Once former quarterback Peyton Manning was shelved due to a serious neck injury that refused to recover before the 2011 regular season even kicked off, the Indianapolis Colts season was realistically over. The team that had been the class of the AFCo South for over a decade went winless over its first 13 games last year without Manning, and was embarrassingly fortunate to finish with a 2-14 final.

At 36 years of age, no one was truly sure how much Manning had remaining in the tank, and the worst part was that Indianapolis had to decide whether or not they would give him a $28 million bonus for the upcoming season. However, if there was ever a perfect time to have such a troublesome dilemma in Indianapolis, it was last year. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was predicted to forego his senior year of college and enter the 2012 NFL Draft. Many do not hesitate to claim that he is one of the most – if not the most – polished quarterbacking prospects of all time.

After months of nationwide speculation, the Colts finally cut ties with Manning, cutting him on March 7, confirming the widespread belief that they would draft Luck and build toward the future.

But owner Jim Irsay felt that a change in quarterback would not suffice. He went ahead and changed the entire regime by firing both head coach Jim Caldwell and general manager Bill Polian. Chuck Pagano, who served as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator last season after three previous seasons as their secondary coach, will replace Caldwell in his first season as an NFL head coach. Ryan Grigson, a former Philadelphia Eagles scout, was hired as the new general manager.

With the additions came several subtractions. Veterans such as tight end Dallas Clark, running back Joseph Addai, center Jeff Saturday, wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Anthony Gonzales, and linebacker Gary Brackett have all gone elsewhere. Long-time wide receiver Reggie Wayne, in a surprise to many, did however re-sign with Indianapolis.

Additions that are expected to have an immediate impact include former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Donnie Avery, former Ravens defensive lineman Corey Redding, and former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis. Draft picks other than Luck who are believed to step in and receive a significant amount of playing time include his former teammate, who was drafted in the second round, tight end Coby Fleener, tight end out of Clemson, Dwayne Allen (third round) and former FIU wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (third round).

Expectations aren’t too high in Indy as far as the win total is concerned following the period of extreme transition, but after finishing 28^th in the league in both scoring offense and defense last season at 15.2 and 26.9 points per game, respectively, the Colts main hope is to simply improve and grow as a team that could be serious AFC contenders for years to come.

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The Baltimore Ravens (10-3) added more misery onto the Indianapolis Colts (0-13) winless season with a 24-10 victory at the M&T Bank Stadium, and maintained their position at the top of the AFC North after the Pittsburgh Steelers recorded a win over the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.

The Ravens showed their intent to maintain their perfect record at home this season when quarterback Joe Flacco found rookie Torrey Smith for an 8-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. Kicker Billy Cundiff, who had been a doubt coming into the game, then extended the lead to ten points with a field goal as the Ravens began to exert their dominance.

Ray Rice then grabbed a touchdown of his own on a 6-yard run, capping off a 69-yard drive from the home side. Although the Colts managed to claw back three points with a successful field goal from Adam Vinatieri, the home fans were already beginning to feel confident the game was theirs, such was the control Baltimore had on the game, even at this early stage.

Baltimore continued to pressure the Colts defense in the second half, with Dennis Pitta collecting a 7-yard touchdown pass from Flacco at the end of a 63-yard drive which saw Rice go over 1000 rushing yards for the season. The Colts could just not catch a break, and their first possession after the Pitta score saw quarterback Dan Orlovsky sacked by Terrell Suggs and fumbling the ball, which was fortunately recovered by Joe Reitz, but still ended with the Colts having to kick possession back to the Ravens.

Flacco, who had been having a great game so far for Baltimore, then saw his intended pass for Anquan Boldin intercepted in the red zone by Joe Lefeged, keeping alive any hopes that Colts fans may have had for a comeback. The Colts defense seemed determined to keep their fans slim hopes alive, and forced a turnover of possession on downs.

Orlovsky then strung together a couple of passes, and it looked as if the Colts were on their way to the redzone, until linebacker Suggs came up with a big sack on the quarterback, forcing the Colts into a third and long situation, which culminated in an interception by safety Bernard Pollard, and effectively secured the win for Baltimore.

Despite the Baltimore defense performing to their usual high standards, the Colts managed to register a consolation touchdown as Orlovsky found Jacob Tamme with a 13-yard pass to end another frustrating game for Indianapolis. With leader Ray Lewis missing his fourth consecutive game due to a toe injury, the Ravens needed someone on their defense to step up, and Suggs filled the role comfortably.

He registered three sacks on Orlovsky as well as forcing three fumbles during the game, whilst Jameel McClain continues to show the kind of form which has many Ravens fans pinning their hopes on him becoming the long term solution once Lewis decides to call it a day.

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It was the game at the beginning of the year that was marked on everyone’s calendar. The annual showdown between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Fast forward to Week 13 and the Colts are still winless and going nowhere fast without Manning under center. Starting at quarterback for the Colts was Dan Orlovsky the former UCONN quarterback in place of Curtis Painter who was benched due to poor play. He played well completing 29 of 38 for 353 yards two touchdowns and an interception.

“We felt confident going into the game that if we stayed patient we could move the ball,” Orlovsky said. “We fell short. I wish we had more time on the clock.” In what seemed like a sure fire blowout became a game when the Colts put up 21 points in fourth quarter to pull within one score. Deion Branch recovered the onside kick that kept the Colts from getting a chance to tie the game up.

“We played good for 45 minutes and then didn’t do anything offensively,” Brady said. “So we’ll hear about that.” The Patriots won their fourth straight and moved to 9-3 tied for the best record in the AFC with the Houston Texans while the colts who are 0-12 have only four games left against Baltimore, Tennessee, Houston, and Jacksonville to avoid becoming the second team in history to go 0-16.

“People can say what they want to say about not playing hard, but I think that (comeback) pretty much shut that up right there,” Colts tight end Jacob Tamme said. Tom Brady had his usual game completing 29 of 38 for 289 yards and two touchdowns, both to Gronkowski.

The touchdown passes put Brady past Johnny Unitas and into a tie for 6^th with Warren Moon for most touchdowns during the regular season. They also tied Gronkowski with Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis for most touchdowns by a tight end in a season. He had a third touchdown which was originally ruled a catch, but was later changed to a run because it was a lateral.

“I wasn’t thinking about whether it was a pass or a lateral,” Gronkowski said. “I’ll take the rushing touchdown. It’s the first of my whole career.” Gronkowski finished with 5 catches for 64 yards and two scores, while Wes Welker had 11 catches for 110 yards. ”Guys played well and did some things well,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “but, still, we’re measured by wins.”

Brady got the offense rolling after the Colts tied the game at three leading scoring drives on the next four possessions to put the Patriots up a by a commanding 28 points. The Colts got their first touchdown when Donald Brown ran it in from five yards out. Orlovsky then found Pierre Garcon, who had nine catches for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, for 33 and 12 yard scores.

“If we don’t play four quarters, we’re not going to end up in the situation we want to be in,” Welker said. Orlovsky definitely made Patriots Coach Bill Belichick aware of a glaring issue for his team, their defense. ”We’ve obviously got to do a better job of finishing the game,” Belichick said. “That was disappointing, but we’ll work on that.”

The Patriots continue their quest for the number 1 seed in the AFC when they head to Washington to face the Redskins who have lost five straight. The Colts don’t get a tougher task as they travel to Baltimore for a game with the Ravens who are also in the hunt for the number 1 seed.

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