NFL Picks Week 2: Can Peyton Manning-Less Colts Notch First Win vs. Browns?

To say the Indianapolis Colts struggled in their Week 1 game against the Houston Texans would be an understatement.

The Colts managed a single touchdown in the 34-7 loss, and it didn't come until the fourth quarter, when the game was already well out of hand. They had trouble managing the ball on offense, with quarterback Kerry Collins fumbling three times, losing two of them.

Despite Collins' 197 passing yards (106 of them and the touchdown to wide receiver Reggie Wayne), Indianapolis struggled to get meaningful yards.

And the defense couldn't stop the Texans' passing or running game, giving up 384 net yards, 217 in the air and 167 on the ground.

While the Colts were clearly going to struggle in opening the season without quarterback Peyton Manning against a divisional rival trying to take the AFC South for the first time in team history, the blowout means that Indianapolis has a significant amount of work to do before they take on the Cleveland Browns next Sunday.

Despite the Browns' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts aren't in for a cakewalk for their first win of the 2011 season.

The Browns, who fell 27-17 against a Bengals squad that lost starting quarterback Andy Dalton to injury, collapsed in the fourth quarter, giving up two touchdowns and the win in the final two minutes of the game.

However, it is unlikely the Browns are going to repeat this performance against the Colts, though they will not blow out the Colts in the same manner.

The key to the Colts' struggles indeed has much to do with Manning not being under center for the team, in so much as his performances can easily outweigh the shortcomings of the Indianapolis defense—of which there are many.

They proved on Sunday that they cannot stop the run or the pass.

A team like the Browns, who, granted, aren't one of the biggest offensive powerhouses in the NFL, can still easily take advantage of the Colts' slumping defense and devise a game plan to exploit that weakness.

Without an effective defense and an offense that can compensate for it, the Colts are doomed to lose every week, and I don't see them winning against the Browns next Sunday.

The Bengals only pulled off the win over Cleveland when the Browns defense crumbled at the very end of the contest. It doesn't seem probable that the Colts will be able to repeat that performance next week.

I think the Browns will bounce back from their Week 1 loss, while the Colts continue struggle not only to get wins, but to score points.

The Colts look poised to open their season 0-2 for the first time since Manning's rookie year. It's not going to get any easier for them as the year progresses—in Week 3, they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Sunday night game.

My prediction: Browns over Colts, 24-13.