Indianapolis @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 15, 2010 ) San Francisco 37, Indianapolis 17

The Indianapolis Colts will have a decidedly different look in their backfield Sunday as they visit the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3 action. The Colts pulled off one of the biggest in-season trades of the last decade on Wednesday, acquiring out-of-favor running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns for a first-round pick in next year's draft. Richardson is expected to bolster a Colts rush attack that already ranks fifth in the league in yards through two weeks.

While Colts fans salivate at the thought of having last year's third overall pick in the fold, San Francisco supporters are still smarting after last weekend's 29-3 drubbing at the hands of the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. "I don't think any of us are proud of our performance," head coach Jim Harbaugh said of the loss, in which San Francisco turned the ball over five times. Sunday marks the first meeting between Indianapolis and San Francisco since 2009.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: 49ers -10. O/U: 46

ABOUT THE COLTS (1-1): The move to snag Richardson solidifies Indianapolis' commitment to the power-run game - a tactic first broached when the Colts acquired Ahmad Bradshaw in the offseason. Now, with a player head coach Chuck Pagano describes as a "rolling ball of butcher knives," Indianapolis believes it is poised to make a run at the AFC championship - and Richardson is a believer. "Playing against these guys twice, just seeing how they are around each other when they're on the sideline, it's been a big change," Richardson told reporters. "They're happy to come to work, and they're ready to go."

ABOUT THE 49ERS (1-1): Teams are daring 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to beat them through the air - and while that strategy backfired on Green Bay in Kaepernick's Week 1 explosion against the Green Bay Packers (412 passing yards, three TDs), the Seahawks proved to be far better at it. Running back Frank Gore has struggled the most, compiling just 60 yards on 30 carries against the Packers and Seahawks. "We've got to get better in the run game," Gore told the San Francisco Chronicle. "A lot of teams (are) playing us eight, nine men in the box. We've still got to find a way to get it done."

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The Colts have said Richardson will earn plenty of carries Sunday despite joining the team until Thursday.

2. The 49ers are averaging 3.5 yards per carry, a full yard less than their seventh-place finish a season ago.

3. Indianapolis has won the last two meetings, allowing a combined 17 points in the victories.

PREDICTION: 49ers 20, Colts 17