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INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 19, 1998) -- For one week, anyway, Manning-mania has usurped Flutie-mania on the NFL hype Richter Scale. Interestingly, both bandwagons were sparked by one throw: Doug Flutie's Hail Mary to Gerard Phelan that enabled Boston College to stun Miami in 1984, and Peyton Manning's Hail Marcus to backup tight end Marcus Pollard that delivered a major upset of the Jets last Sunday. Manning doesn't have a breakfast cereal named after him yet, but there's plenty of time for that. He was just 12, after all, when Flutie won the Heisman Trophy. The answer to Flutie Flakes? Try Manning Meal, which, naturally, comes in the form of a turnover. COLTS OFFENSE VS. BILLS DEFENSE: Not that Manning didn't enjoy a breakthrough against the Jets, but the NFL's offensive player of the week honor seems a bit of a reach. It appears that final 80-yard drive erased the memory of the Colts' previous two possessions, both of which ended with Manning turnovers -- although both were flukish. His interception on a bomb intended for Marvin Harrison was the receiver's fault. Harrison, claiming he lost the ball in the lights, simply quit running, giving a freebie to Jets corner Aaron Glenn. And his fumble on the possession before that was entirely unforced, and took the Colts out of field goal range. Overall, Manning's performance has to be considered solid. He is the only quarterback in the NFL to have taken every snap on offense, attributable to a number of factors. The offensive line has protected him well, and he has demonstrated a remarkable awareness for the pocket and pass-rush pressure, a combination that has added up to just 13 sacks -- two in the last six games. He is also making strides in the red zone, where the Elways are separated from the Kosars. Take the last game against Buffalo, for instance. The Colts had the ball inside the Buffalo 30 on each of their first four possessions, but settled for field goals each time. Instead of a comfortable lead at the half, the Colts were up just 12-7, and Buffalo roared out of the locker room to seize a 31-12 advantage on the way to a 31-24 victory. In the Colts' last 11 trips into the red zone, they have come away with nine touchdowns and a field goal. Prior to that, they had three touchdowns on 13 red zone possessions. Manning's improvement has been a major factor. He has eight red-zone completions in the last four games, seven for touchdowns. Buffalo's defense did a job on the Colts in the first meeting, but will be without leading tackler John Holocek, who sprained a knee ligament against New England last week and will miss 2-4 weeks. With Holocek out, the Bills may be forced to use more 4-3 schemes than usual because they're thin at inside linebacker. If they go to more 4-3 alignments, look for rookie Sam Cowart to start in the middle. Don't be deceived by statistics that indicate the Bills' defense to be mediocre. They may rank 8th in the AFC and 16th in the NFL in total yards allowed, but the unit is coming off an incredible game, holding the Patriots to 10 points, 11 first downs and 206 total yards. With the game on the line, veteran Bruce Smith came up with two sacks in the final three minutes to kill New England drives. BILLS OFFENSE VS. COLTS DEFENSE: In two weeks, Flutie has dropped from the top of the heap to the middle of the pack in the NFL's passer ratings. From the top three, where he was linked with fellow retread success stories Randall Cunningham and Vinny Testaverde, he has fallen all the way to 11th, to the land of Steve Beuerlein and Erik Kramer. In those two games, Flutie completed 46 percent of his passes (26 of 56) for 342 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions -- including two in the end zone that made last week's victory over New England more interesting than necessary. The offense produced just one touchdown and five field goals. This is not to belittle Flutie, who has performed admirably under some difficult circumstances against excellent teams, but to illustrate the point that other players have contributed mightily to Buffalo's success. There's this Antowain Thomas guy, for example. Or is it Thurman Smith? However their names are combined, Antowain Smith and Thurman Thomas add up to one of the most productive running games in the NFL. Together, they have rushed for 969 yards and compiled 1,155 total yards from scrimmage. The Colts are fully aware of what Smith can do. In his young career, he has three 100-yard games. Two have come against the Colts, including a 31-carry, 130-yard performance in the first meeting this year. It will be interesting to see how the Colts opt to match up with the wide receivers. Young Eric Moulds has been the big-play guy, averaging 19.1 yards per catch while scoring five touchdowns. The Patriots put their top cover man, Ty Law, on Moulds last week, but that allowed Andre Reed to break loose. Much-maligned corner Tyrone Poole was solid against Keyshawn Johnson last week, while the allegedly solid Jeff Burris was abused for another big play, a 63-yard touchdown to Wayne Chrebet -- who bested his previous career-long by 28 yards. One of the big problems the Colts have in matching up with the Bills comes up front. Buffalo traditionally has a strong offensive line, and this year is no exception. The Colts have gotten respectable performances from tackles Tony McCoy and Ellis Johnson, but lack playmakers at both the end and outside linebacker spots. SPECIAL TEAMS: It would appear, finally, that Aaron Bailey has won back his rightful place as the team's primary return specialist. After weeks on the inactive list watching Keith Elias return kickoffs and Tyrone Poole handle punts, Bailey has been back at his usual spot recently and responded in a big way against the Jets. His 44-yard kickoff return set up the Colts' first touchdown, and his strong 12-yard punt return started the team's second touchdown drive in Jets territory. The Bills offer Kevin Williams, a dangerous return man who has yet to break a big one this year, which only means he's due. The game matches the only two Canadian field-goal kickers in the league, as both the Colts' Mike Vanderjagt and the Bills' Steve Christie are from the same hometown of Oakville, Ontario. COACHING/INTANGIBLES: Jim Mora might've been as responsible as anyone for the Colts' comeback. Instead of ripping his team in the locker room at halftime for allowing the 104-yard field goal return for a touchdown that left them facing a 23-10 deficit, Mora was encouraging in tone, challenging the players to prevent that play from determining the course of the game. Wade Phillips might be the least-known good coach in the game. One local radio station, in fact, didn't even know he was the Bills' head coach, repeatedly identifying him as a coordinator when they played his sound bytes during highlights. Phillips isn't as colorful as his dad, legendary former Oilers coach Bum Phillips, but he knows the game, perhaps even better. The Bills weren't supposed to go anywhere this season, yet they stand ahead of both the Patriots and Jets. INJURIES: For the Colts, middle linebacker Michael Barber (hamstring) and right offensive guard Tony Mandarich (back) are doubtful; fullback Scott Greene and linebackers Jeff Herrod (knee) and Ratcliff Thomas (ankle) are questionable: and safety Robert Blackmon and right offensive tackle Adam Meadows (knee) are probable. For the Bills, left inside linebacker John Holocek (knee) is out; and left offensive tackle John Fina (abdomen) is questionable. FORECAST (Season record, 7-3): Manning has dealt with a lot of things thus far, but he hasn't had to deal with Buffalo in late November. The youngster has been throwing wobbly passes inside the RCA Dome; the swirling winds (and possible snow) of Rich Stadium might just prove a traumatic experience. The Bills will grind out a 26-14 victory.
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