Indianapolis @ Atlanta preview
Georgia Dome
Last Meeting ( Nov 6, 2011 ) Atlanta 31, Indianapolis 7
A pair of well-rested playoff contenders clash Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons host the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams are coming off their open date and looking for a victory to bolster their postseason prospects – and their confidence down the stretch.
Despite a losing record, the Colts are tied with Houston atop the AFC South, but will have to survive 2-to-6 weeks without quarterback Andrew Luck because of a lacerated kidney and partially torn abdominal muscle. That puts 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck back under center, where he is 2-0 as a starter this season with wins over Jacksonville and Houston. “We’ve won with Matt, and we’ll win again with Matt,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano told reporters. “There are not many guys winning football games with backup quarterbacks right now, but he’s a great leader, got great experience. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen.” Atlanta remains in position for one of the NFC wild cards, but the Falcons have dropped two straight games and three of their last four.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Atlanta -5.5. O/U: 47.5
ABOUT THE COLTS (4-5): Luck helped lead Indianapolis past Denver before the week off, but his 12 interceptions have hurt the Colts, who could benefit from Hasselbeck’s veteran presence. They are likely to lean on the ground game led by Frank Gore, who has yet to top 100 yards rushing this season but had 102 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Broncos. The defense has struggled for much of the season, particularly against the pass, but allowed a season-low 309 total yards against Denver including 35 rushing yards.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (6-3): Atlanta’s offense was outstanding during a 5-0 start, but the Falcons have averaged 16.8 points and committed nine turnovers in their past four contests. The Falcons didn’t have a giveaway in their 17-16 loss at San Francisco two weeks ago, but didn’t have a ground game, either, managing 17 rushing yards after topping 100 in seven of their first eight games. The run defense is a potential concern as well as Atlanta ranks third in the NFL against the run but has surrendered 117 and 133 yards on the ground the past two games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Colts have won 13 of 15 all-time meetings, but Atlanta won the most recent clash, 31-7 at Indianapolis in 2011.
2. Colts WR Andre Johnson (13,885) needs 48 receiving yards to pass Cris Carter and Steve Smith and move into the top 10 on the NFL’s all-time list.
3. Falcons WR Julio Jones, who leads the league in receptions (80) and receiving yards per game (114.3), has recorded double-digit receptions and more than 130 receiving yards in consecutive games.
PREDICTION: Falcons 27, Colts 19