Indianapolis Colts Inside Slant

One of the interesting things about the Indianapolis Colts' 12-0 record this season, as well as their NFL record-tying 21-consecutive regular-season victories, is that Jim Caldwell's team has yet to play its best game of the year.

The Colts have found a lot of different ways to secure a victory -- whether winning by a large margin, winning close games or coming from behind in the final minutes or quarter. The recipe for success has been different throughout the year.

When opposing defenses try to shut down quarterback Peyton Manning, the running game has come up with big plays in key situations. In trying to shut down the run, the Indianapolis passing game opens up.

No Marvin Harrison or Anthony Gonzalez at receiver? No problem. Rookie Austin Collie and second-year receiver Pierre Garcon step up their play.

The same goes for the defense. Despite losing key starters such as cornerbacks Marlin Jackson (knee), Kelvin Hayden (hamstring/knee), strong safety Bob Sanders (knee) and outside linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (torn bicep) for much of the season, the Colts continue to be ranked among the league's stingiest when it comes to points allowed.

Indianapolis has been consistently inconsistent this year. The Colts continue to find different ways to win games. And from Caldwell on down, everybody knows that the team's best football is still ahead of them.

"Our record indicates that we are doing pretty well. There are a lot of teams that are playing well in this league. The way which we measure is each and every game we know we will be challenged. This week is no exception," Caldwell said as he looked ahead to this week's home game with the Denver Broncos.

"(Denver is) a team that is hot and been playing very well. At the beginning of the season we had identical records. They are back on track again and playing extremely well. They are a challenging group from a defensive standpoint. They have a fiery coach that does a great job of getting them prepared. We get tested every week. The key is how well you are playing at the end."

Caldwell hasn't concerned himself with the notion of going undefeated during their regular season. His goal, as well as the team's, is what happens once the postseason starts. And the idea of losing a game before the playoffs begin doesn't concern him.

"I'm not certain if you ever benefit from a loss. Our goal is to certainly go out and play every game and play as hard as we possibly can to put ourselves in the best position to win it. What comes as a result of those efforts is we'd like to look at the finished product," he said.

"The ultimate goal is to win it all. Robert Browning said, 'A man's reach should always exceed his grasp or what's a heaven for?' That's in our line of thinking as well."

SERIES HISTORY: 18th regular-season meeting. Broncos lead series 11-6. The Colts lead in postseason meetings 2-0 (41-10, 1/4/04; 49-24, 1/9/05). Indianapolis has won the last two regular-season matchups, posting a 34-31 decision in Denver (10/29/06) and coming away with a 38-20 victory at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis (9/30/07). The Colts have won three of the last five matchups, including a 23-20 overtime decision in Denver (11/24/02). Sunday's game will be the first regular-season meeting between the two franchises since 2007 and the ninth time this decade. Indianapolis is 3-2 against the Broncos in regular-season home games since 1984. The former Baltimore Colts and Denver Broncos first met at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore on Nov. 10, 1974, with the Broncos posting a 17-6 victory.