Indianapolis Colts Go For 14 Against Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL News - December 15th, 2009 - Written by John

For the first time all season, a Jacksonville Jaguars game has been sold out, and it only took an undefeated team and probably the best quarterback of the generation coming to town to do it.

The Indianapolis Colts' arrival to Jacksonville spurred the first sellout of the year, where Peyton Manning will attempt to improve to 14-0 for the first time in his career on Thursday Night Football. The Colts are 3 1/2-point favorites on the road at most Online Sportsbooks, according to the NFL Week 15 Betting Odds, with a 43-point over/under.

Manning started 13-0 in 2006, but lost in Week 15 to the Chargers 26-17.

The Jaguars have won five of their last six home games, but fell last week to the Miami Dolphins in a game that would have essentially locked up the final wild card spot. All of the sudden, Thursday becomes a whole lot more important with three other teams tied at 7-6. Despite recent success at Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville is 3-12 ATS in it's last 15 home games, and 2-7 ATS overall recently.

For the Colts, despite already locking up the AFC South, head coach Jim Caldwell has assured that he will be playing all "healthy" starters with a shot to make history, already with an NFL-record 22-game regular-season win streak. With only three games left to play, they are in position to tie the 2007 New England Patriots as the only teams to win all 16 regular season games.

Peyton Manning is in the middle of another career year, just 95 yards shy of his third-straight 4,000-yard passing season with 29 touchdowns and only 14 picks. He has maintained the team's momentum despite losing Marvin Harrison via free agency and Anthony Gonzalez via injury, making stars out of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. Last week, Collie caught a touchdown in his second-straight game and he has six on the year.

Dallas Clark caught three in the win over the Denver Broncos, and is one of four receivers with over 500 yards. He is second on the team with 902, and has eight touchdowns. Just ahead of him is Reggie Wayne, who is fourth in the league with 1,078 yards and nine scores.

But Indianapolis is not a huge favorite because of it's inability to pull away all year. Seven of it's last eight games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and it's last meeting with Jacksonville ended with a 14-12 win.

Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 97 yards and a score in that game, and has since gained the fifth-highest total in the league. He has 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns, and is on pace for a career-high 17 scores.

Mike Sims-Walker is the Jaguars main receiving threat with 758 yards and six touchdowns, and is one of only two receivers with more than 500 yards. Torry Holt (661) is the other.

Six of the last eight meetings in Jacksonville has gone over, and the Colts are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 road games.