Are Colts more formidable than Broncos?

[zipster9]

Colts currently is #1 passing offense and 9th in against-the-run.

They use 2 TE formations (ala, Patriots). They are playing @ home (in a dome). TY Hilton is more dynamic than Sanders (Broncos), IMO.

Will this be a shoot-out? A blow-out? or a close-on?

We overpowered Colts & Luck in last 2 head-head. But, that was in Foxboro.

 

[Haley]

No.

They have Sergio Brown at safety. I'm not impressed with their defense.

Plus, they haven't had a very difficult schedule so far so I wouldn't read too much into their stats.

 

[JMC00]

Just know the 3 best offenses they have faced they have lost, Denver, Philly, and Pitt

 

[Rob0729]

The Colts don't have the defense that the Broncos have. Luck is much more of a gunslinger and is more prone to stupid throws (which Belichick defenses typically feast on). I think the Pats can win multiple ways with the Colts. They can win in a shoot out and by shutting down Luck. I think the Pats are less likely to win in a shoot out with the Broncos because their defense is better.

Plus, TY Hilton is still too much of the Colts' offense. He represents 28% of Luck's completions and 30% of his yards. That means if you shut down Hilton, you take away much of what Luck has to work with. Manning has a lot more productive weapons and you can't just take away one and take away much of his offense.

Also, Luck has two good TEs, but neither are all that productive. Allen is a big red zone target (7 TDs), but he only has 375 yards and Fleener only has 295 yards. Good yards for a TE, but not great numbers and not exactly earth shattering numbers.

 

[Rob0729]

Just know the 3 best offenses they have faced they have lost, Denver, Philly, and Pitt

The only good team that have beaten was the Ravens. Their other wins are against Jacksonville, Tennessee, Houston, Cincy without AJ Green and after the Pats broke them, and the Giants. I know the Pats haven't beaten a lot of quality teams either, but they have beaten better teams than the Colts.

 

[patsfaninpa]

The Colts aren't as good as Denver. But, the location of this game makes it a more difficult game. Our def. front is thin and it won't be easy for them chasing Luck in a warm stadium all night. We win a high-scoring thriller 41-38.

 

[Big-T]

They have Sergio Brown & Darius Butler in the secondary and they don't have anyone who can cover a TE, never mind one as good as Gronk.

Luck has been owned by Belichick every time the Colts have played New England so far too and that was without nearly as much talent as the secondary has now.

Fleener got taken out of the game by Collins and Allen can easily be taken by Browner for this matchup.

They've played the Jags, Titans, Bengals & Giants...hardly powerhouses of the league! The other wins? Close ones against the Ravens & Texans (who aren't that good either). The Steelers lit up their defense like a Christmas tree and they lost a close one to the Eagles.

 

[JMC00]

The only good team that have beaten was the Ravens

Which when you look at their schedule they haven't really been that impressive. Baltimore's quality wins are against Pitt in week 2 (and let's be honest up until 2 weeks ago Pitt looked like an average team) and a 2 point win in Cleveland. Their other 3 wins have come against the mediocre NFCS and they'll get another win this weekend at home against a bad Tennessee team.

 

[zipster9]

There are a lot of good observations. But, still never under estimate an opponent.

 

[patsinthesnow]

I may be kidding myself, but the Dolphins and Browns have the best defenses in the AFC. I'm not saying they are more formidable than DEN/IND.....

We know (as long as Gronk is on the field) Brady can tear apart the Colts and Broncos' Ds for 30+ points. I think I'd be more worried playing a team that could contain our offense.

 

[mayoclinic]

I would love to see a 4-2-1-4 "big nickel" base with someone like Casillas or Ebner as a LB/S assigned as a spy. I think Luck can be conned into a lot of bad throws.

 

[meatface]

The Colts are probably the most overrated team in the NFL right now. They have lost to every good opponent they have faced, have a so-so Defense and are really only doing so well record wise because they are getting to beat up on the terrible AFC South. Yet people keep billing them as a Superbowl contender

 

[shmessy]

Sorry, Zipster, I had to edit the thread title and change the "Is" to "Are".

It was giving me a splitting headache.

 

[Oswlek]

Colts currently is #1 passing offense and 9th in against-the-run.

They're passing offense is very good, but yards inflates it somewhat. They aren't nearly as good as Denver at passing the ball. They are also well below average at run defense by DVOA and ypc, which are much more telling than total yards.

They use 2 TE formations (ala, Patriots). They are playing @ home (in a dome). TY Hilton is more dynamic than Sanders (Broncos), IMO.

I'm not sure what the two TE formations has much to do with anything. They can't run the ball, so it isn't like that creates a duality issue. As for Hilton being more dynamic than Sanders, I'll grant you that, but where are Indy's versions of Thomas #1 and Thomas #2?

10 simulations run on a neutral field, NE would win 8 and blow them out in 3. But it's on the road and Luck has a knack for pulling these games out of his arse, so we just have to see what happens.

 

[Ivan]

I would love to see a 4-2-1-4 "big nickel" base with someone like Casillas or Ebner as a LB/S assigned as a spy. I think Luck can be conned into a lot of bad throws.

Interesting take, all i have seen from Luck has been really positive, i think he is going to be a dominant player for the next 10 years.

To answer the question-no, the Colts aren't as good as the Bronco's, but they could be by the end of the season. i think Pagano is a better coach than Fox and we still have to see how both teams handle major injuries down the road. The Bronco's, in particular, could end up getting hit at the worst time, with little time left to figure out how to deal with them. Unless of course they simply manage to go unscathed by major injury for the season, but that is really unlikely.

 

[Ivan]

Colts currently is #1 passing offense and 9th in against-the-run.

They use 2 TE formations (ala, Patriots). They are playing @ home (in a dome). TY Hilton is more dynamic than Sanders (Broncos), IMO.

Will this be a shoot-out? A blow-out? or a close-on?

We overpowered Colts & Luck in last 2 head-head. But, that was in Foxboro.

Hilton may be better than Sanders but Hilton is their number 1 whereas Sanders is the third option for the Bronco's. Big game for both teams and the Colts have some proving to do when it comes to winning big games.

 

[Jackson 2]

Like others here, I think their defense isn't that good. I think Luck can be lethal at times, but I also think that he gets impatient sometimes and will throw horrible picks, especially if he's behind. But, it's Sunday night and it's away, so anything is possible.

 

[mayoclinic]

Interesting take, all i have seen from Luck has been really positive, i think he is going to be a dominant player for the next 10 years.

I agree that Luck is very good, but he's more of a gunslinger than I expected, and he sometimes tries to create things that aren't there. I think that can be exploited.

 

[TBR]

Do we put Revis on Hilton?

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I think the game itself is as big a challenge as was the Denver game, because it's on the road against a team that. while it's not as good as Denver, has a very strong QB and a friendly home environment. That's mitigated a bit for the Pats because they have a long history of playing big games in Indy.

I look for the Pats to be a three point favorite when the lines come out on Sunday.