Indianapolis
Colts

Never mind that Indianapolis is coming off a big home win over the Patriots. And never mind the fact the Colts boast an unbeaten record.

"You hit it right on the head when you said younger guys, because (for) the older guys, (it's) maybe the third time they've been 9-0. It's not anything really new to them. We'll have to do a job to get that message across to the younger ones, but our young guys are catching on pretty quickly," Caldwell said.

"At some point in time I'm going to stop referring to them as young guys because a lot of them have gotten pretty seasoned here, particularly with some of the games that we've had that have been so close. I think they've learned their lesson, and certainly understand what's required of them to be successful in this league. I think those things are taking care of themselves as the season goes along."

One of those older players, quarterback Peyton Manning, doesn't think that it will be a problem getting everybody attention directly squarely on the Ravens.

"We have enough veterans around here that can show the way. I think it helps that you're playing the Baltimore Ravens, a team that we are very familiar with and very familiar with how good of a team they are. (I) don't look at their record every time we play them. It's just a dogfight," Manning said.

"Their defense is what we (the Colts' offense) focus on. They have a lot of the same guys, a tremendous scheme. From that standpoint, it's really not hard (focusing on Indianapolis' next opponent) because you better have a good week of practice and a great week of preparation, mentally and physically. Going to Baltimore is one of the toughest places to play."

That's putting it mildly. Given the history of the two franchises, and especially the Colts' tradition among Baltimore sports fans, Indianapolis' players can expect a lot of noise to be directed their way.

"It's a great football town, and they've always had great teams to pull for, so it's loud. It's one of the louder places to play. Once you get into the stadium, it's trying to figure out how to block No. 52 (middle linebacker Ray Lewis) and you always figure out where No. 20 (free safety Ed Reed) is. That's what you get into. I can't speak for them. I know it's a tough place to play," Manning said.

SERIES HISTORY: 9th regular-season meeting. Colts lead series 6-2. After losing two of the first three regular-season games with Baltimore, the Colts have won five straight in the series. Indianapolis has averaged 28 points per game on offense over the first eight regular-season meetings. The Colts are 2-2 in Baltimore, winning the last two regular-season matchups 24-7 and 44-20. Last year Indianapolis beat Baltimore 31-3 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts also posted a 15-6 win in an AFC divisional playoff game on January 13, 2007. Adam Vinatieri's five field goals were the difference in the game as Indianapolis advanced to host the AFC title game.

--Indianapolis has won 68 of its last 82 regular-season games.

--The Colts and Ravens will be playing for the third consecutive season and for the seventh time since the 2002 NFL divisional realignment.

--Indianapolis, by way of its 35-34 come-from-behind win over New England last week, extended the sixth 10-plus game regular-season winning streak in franchise history and the fourth since 1999 (18, 2008-09; 13, 2005; 11, 1964; 11, 1975-76; 11, 1999; 10, 2005-06).

--The Colts became the third team with a streak of 18-plus consecutive regular-season victories (21, New England, 2006-08; 18, New England, 2003-04).

--Indianapolis has its third 9-0 start in the past five seasons (13-0, 2005; 9-0, 2006).

--The Colts extended the NFL record as the only franchise to win seven or more consecutive regular-season games in six consecutive seasons (8, 2004; 13, 2005; 9, 2006; 7, 2007; 9, 2008; 9, 2009).

--Indianapolis produced its 11th consecutive home victory with the win over New England last week, tying the second longest streak in team history (12, 2006-07; 11, 2004-05).

--The Colts own the NFL's best regular-season record (123-46) since the start of the 1999 season.

--Indianapolis is the only team to earn nine playoff appearances in the last 10 seasons, including a league-best seven consecutive postseason berths.

--Jim Caldwell is the only NFL head coach to win his first nine games. Caldwell surpassed the previous best start of Potsy Clark (8-0, Portsmouth, 1931).

--"There's no question, they are a talented team. That is like a lot of teams that we're seeing right now, they're certainly ready to explode and move forward. I think they're ascending. We better get ready for them." -- Caldwell, looking ahead to the Ravens.

--"I learned a long time ago that if you don't stay focused in those critical situations that often times you can miss a few things here or there. So, I try to concentrate as much as I possibly can until that final whistle blows because there is just so much going on. You have to keep all of those things in perspective. Often times I'm listening to something going on either with our offensive or defensive side of the ball, or in our kicking game.

"It's kind of like an air traffic controller. I have to stay rather focused at that time. The other thing is that it's in those waning moments where the difference is made in a ballgame. I think that takes a really critical focus. Therefore, I try not to get too excited until it's all over with. Now, that locker room was pretty jubilant when it was all done, and I certainly enjoyed that." -- Caldwell on being stoic on the sidelines in the aftermath of last week's comeback win over New England.

--QB Peyton Manning has completed 118 of 184 passes (64.1 percent) for 1,477 yards with 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 102.1 passer rating over his last six meetings (including one postseason game) with the Ravens.

--Manning has eight 300-yard passing games in 2009.

--Manning has completed 157-of-244 passes for 1,974 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions in seven career regular-season games with the Ravens. He has completed 64.3 percent of his passes and has a 106.1 passer rating in those games.

