Other than last year's blowout in Baltimore, this game is usually an interesting and competitive game between these two teams. Last year, the Ravens were blown out, again on national TV no less, by the Colts a week after taking the New England Patriots to the brink on their way to their undefeated regular season. Perhaps they shot their wad against the Pats and were so let down after that emotionally deflating last few minutes that they had nothing left in the tank. They played as poorly as they did the majority of the season, with the loss to the Pats as their brightest point of a horribly disappointing year.
While the Ravens are on their way back to repectability and should be much more competitive this year, the Colts may actually be on a downward trend. This is not saying that Indy is prime for the picking, especially on the road for the Ravens. However, Peyton Manning and company seem to have lost the luster that made them a perrennial Super Bowl selection for many years. The team has been more prone to injuries to their veterans, such as Marvin Harrison and no longer are even a lock to even win their own division due to the rise of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Don't worry, Colts fans. The horseshoe will bring you good luck at least in week 6 against the traveling Ravens. While I always love to see how the Ravens stack up against the best offenses in the league, beating the Colts in their home crib should be way too much of a challenge for even Ray Lewis to overcome. The Colts will still put points on the board, as Reggie Wayne may now be a better receiver than the aging and injury prone Harrison, and even one of the best in the entire league. Dallas Clark is almost more of a wide receiver than tight end and is a nightmare for any nickel back or safety to cover in the open field. RB Joseph Addai is multi-talented and I still haven't even mentioned Peyton Manning. Manning is still one of the top two or three QB's in the league and will not bend or break under the pressure, at least against the Ravens. He can and will put points on the board and is a threat to do so from anywhere on the field. This is unfortunately something the Ravens just have not been able to do, even in the Red Zone! Due to the huge differences in the two offenses, I see no way to reasonably predict a Ravens victory.
The Colts defense is vastly underrated due to their high profile offense. However, they are filled with playmakers, including perhaps the most dominating player in tiny safety Bob Sanders. His presence on the field makes all the difference to the success of the Indy defense. Based on that, the gap between the teams' defenses is much less than the gap between the offenses. Therein lies the main reason that the Colts will defeat the Ravens in week 6. The Ravens will just not be able to slow down the Colts' offense while the Baltimore offense will not put enough points on the board to give us a chance at an upset.
Colts: 27 Ravens: 13
Season Record: 3-3