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Average Ranking to date: 2nd

Fox Sports ranks us 2nd (nc):  FIRST-HALF BLESSING: Even mostly without perennial All-Pro safety Bob Sanders, the Colts have been benefactors of the NFL's best scoring defense in the first half. And oh yeah, that Peyton Manning fellow ain't too bad, either.  Yeah, I think he's a keeper.

Associated Content ranks us 2nd

Pete Prisco @ CBS Sports ranks us 1st (nc):  They're finding ways to win, but they aren't playing great. The offense is moving the ball, but not scoring touchdowns. That can't happen this week against New England.  Ya think?!

Walter Football ranks us 2nd (nc):  Huge game between the Patriots and Colts coming up. To get an inside look, let's go to Keyshawn Johnson, who had this to say about Peyton Manning recently: "He's quarterback human like all the quarterbacks in the NFL." Apparently, when we weren't paying attention, some people evolved into something called a quarterback human. So kids, if you're reading this, just know that you have no chance of becoming a quarterback in the NFL unless you've evolved into a quarterback human. If you haven't, too bad. There's always baseball.   Keyshawn, C'mon, man!!!

Vic Carucci @ NFL.com ranks us 2nd (nc):  Are injuries starting to catch up with the Colts? Sunday night vs. the Patriots should be very telling.  Yes, my blood pressure is already high.  btw, he gives both Dallas and Caldwell some love.

Michael Silver @ Yahoo Sports ranks us 2nd (nc):   Don’t you get the distinct feeling that the next passer to throw for 40,000 yards in a decade will also be Peyton Manning?  I like his thinking this week!  That's some Kool Aid I could get used to.  D-Free gets some love in this article!

WEEI in Boston ranks us 2nd (nc):  Two straight weeks of mediocre play from the Colts. However, they still were able to pull out the win in each game. It will be interesting to see how the injuries on defense will affect them.

ESPN ranks us 2nd (nc):  Let the hype begin for another giant Patriots-Colts game in November. (Kuharsky)   Is it just me, or is Kuharsky a tad slow...like "short bus" slow?

PFW ranks us 2nd (nc):  Have to wonder if defensive injuries will catch up with them.  Notice a reoccurring theme, here? 

NFL.com ranks us 2nd (nc)

Sporting News ranks us 2nd (nc):  Next up, the Patriots: Another midseason duel between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

National Football Post ranks us 2nd (nc):  The Colts may have survived at home, but that is what playoff teams do when they are on the ropes.

WhatIfSports ranks us 2nd ( nc)

Peter King @ SI ranks us 2nd (nc):  Dates of the last five Pats-Colts games as the November sweeps continue to dictate the scheduling of this big game: Nov. 7, 2005; Nov. 5, 2006; Nov. 4, 2007; Nov. 2, 2008; Nov. 15, 2009.  And the hype has begun...

FanHouse ranks us 2nd:  Only one team in the AFC has a higher point differential and it's by a single point. That teams? Their Week 10 opponent, of course. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Colts already have a stronghold on the division and a win here would give them a similar grip -- at least temporarily -- on the AFC. -- Matt Snyder

CHFF ranks us 2nd (nc):  Last week: 20-17 win vs. Houston. Amazing fact of the millennium: Of Indy's 11 current starters on defense, only rookie Jarraud Powers and DE Dwight Freeney were drafted higher than the fifth round.

USA Today ranks us 2nd:  CBs will get big test vs. Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Patriots.

Don Banks @ SI ranks us 2nd (nc):  Though neither quarterback will probably ever admit it, I've always wondered if Peyton Manning and Tom Brady get a bit weary of having to face each other every year in such a Game of the Century hype-fest? It's always about the quarterbacks and who's better and who's more valuable and who would you rather have? Blah, blah, blah. It's like having the exact same argument with family members each and every Thanksgiving, right after dinner. My hunch is they enjoy it to a certain degree and endure it to a certain degree. Brady probably even missed it some last year when Matt Cassel took over, but I'll bet it didn't spoil Manning's day one bit to beat New England 18-15 without No. 12 in the New England lineup.  Frankly I love how the MSM complain about the "hype fest" while they hype it up.

Covers.com ranks us (to be updated 11.12)