Chargers (11-3) at Colts (11-3)
Kickoff: 10 a.m. / Glantz-Culver line: Colts by 7 / Series: Chargers lead 12-8
TV: Channel 8 (Kevin Harlan-Randy Cross) / Radio: KFMB-AM (760) 1. HE'S THE MAN-NING: The Chargers have appeared vulnerable to quarterbacks who can get the ball downfield, and Peyton Manning is having arguably the best season of any quarterback in history, closing in on single-season records for QB rating and touchdown passes. He needs two TD passes to break Dan Marino's NFL record of 48. Manning has completed 68.3 percent of his passes and he averages 9.24 yards every time he drops back to pass. The Colts have three dangerous receivers – Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley have caught 34 TD passes – and they will give the Chargers a test like San Diego hasn't seen this season, especially on the RCA Dome's fast track. One sign of hope for the Chargers: They've given up only 16 TD passes, four below the league average.
2. UNDER PRESSURE: As Houston and Baltimore showed the last two weeks in holding the Colts to season lows of 23 and 20 points, the only way even to slow Manning & Co. is with a pass rush. Sacks aren't going to happen – Manning has only been dropped once every 51 pass attempts – but if the Chargers can apply pressure, maybe they can force him out of the rhythm in which he always seems to find himself.
3. GET A RUSH ON: There's another way to slow the Colts offense – keep it off the field. The best way for the Chargers to do that, of course, is to have LaDainian Tomlinson run time off the clock with long drives. Tomlinson has surpassed the 100-yard mark in four of his last five games, and he's always played well on artificial surfaces. He has gained at least 123 total yards in three of his last four games on the fake stuff, including 236 last year in Detroit (88 rushing, 148 receiving). The Colts have allowed 4.7 yards per carry, the fourth-highest yield in the league.
4. STARTING FAST: The Chargers have scored first in seven straight games, including their last three on the road. The Colts have scored first in four straight at home, eight straight overall and 11 of their last 12. It's important, obviously, for the Chargers to get in front early or, at the least, stay close enough that they can continue to pound Indianapolis with their running game. San Diego can't afford to allow Colts defensive ends Dwight Freeney (15 sacks) and Robert Mathis (10.5) to know a pass is coming on every down.
5. BACK HOME AGAIN: Drew Brees is playing in Indiana for the first time since 2000, when he left Purdue as the Big Ten and school's all-time leader in several offensive categories. Brees has slowed from his pace in the middle of the season, when he threw 18 TD passes and only one interception in eight games. In his last three, he's had an equal number (three) of TDs and INTs. The Colts' defense can be vulnerable to some of the routes Antonio Gates likes to run, and if Indy rotates its coverage toward Gates, that should open up other parts of the field. Brees will have to be careful, though: The Colts have 18 INTs and Freeney and Mathis have forced nine fumbles.
