Rolling on to the Raiders
Colts must build upon strong finish from last week.
written by Stephen Conway

There were signs of rust last week in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. While the Colts seemed to move the ball at will, two costly turnovers prevented them from jumping to an early lead. Where the Colts of old might have folded under the noise and relentless pressure applied by the Chiefs, these Colts didn't panic at all. Instead, the defense stepped up, stopping the Chiefs' running game dead in its tracks and the offense regained its composure, finishing with a hard fought 27-14 victory.

The most encouraging sign of all was the fact that the Colts seemed to improve as the game progressed. Sloppy play and costly penalties were replaced by hard nosed running by Edgerrin James, well thrown passes from Peyton Manning and an overall solid defensive attack.

The key, of course, is to build upon this success. This week, the Raiders will challenge the Colts to play well for all four quarters. Oakland is coming off a lackluster 9-6 win over divisional opponent San Diego. After only one week of play, the Raiders sit alone atop the AFC West. The Raiders have the potential to become a playoff team this year. They have several impact players at key positions. Rich Gannon (QB) is coming off a Pro Bowl season, Tim Brown (WR) is a perennial all-pro and gamebreaker, and Cornerbacks Eric Allen and Charles Woodson have  established themselves among the best in the league.

Long term success is built one week, one game at a time. For the Colts, this means playing at a consistently high level and challenging themselves to improve. The Colts cannot afford the mental breakdowns that plagued them in the first half last week. They would like nothing more than to go into the bye week next week 2-0, before facing Jacksonville the following week on Monday Night Football. The Raiders are certainly worthy opponents, but the Colts' larger enemy throughout the year may well be complacency. After the physically and emotionally draining win in Kansas City, we'll see how well the Colts are able to reload and keep on rolling.

Matchups
Breakdowns of the key matchups on offense, defense, and special teams.

Game Prediction
The Raiders simply don't have enough weapons to stay with the Colts for four quarters. Their cornerbacks may prevent our wide receivers from breaking out for large gains, but Manning has several other large and talented targets. Look for both tight ends Ken Dilger and Marcus Pollard to be more active in the offensive strategy this week. Defensively, the Colts may struggle containing Gannon and the passing game, but I expect our ability to stop the run to allow more blitzing on obvious passing situations. The Colts, pumped up by the wild and growing crowds at the Dome, will roll to a big victory.

Score: Colts  21 Raiders 10

Next Opponent
Oakland Raiders
09/10/2000

when: 12:00
where: RCA Dome
TV: CBS

Colts Roster

Game Prediction

Matchups:
Offense
Defense
Special Teams

Archive:

1999 Season
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2000 Schedule
Issue #6