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49ers 2009 opponent breakdown: Indianapolis Colts (Week 8)
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How will MVP Peyton Manning do without Marvin
Harrison?
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The 49ers are in their second game of a four-week stretch in which will help us determine on what level the team is on compared to the league's more elite teams.
On the road against the Colts, the 49ers will have to go against the league MVP Peyton Manning and an offense that still can be very difficult to defend.
2008 Record: 12-4 (2nd AFC South)
Last meeting: 10/9/05 @ San Francisco (Colts win 28-3)
2009 schedule: Week 8 @ Indianapolis
Top 3 best players: QB Peyton Manning, WR Reggie Wayne, S Bob Sanders
Notable draft picks: RB Donald Brown, DT Fili Moala, WR Austin Collie
Notable new acquisitions: DT Ed Johnson, LB Adam Seward
Notable losses: WR Marvin Harrison, P Hunter Smith, RB Dominic Rhodes, DT Darrell Reid, CB Keiwan Ratliff
How will the Colts play this year under first year head coach Jim Caldwell? That might be the biggest question for the Colts this season after a very disappointing early exit in the first round last year.
Also, with a new defensive coordinator in Larry Coyer, the Colts will have a lot to do this off-season to maintain their consistent play.
The play of quarterback Peyton Manning should be relieved somewhat with the new Colts running game. Aside from the great abilities of Joseph Addai, rookie Donald Brown has been very impressive during camp. The 1-2 punch of Addai and Brown could very well be their strongest asset to the offense.
The passing game is still very efficient. With talents like Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, the 49ers secondary will surely have a lot on their plate for the game. However, the 49ers have to keep an eye on rising star Anthony Gonzalez. The third receiver of the group has yet to be determined. Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie both have a lot of upside to their skillset and both are fighting for the third wide receiver spot.
The Colts have done well without Marvin Harrison in the lineup in the past couple seasons. But if the 49ers are going to try to make any stops in the passing game, they have to add the bump and run pressure on the young wide receivers. The pressure should take away a lot of options in the passing game, which might be enough to see Manning force some passes into traffic to his number one receivers. There, the 49ers might have a chance to intercept Manning (26 interceptions over the past two years).
The Colts defense has been solid over the past few seasons; last year the team finished 11th overall on defense. The biggest game changer on the Colts is safety Bob Sanders. Sanders is a hard hitter and has a great nose for the ball. The Colts can also rely on veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney to add pressure on the 49ers offensive line. These two will definitely be a handful for San Francisco.
Two question marks for the Colts could be the play of cornerback Marlin Jackson. After knee surgery last year, the Colts might not have Jackson play to the level he has always played with. Their backup is Tim Jennings, who played fairly well last year.
The health of kicker Adam Vinatieri will also be something the team will be monitoring this off-season. After hip surgery in the off-season, the Colts might want to be very cautious with their kicking game.
The 49ers' best chance to win this game is to control the ball (and clock), preventing the Colts offense to get on the field. In recent seasons, the Colts offense have not scored as many points as before. If the 49ers can limit the Colts' scoring chances, there might be a good chance the 49ers can win the game.
But a road game against the Colts looks to be too much for the inexperienced 49ers. It'd be hard to imagine the 49ers getting out of Indianapolis with a win.
Trying out Twitter for 49ers updates. Check me out here @SLam49ers
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