***MNF IN THE SWAMP - INDY @ NYJ***
***INDIANAPOLIS COLTS @ NEW YORK JETS***
A game that was probably looked at as a juicy MNF matchup when the schedule makers decided to highlight it before the season began unfortunately is now not so much. However I do think it could provide for an entertaining one to say the least. Despite an ugly 5-6 record for the Colts, their playoff hopes are very much alive since they reside in the weak AFC South Division where they are only a game back of the first place Texans and Titans both currently sitting at 6-6. That being said, with a road victory tonight against a lowly Jets team, the Colts can make the AFC South a three-way tie headed into week 14 which is obviously a big deal. Especially since Indy hosts the Texans next week so the opportunity to quickly jump ahead of them is there for the taking. Needless to say if the Colts want to keep their playoff dreams alive, their remaining games all now come with the dreaded "must-win" tag. Tonight's game is one they should come out on top of since it is clear that the 3-8 Jets season is over. There is a ton of controversy surrounding the Jets organization after coming off of a 10 win season and having such high hopes for this year and returning the same team for the most part. It is no secret that Jet fans are severely disappointed and are calling for their team to use the rest of the meaningless season to see what they have in their two young QBs and gain a better understanding of where they need to go from here. However for some reason Head Coach Todd Bowles and the Jets organization are still sticking with their guy in QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and claiming that he gives them their best chance to win. I guess if they want to win, maybe this is true although I do not think it does them any good other than Bowles possibly ending the year with a better record for his coaching resume. At home tonight on MNF and up against a shotty Colts secondary, Fitzpatrick and his WRs should be able to find daylight and put up some points. Everybody knows that Indy is very undermanned defensively but in my eyes they have been playing better football as a unit lately. Yes Big Ben and Antonio Brown torched them on Thanksgiving but the Colts put up a better fight than the scoreboard shows and eventually after doing nothing on offense with their backup QB, the Steelers overwhelmed them and put them to bed.
Tonight the Colts get back their starting QB in Andrew Luck after he sat out that Thanksgiving game against the Steelers due to suffering a concussion in the previous game. It was said that had that Steelers game fallen on Sunday that he would of been able to play so I am not worried about any lingering effects here or him not being himself. Just like I expect Fitzpatrick and his WRs to find success against the Colts secondary, I expect Luck to find even more against a Jets secondary that is simply a mess. Veteran CB Darrelle Revis is either injured, old, or just doesn't care and maybe it is all of the above because watching him recently is painful knowing the shutdown CB he once was. Luck should have no problem finding his guys through the air my only concern as it always is for the Colts is the offensive line facing a Jets defensive front with enough talent to pass rush him and hurry his throws. On the big stage I expect the Jets defense to be motivated to come to play but see that fire burning out if Luck is able to exploit them as early and often as I expect him to. Last week this Jets team was off their bye and hosting their rival and divisional big brother the New England Patriots. NY managed to hang tough and give the Pats one hell of a fight and even took the lead late before inevitably losing the game. SwampMan was on the Jets and the points in that one because of the spot; the Jets were fresh and the Pats were banged up and most likely not caring how much they beat their lowly rival by and just focused on doing just enough to get the win and out of MetLife healthy whereas for NY it was more like their home game Super Bowl where I knew they would give maximum effort in an attempt to dethrone the AFC East King. Although tonight's game can be viewed as a motivating situation for NY since it is on MNF with a chance to play spoiler, I don't think they will be able to match the Colts effort here. I do think the Jets come to play and will play well, but I just don't think the game holds enough weight for them to play inspired throughout the entire game and believe they will falter during the second half. Bottom line is the Colts need to win and in a game I expect to be somewhat of a shootout, I will side with the team that has a much better QB and everything to play for. The AFC South playoff picture will most likely be determined in the final week of the season, and I am confident that the Ponies to remain in that race until the very end. COLTS+1
