Colts vs Ravens : Divisonal Playoff Match Up

 Cut and Dry sports has expanded! We would like to welcome Jamie Preston to our staff. Moving forward he will be our Indianapolis Colts correspondent! Look forward to contributions especially with the Colts in the thick of another Superbowl run! Enjoy!

Colts 20 - Ravens 3
Colts are AFC Title bound!
"If you're looking for take-out, the Colts defense delivers!"

-by Jamie Preston

When a person thinks of the Indianapolis Colts they automatically think of a high powered pass offense, with a quarterback that can see the game better than anyone, a star WR Reggie Wayne, and no doubt #44 TE Dallas Clark. But it’s all the different weapons of the Indianapolis Colts that make them so hard to prepare for. We could talk about the offense of the Colts all day, but today let’s talk about the other side of the ball. One of the most over-looked defenses in the league.



The Indianapolis Colts defense is run a lot like I run my own defense in Madden, and that’s speed - kills. It’s a “bend but don’t break” defense that relies heavily on sneaky turnovers and consistency. This type of defense is lean and fast so it’s most criticized by its size disadvantage against a tough running game. This defence can give up yards but it’s cheap on points. In a scenario like the Colts, they only gave up the eighth fewest points in the league this season. This defense works best when you can jump to an early lead and manage the clock, again the Colts fair nicely with Manning and the gang; in fact this defense fits to a tee.

The Colts – Ravens game was a prime example of this defence in action. It just seemed like as soon as the Ravens would get the ball moving their drive would get sabotaged resulting in no points. Jerraud Powers and Antoine Bethea had a pair of picks, also Hayden and Brock with forced fumbles; it seemed once the Ravens had marched down the field their offense looked tired and sloppy. This is when the leaner, quicker defence we talked about earlier would turn the ball over. Before the Ravens knew it Manning had put up 20 points on the board and the game was nearing the end. The Ravens Net yards were 270, the Colts 275. However the Ravens only scored on a field goal that they were even lucky to get as the play before was a pick 99/100 times. Indianapolis always comes with the fire in offensive play but tonight it was the defence that stole the show. Next stop, AFC title game.