NFL Week 8: Colts to Put Broncos' Defense to the Test

Oct. 27, 2006 — -- Editor's note: ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton's "First and 10" column takes you around the league, with a look at the best game of the week, followed by primers for 10 other games. Here's his look at Week 8 of the 2006 season.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos

After 2003 and 2004, Mike Shanahan thought outside the box when making plans.

While most coaches rebuild their teams to win the division, Shanahan went beyond the AFC West. He worried about the Indianapolis Colts, and he did it with good reason. In the 2003 season, the Broncos went 10-6 but lost to the Colts in the playoffs 41-10. So, trying to keep up with the Colts, Shanahan started to work on his defense.

He picked up Champ Bailey, the game's best cornerback. The Broncos went 10-6 in '04 but lost to the Colts 49-24. For 2005, the Broncos grabbed every Cleveland Browns defensive lineman they could and the strategy worked well enough for the Broncos to advance to the AFC title game. What also helped was not playing the Colts. Sunday's home game against the Colts is the ultimate test for Shanahan's defense, which has given up only two touchdown drives in 65 possessions. The success can be attributed more to the talent than the scheme. Defensive coordinator Larry Coyer abandoned a lot of the successful blitzes of last season and concentrated on winning with talent.

In many ways, Sunday's game is a playoff preview for the Broncos, and it's an important one. But there isn't as much pressure as you would think. The Broncos are 5-1 and lead the AFC West by a game. Sure, a win over the undefeated Colts would give them a tiebreaker against the Colts for possible home-field advantage, but the idea is to see how good this defense really is.

The Colts enter with the league's third-ranked offense, but it really hasn't kicked into gear yet. The running game is just starting to click as backup Joseph Addai gets more comfortable making the jump from college to the NFL. Third receiver Brandon Stokley has missed most of the season with injuries, so the three-receiver offense hasn't really gotten going.

Slow starts have put the team in a position in which Peyton Manning has had to orchestrate second-half comebacks, but a lot of those problems were attributed to the defense's inability to stop the run early. The addition of defensive tackle Anthony McFarland helped solve that problem. The Colts will have an interesting test trying to stop Shanahan's efficient run scheme.

This season, it's offense that worries Shanahan. Jake Plummer has generated only seven touchdown drives in 69 possessions. While Plummer has the complete support of Shanahan, fans are calling for a quarterback change. Plummer's problem has been starting slowly. His first-quarter passing statistics have been virtually nonexistent. One of Shanahan's formulas for success is getting a lead and letting the defense pressure opposing quarterbacks.

This game is a fascinating matchup, a test of elite AFC teams. Shanahan just wants to see how well he's done in catching up on defense to what the Colts' offense can do.

And 10. Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers

Whether Bill Parcells made a panic move or not in benching Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo has to make the best of a bad situation. Parcells is asking a lot. He wants Romo, who has never started an NFL game, to take over the starting quarterback job at the beginning of a three-game road trip. Good luck. Romo's first start is in Carolina, where fans are loud and the defensive line can tear apart struggling offensive lines. The poor play of the Cowboys' line helped lead to Bledsoe's benching, and the bad news for Romo is there aren't any changes along the line.

Left tackle Flozell Adams appears to be playing hurt. Guard Marco Rivera is struggling. Right tackle Marc Colombo has had trouble against some pass-rushers. And while Bledsoe was a statue in the pocket, he still was able to lead an offense that scored 28 points a game. Can Romo do the same? Parcells is going to have to rely more on his defense to help make the job easier for Romo. He can't ask Romo to win high-scoring shootouts on the road. Romo has a strong arm and he has a swagger about him. But these next three games will determine whether the Cowboys are going to be in the playoff race or just an also-ran. The Panthers are trying to put their three-point loss to the Bengals behind them. They had won four in a row and seemed to be gaining momentum. The most motivated player in this game could be Keyshawn Johnson of the Panthers. He was let go by Dallas so the Cowboys could bring in Terrell Owens. Johnson has been more productive than Owens. It would make him feel good to come out with a better record than his former team.