The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts will once again resume their rivalry when they face each other in the AFC Wildcard championship on Saturday night in the current National Football League season.
The game of the is a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game, wherein the Colts defeated the Jets to advance to the Super Bowl championship wherein they ends up losing to the New Orleans Saints.
The Colts who will host their game is the slight favorite to prevail for the second straight year against the Jets.
To win over the visiting Saints, Colts superstar quarterback Peyton Manning, last year’s NFL Most Valuable Player must continue to play superb for his team.
Manning is very instrumental in leading the Colts to their seventh AFC South title in eight years, reaching the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season to tie Dallas’ NFL record.
He said beating the Jets will be tough but his team is fully determined to give their 101 percent to achieve victory over their visitor.
Just like last year, Manning is having a stellar season for the Colts with his 4,700 passing yards and 66.3 completion rate both ranked second in the league, and he was tied for second with 33 touchdown passes.
Manning also threw 17 INTs, one more than last season, while his passer rating dipped eight points to 91.9 – his lowest in eight years.
The NFL experts said if Manning can once produce a huge game against the Jets there is no reason his team will not win against their visitor.
To ensure victory will be on their side, the rest of the Colts must also give their 101 percent efforts come game-time.
The visiting Jets might be the underdog in their game, but Jets coach Rex Ryan is very determined to beat the Colts and avenge their exit last year.
Ryan said losing in the NFL playoffs is hard and the Jets is very focused to defeat the home-team Colts and let them experience how it felt losing a game in the playoffs.
He said to defeat the Colts the Jets will employ tough defense to stop Manning from scoring and orchestrating plays for his team.
If the Jets can limit Manning there is a big-chance the team can beat the Colts and avenge their defeat last year.
The key for the Jets is a strong performance from star quarterback Mark Sanchez, who completed 17 of 30 passes for 257 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Colts in the playoffs last season.
Experts said if Sanchez can produce a solid game and not be overpowered by Manning there is a chance the Jets can pull and upset and beat the Colts.
If the Jets win, they’ll visit the Patriots next week, while a victory for the Colts would send them to Pittsburgh.
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets
