Baltimore Ravens vs Indianapolis Colts 2010 NFL Playoff Predictions: As we approach the 2010 NFL Playoff Predictions, AFC gameday, all the talk this week has been about the AFC South champs. The one thing everyone seems to be asking is whether Jim Caldwell’s team possesses the ability to take their foot off the gas and get back on it without losing stride. That’s certainly going to be the headlining story this Saturday night, when the red-hot Baltimore Ravens [+6.5] visit the sports betting odds favorite Indianapolis Colts [-6.5]. This AFC Divisional matchup is scheduled to kickoff at 8:20 PM ET live from Lucas Oil Stadium on CBS Sports.
For these two teams, they know what’s at stake and they know how to get it done during this time of the year. “This game ain’t about tricks,” Ravens safety Ed Reed said. “With the Colts, it’s really basic. It’s not all this complicated stuff. They just run it really well. Peyton [Manning] ain’t playing games with us and we ain’t playing games with him.”
But the most interesting things for a DB whenever facing a quarterback like Peyton Manning, is the usual mind games he tends to play with his pre-snap antics with opposing safeties. According to Reed, none of this will be a factor come gametime.
“I never knew, honestly. I never knew he played games with safeties,” Reed added. “Do I have any funny stories? No, there’s nothing fun about that. There’s nothing funny about me going against Peyton … It’s a different ballgame once the whistle is blown. I’m not playing any games with him – trying to hide or [have him] not know where I’m at – or stuff like that. You read it. Here I am, there you are.”
So, how exactly do you defend against Peyton Manning? “You can’t blitz him,” Ravens defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said. “Yeah, you might take a chance every once in a while, but that’s just to hurry him, force a quick throw maybe. You’re not going to sack him. He doesn’t give up sacks. They’ve given up what, 10 all season?
“He’s not going to make a mistake, zero, and if it looks like he did make a mistake, it was because he did it intentionally… You’re talking about the greatest quarterback of era. He’s a once-in-a-generation guy,” Pryce said. “You’re not going to fool him.”
