Wildcard Preview Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers

What: A Saturday Night Showdown
Who: The Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
When: 8:30 PM EST
What Channel: NBC
Weather Forecast (As of 12/31): Partly Cloudy, 58 degrees
Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden
Announcers' Talking Point of the Game: These two teams play close games. If the game is a blowout, they then focus on the future of the Denver Broncos sans Mike Shannahan.
Regular Season Meeting: Colts 23, Chargers 20

The last 3 games that these teams have played have all come down to the wire. The Bolts barely beat the Chargers twice last year however it was the Colts who barely beat San Diego this year. Will the trend repeat itself? Will the team that won the regular season meeting, win the playoff meeting?

The San Diego Chargers are a completely different team now than they were then. They are one of the hottest teams entering the post-season and they are flying high. Since losing to Atlanta, the Chargers have won 4 in a row.

Wait a minute, you want to talk about streaks? The Indianapolis Colts have won 9 in a row! They started 3-4, but now they are 12-4 and there's a reason why I say the Chargers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, it's because the Colts are the hottest team in the NFL.

However, Indianapolis has benefitted greatly from an amazingly easy schedule. The last time they played a team in this year's playoffs was well, Week 12 against these very same Chargers. A big time question in this one is can Indianapolis adjust to a level of competition on the opposing side that they have not seen in a couple months?

Phillip Rivers maybe be a douchebag in the minds of many, but there is absolutely no arguing the success he has had on the field and it is a damn shame that Jay Cutler is in the Pro Bowl instead of Rivers. And while this has been by no means at all his best year, Ladainian Tomlinson is still a threat in the backfield and can break a big run at any moment. Maybe even a bigger threat out of the back field is someone who could end up being the most prized free agent this off-season in Darren Sproles.

The Colts, on the other hand, possess Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected himself, Peyton Manning. Manning the Elder is a candidate for the regular season MVP and face it, the guy flat out does not make mistakes. The Colts, while keeping teams like the Jags hanging around a little longer than perhaps they should have, have found a way to win and most of that can be credited to their QB.

And let's not forget about the defenses. The Colts defense did the near impossible task of holding the Browns to without an offensive touchdown. Wait, what? Oh, silly me. Regardless, the Colts do have a good defense. The Chargers lost Shawn Merriman at the beginning of the year, and have struggled a bit on defense, but it seems like they might be finding their groove. But in those last 4 wins, they have not played an offense the caliber of the Colts'.

I expect another entertaining game with lots of back-and-forth action. If the last 3 meetings are any indication, this is can't miss football. In the end, in yet another thriller, the Indianapolis Colts will do what they've done all year and find a way to win, 27-23 over the Chargers.