Right Off Russell

Color me scared. The Ravens have not looked good once this year against a top flight QB. And I have a hard time believeing that will change on Sunday. Peyton Manning can pick apart defenses with his knack for getting the Colts in the right play, his pocket presence and his ability to make all the throws. Considering that Manning may be playing the best ball of his career this could be a long day for the Ravens defense. How can the Ravens begin to limit Manning, keep him of the field and points off the board?

Against the Run:The Ravens need to be strong at the point of attack and good at setting the edge. The good things are that NT Haloti Ngata should be back in action this weekend that Indy does not have a strong running attack. The Colts do not always need to run the ball well to have an effective offense, but their line is also not as strong as it has been in years passed. Joseph Addai is still a capable back and the Colts have been good running the ball in the red zone. The Ravens need to force as many 2nd and 3rd and longs as possible and that begins with limiting the Colts backs. The Ravens do have the front seven to do this, even without Terrell Suggs. Will they be able to stop the run if they have to divert too much attention to the passing game? If the answer to that is no, then the Ravens may have some success. Paul Kruger will have to step up and Kelly Gregg and Dwan Edwards will need to have big games.

Against the Pass:Any success the Ravens may have in defending the pass may come down to pressuring Manning and taking away TE Dallas Clark and WR Reggie Wayne. The Ravens need to force the rest of the Colts young receivers to beat them. They are talented, but not the type of consistent play makers that can beat you. I am not expecting the Ravens to get a ton of pressure on Manning, but they need to disrupt his timing and hope that he throws up a few lame ducks like he did against New England. I am again going to advocate more Lardarius Webb and less Chris Carr. Webb is proving to be a play-maker and the Ravens have used him well in some blitz packages. The Ravens will also need to limit the Colts RB’s in the passing game. Indy uses check down and screen passes as an extension of their running game.

If the Ravens can hold Indy under 24 points I will consider that a good day. The Ravens will need to mimmick the Dolphins game plan and possess the ball to keep Manning on the sideline. If the Ravens canno put together conisistent drives on offense from the start, this game could be over by half time. If the Ravens can execute and catch the Colts after their emotional win from a week ago, Baltimore fans could come away happy. If not, it will be a long afternoon.