The Jets come to town this Sunday with a boatload of confidence and rightfully so. They have beaten a tough Bengals sqaud and the anointed AFC champions (at least until last week) Chargers both on the road. Their coach is cocky and like Joe Namath before him, is practically guaranteeing a win for the Jets. On the other side, we have the most underappreciated team with the most appreciated player in the league, the Colts. They are a battle tested experienced sqaud and that should play into their favor this Sunday. I believe the Colts are going to win and here is why:
1). Fatigue: The Colts are a rested group. They have 0 injuries and with the bye week on the backburner, are as close to healthy in the 18th game of the season as you can possibly be. The Jets on the other hand have had a grueling schedule in which 4 of their last 5 games have been played on the road including a cross country trip to San Deigo last sunday. The Jets also have some injuries of note, including DT Ellis who has a club on his hand and will have problems wrapping up Manning (if he can get to him.
2). Leadership: The Colts have a veteran offense and defense led by some long in the tooth players. Manning is obviously the best leader you could have on offense while Sanchez is a rookie that has had a below average year and playoffs. On the other side of the ball, we have Freeney, Mathis, Brackett, and Bethea (all super bowl winners) vs. Vilma, Revis, and Ellis on the other side. Experience plays a big factor in playoff games and if the Jets find themselves in a tough spot, let the finger pointing begin.
3). Atmosphere: The Colts have the homefield advantage, the last game they played against the Jets they let a perfect season go, and they have Rex Ryan bulletin board material saying that the Jets are going to the Super Bowl. My gut tells me that the Colts come out with a HUGE chip on their shoulder and play focused agressive football (love the fourth down call and the 7 seconds left call on the goalline last week).
The Jets will fall behind early and won't be able to come back with Sanchez at QB. The Colts will put some points on the board early, cause some turnovers, and coast to an easy win and a second Super Bowl birth in the last 4 years. I predict the Colts win this one 24-9.