Hooch: The home team, Denver, is a seven-point favorite to defeat Peyton Manning’s old team, but the Colts are, of course, coming off a playoff win from last weekend. I say there is a “Jacob Tamme” percent chance of Denver winning, or 84 percent. Denver did not lose at home this season. The bye week gave key 30-somethings a chance to heal. Denver beat Indianapolis in the season opener. And the Colts, some might argue, are playing with house money, whereas Denver is playing to define its destiny.
Kiz: Denver is playing to get on down the road toward the Super Bowl, but the only thing awaiting the Broncos if they lose is a whole lot of pink slips. Lose this game, and can you tell me for certain that defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, tight end Julius Thomas or even coach John Fox will ever work for the Broncos again? So the pressure is squarely on the Broncos. It’s hard to beat a playoff-caliber team twice in one season.
Hooch: I’ll tell you people nationally are underrating Denver’s defense. I’ve texted with them, tweeted with them, MySpace’d with them. They’ll know the name Chris Harris by Sunday night. They’ll see what John Elway actually invested in last offseason. Yes, Andrew Luck is sensational and he’ll throw for a lot of yards. But Denver won’t allow more than three touchdowns. And Denver averaged 35.3 points at home this season.
Kiz: Luck threw two interceptions in Denver’s 31-24 victory way back in September. Luck is a great physical talent. And sometimes he relies too much on that physical talent. That’s why I honestly believe Seattle’s Russell Wilson is a superior young quarterback. But I will also say this: At this point, Luck is a far more dangerous quarterback than Manning. In a quarterback’s league, the Broncos will have to beat Indianapolis with running back C.J. Anderson and their defense.
Hooch: The Colts don’t have much of a running game. At this point, they’d take a modern-day Eric Dickerson. Really, Indianapolis reminds me of the 76ers with Allen Iverson: one superstar and a bunch of admirable role players. Everything points to Denver winning this game. I said 84 percent, so of course there’s that 16 percent chance Denver lose in Denver in the playoffs again. Could you imagine? Do you have to fire John Fox at that point?
Kiz: In the season opener, Denver raced to a 24-0 lead against the Colts. Then what happened? Fox took his foot off the gas. apountry hates that about Uncle Foxy. He’s too nice. He’s too conservative. Or so the story goes. My respect for Fox has grown through years, and I think Indy, which would be a 5-11 team without Luck, is way overrated. I give Denver a 70 percent chance to win, which I guess means there’s roughly a 30 percent chance Gary Kubiak will be coach of the Broncos next season.