--Manning has thrown for multiple touchdowns (two or more) in five of his past seven games with Baltimore. He has had five games with 250 or more yards passing against the Ravens. Manning has also had two games with 300 or more yards passing while facing Baltimore.

--The Colts have won 13 consecutive games when Manning has thrown for 300 yards or more.

--RB Joseph Addai scored three touchdowns in his last regular-season game at Baltimore (two rushing and one receiving).

--WR Reggie Wayne posted his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season and his third game with 10 or more receptions in last week's win over the Patriots.

--Wayne has hauled in 29 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns in six career games with the Ravens.

--Wayne had one game with more than 100 yards receiving against Baltimore, gaining 118 in last year's meeting with Baltimore.

--TE Dallas Clark is tied with John Mackey for the most career receptions by a tight end (320) in team history.

--Clark (3,850) needs 150 receiving yards to become second Colts tight end with 4,000 (John Mackey, 5,126).

--DE Dwight Freeney has five sacks in four road games this season.

--Freeney has two sacks in four career games with the Ravens.

--DE Robert Mathis tied career-high with three sacks in his last regular-season game with the Ravens.

--Mathis is aiming for his fifth consecutive game with at least 0.5 sack. He has recorded four sacks in his last four regular-season games.

BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- DE Robert Mathis has four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in four career games with Baltimore.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Well, we can't be in any better spot, that's a given. The fact of the matter is there's still a lot of work to be done. If you take a peek in the rearview mirror, there are some teams that are behind us, but not far behind us, particularly within our division. You can see everybody in our division has gotten pretty hot lately. So, we better make certain that we stay on our toes and continue to try and get better. That's really important because they're trying to close that gap. The other part of that is all we have to do is look down the road to Sunday and see who we're playing. That will crystallize your focus, as well. It's an outstanding team in Baltimore. It's going to be a tough battle." -- Colts coach Jim Caldwell on his team's place in the league standings in terms of playoff positioning.

"(DeVan's a) fighter, a very tough minded individual. He will scratch and dig with the best of them. He's been improving constantly. It's been a good competition between the two (DeVan and Pollak). It's not over yet. We talk about this being a result-oriented business. We tend to not just give that lip service," Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell said.

"We look at it every single week, as critical as we would if we were losing. If somebody is not playing quite up to par the way they should, we need to address that issue. (We) take the ego out of it, and I think when you do take ego out of it you have an opportunity to look at your weaknesses honestly and address them."

PLAYER NOTES

--WR Hank Baskett (illness) returned to practice Thursday. He sat out Wednesday's workout. Baskett is expected to be available to play Sunday at Baltimore.

--S Antoine Bethea (foot) was held out of practice for a second day Thursday. Bethea remains hopeful of being given the OK to play against the Ravens on Sunday.

--Rookie WR Austin Collie missed Thursday's practice in order to take care of some personal business. Collie is expected to practice on Friday and play at Baltimore this weekend.

--OT Dan Federkeil (concussion) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. His availability for the Baltimore game won't be decided until Saturday at the earliest.

--DT Eric Foster (back) was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. Foster's status for the Ravens game probably won't be decided until Saturday.

--S Aaron Francisco (ankle) continues to nurse an injury that has kept him out of practice since last week. His availability for the Baltimore game won't be known until Friday or Saturday.

--DE Dwight Freeney (rest) missed Thursday's practice to nurse a sore hip. Freeney is expected to be in the starting defensive lineup against the Ravens on Sunday.

--WR Pierre Garcon (ankle) returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday's workout. Garcon's status for the Baltimore game won't be known until Saturday.

--TE Gijon Robinson (concussion) did not take part in workouts Wednesday or Thursday. Robinson's availability for the Baltimore game won't be known until Friday or Saturday.

--LS Justin Snow (elbow) practiced Thursday and should be able to play Sunday against the Ravens. He had held out of Wednesday's workout.

--QB Jim Sorgi (shoulder) has yet to practice this week. Sorgi suffered a sore shoulder last week and saw limited work last Friday.

GAME PLAN: Score in the red zone on offense. Force turnovers and get to the quarterback defensively. It sounds easy. But it won't be against a Baltimore team that would like nothing better to knock off the Colts this week.

Indianapolis has to control the tempo of the game offensively. That means continuing to improve running the football, especially deep in the Ravens end of the field. Don't settle for field goals. Put the ball in the end zone.

Defensively, the Colts have to shore up the run defense and get after Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco. Don't let him get into a comfort zone. Indianapolis did a pretty good job of forcing the action in last year's meeting, but the Ravens quarterback is a year older and has played well this season.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Colts QB Peyton Manning vs. Ravens FS Ed Reed. Perhaps the NFL's best quarterback against the league's best free safety, two veteran players who know each other's tricks very well. Watching these two square off in the game-within-the-game will be worth the price of admission.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco vs. Colts DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Flacco was introduced to Mathis a year ago, who responded with a game-high three sacks. Freeney, meanwhile, played in the game but did not record a sack of the Baltimore rookie.

Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. Ravens CBs Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth. Wayne had eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in last year's meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium. Opposing teams have scored 10 touchdowns through the air against Baltimore this year.