so fast and has continued to show his speed against the quickest of secondaries, therefore the Colts will have no chance of stopping this guy once he gets into the open field.

It wouldn’t be an article relating to the Colts if Peyton Manning wasn’t mentioned would it? He is obviously a great quarterback and definitely one of the best in the league. Despite being without Austin Collie, Manning will still be looking to find Reggie Wayne, who can be very explosive. Pierre Garcon will also be able to pick up some yardage, but Oakland need to decide how they want the game to play out from a defensive perspective.

Do they think that bringing the blitz will offset Manning? I personally think that dropping the safeties deep while having the corners in man coverage would be the way to go. You have to take away the underneath receivers, while not allowing yourself to get beaten deep. Manning is great at chipping away with short yardage gains, but he always keeps the deep routes in mind. Therefore, the Oakland secondary need to be all over the field and take away Manning’s options, allowing the big defensive linemen of Oakland to get some hits in early, to throw Peyton off.

There will be some serious numbers in this game, as both offences are very explosive and as for the score line, this should be a cricket score! It’s a must win for both teams at this crucial stage in the season and should be a fascinating game, but I have to go with the Raiders to sneak out the win. With both offences being so explosive, the edge has to go to Oakland’s defence.

All the best from the UK and Happy Holidays!

By: Tom Greenhalgh
ProFootball-fans.com Oakland Raiders Correspondent