Yes, there is a way to beat the Colts

The key will be taking on Indy's defense

CHARLOTTE -- The biggest play of the Indianapolis-Jacksonville game Monday night occurred while actor Russell Crowe was in the "Monday Night Football" booth talking about rugby.

This was wrong on several levels, but at least it was happening while the Indianapolis defense was on the field and Peyton Manning was on the sideline.

The game wasn't about to be decided or anything, was it?

In fact, it was. Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney exploded past Jacksonville's left tackle late in the third quarter, found Jaguars quarterback Quinn Gray and dropped him for a safety to make the score 19-7. Crowe kept droning on until play-by-play man Mike Tirico finally interrupted him.

The point is this: No one can relax when the Colts' defense is on the field anymore. Yes, the Indianapolis offense is ranked No.3 overall in the NFL, but did you know its defense shares that exact same ranking?

The Panthers will be led today by 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde, who would add to his legend if he were to pull off the upset.

I think the Panthers will need to score at least 24 points to win today. Can they? The 6-0 Colts, led by Freeney and safety Bob Sanders, have allowed as many as 24 points only once this season.

The Colts rarely blitz and generally keep both safeties way back in a classic "Cover Two" defense.

"They dare you to do 20 straight plays of dink and dunk," Panthers guard Mike Wahle said.

How do you beat a defense like that? Do four things well:

* START FAST: Here's a remarkable statistic about Colts coach Tony Dungy: When one of his NFL teams has taken a lead of 14 or more points, he is 67-1. Get behind by two touchdowns against the Colts and you're finished.

* RUN THE BALL: You must limit the possessions. The running game, when successful, is football's version of the Four Corners.

DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams will be as important to the Panthers as Testaverde today. Running to the left, directly at Freeney, also could help. He's not great against the run.

* CONVERT ON THIRD DOWN: A successful conversion rate of at least 50 percent likely would mean a Carolina win. Carolina has converted 37.8 percent of its third downs on offense so far in 2007.

* MAKE AT LEAST TWO HUGE PLAYS IN THE PASSING GAME: This may be Testaverde's strength -- he has thrown a nice long ball for two decades.

"You will get a few shots in every game to go downfield on them," said Carolina reserve quarterback David Carr, who led an upset of Indianapolis while playing for Houston in 2006. "On those, you have to hit at least half the time. You can't try it five times and only make it once, or you're going to lose."