This defense might be without five starters on Sunday but don’t expect that to hold them back. The Colts are one of the best in the league at replacing talent and usually have another player waiting in the wings when one goes down.

Their other key injuries are to defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Both saw limited action last week against Jacksonville and are listed as questionable for this game.

When healthy, these two are the fiercest pass-rushing tandem in the league. Freeney has collected 22 sacks over the last two seasons and always seems to be around the ball.

Due to an abdominal injury, he will be a situational pass rusher and may be rested in the second half unless the game is close. Mathis is nursing a quad injury and will be handled the same way as Freeney.

He will be used as a situational pass rusher unless he is needed in the second half of a close game.

This will be a critical game for D’Brickashaw Ferguson who will face off against Freeney on most passing downs. Ferguson has really stepped up his game this season and has earned praise from opposing players.

Every year he faces DE Aaron Schobel of the Bills who was quick to acknowledge Ferguson’s improved play after their last match up. Schobel endorsed the Jets’ tackle as a Pro Bowler.

Brick will have to bring his "A game" against Freeney who uses his speed, quickness and leverage to gain an advantage over the bigger tackles he faces on a weekly basis. Freeney is best known for his spin move, which forces blockers to lose their balance and subsequently fall off their block.

At 6-1, 268 lbs. Freeney is undersized for the position but he uses his quickness and explosiveness off the snap to get the better of his opponent. But this is a favorable match up for the Jets.

Ferguson has the quick feet to plant and redirect in his pass sets and that will help him with Freeney. He also gets out of his stance quickly and that will be critical versus the Colts’ defensive end.

At 6-2, 245 Mathis is also undersized but he has a non-stop motor and will make plays with his hustle.

He presents a difficult match up for RT Damien Woody who has a slow “get off” from the snap. Woody will be vulnerable to Mathis’ quickness off the edge and therefore the Jets would be wise to chip him with a tight end or keep a back in to protect Sanchez.

The Jets will go with a conservative passing game and use max protection against Indy’s dangerous pass rushers. They will also need to mix up their third down calls and run the ball on the Colts’ edges.

Due to Mathis’ small size, he does not defend the run well so the Jets may have success running at him when he enters the game on third down to rush the quarterback.

The Colts are middle of the pack in total defense and stopping the run. They are also 20th against the pass but do not let their pedestrian numbers fool you.

They are 5th overall in points allowed, giving up 17.7 points a game. This defense may allow yardage but they stiffen up in the red zone and force opponents to settle for field goals.

They also do not give up big plays. They are #1 in league at limiting plays of 20 yards or more and have only given up 25 so far this year.

Head coach Jim Caldwell has maintained the same defensive system employed by Tony Dungy. They use the cover-2 in passing situations, which is a conservative zone designed to keep plays in front of them.

The system is also designed to generate pressure from their front four so do not expect to see a lot of blitzes from them. However, when they do come, they like to bring their middle linebackers through the A gap but they do not disguise these blitzes well so the Jets line should be able to identify these rushers pre-snap.

In their 4-3 scheme, the Colts have been bringing more run blitzes up the gut with the likes of Clint Session (their leading tackler) and Gary Brackett, their middle linebacker. Both guys tackle well and like the Colts’ entire defense, they are fast and flow to the ball well.

If the Jets are going to win this battle, they must use their size and strength to overpower the Colts’ small front but they must match the Colts’ intensity.

This defense is one of the smallest in the league but they are fast and they hit hard, which makes it seem like they are bigger than they are. The Jets’ offensive line must play with an attitude and finish its blocks.

Despite their injuries, the Colts still have two solid defensive backs in their secondary: CB Kelvin Hayden and FS Antoine Bethea. Both are good in coverage and Bethea has 4 interceptions on the year.

Mark Sanchez has struggled this year throwing against zones. He has misdiagnosed them and has not seen linebackers and safeties who peel off their men to undercut other receiver’s routes.

He will have to be careful with Bethea and not float the kinds of passes that have gotten him into trouble this season. Sanchez did a good job of looking off safeties earlier in the year but has fallen into bad habits and stared down receivers since then. This will get him into trouble vs. Bethea.

The Colts’ D will stack the line of scrimmage and bring 8 and 9 men in the box to stop Thomas Jones. Against Atlanta, the Jets faced a similar situation and pounded the ball but got little results and managed only 7 points.

That will not cut it against Indianapolis. Unlike the Falcons, their offense will put up points so the Jets’ offense must be more creative to keep up.

Since the Colts will be using a lot of situational substitutions, the Jets would fare better going against the grain and running when the Colts expect the pass and vice versa. This will throw off their defense and catch them with the wrong personnel.

To pull this off, the Jets will have to confuse them with their personnel packages. That means throwing out of double tight end sets and running out of spread formations.

If the Jets try to line up and play smash mouth they will find the Colts to be stouter than they anticipated. Although they can be vulnerable to the run, especially up the middle, the Colts will bring extra personnel to the line and force the Jets to react to their alignments.

Although the Colts’ offense vs. the Jets’ defense is the premiere match up in this game, the Jets’ offense must do its part by controlling time of possession in order to keep Peyton Manning off the field.


Keys

• Run at Robert Mathis on third downs. His small stature puts him at a disadvantage when taking on blockers at the point of attack.

• Big game for D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Despite Dwight Freeney’s injury, he is still one of the best pass rushers in the league and will be handful for Ferguson who must be quick off the snap to keep him at bay.

• The Jets’ offensive line must finish their blocks. They hold a significant size advantage over the Colts’ defensive line and must use their size advantage to overpower them.

• Sanchez must look off Antoine Bethea. He is an instinctive safety who knows how to read the QB’s eyes and makes plays on the ball.

• Control the clock. The Jets’ offense must mix it up to keep the Colts’ defense off balance in order to sustain drives and keep Manning off the field.