"Almost without fail, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning spends part of his postgame post-mortems talking about the ways opponents try to take away tight end Dallas Clark.

They play nickel (five defensive backs) or dime (six DBs). They double-cover him, using a linebacker and a defensive end, or another unusual pairing of defensive players. Some clubs have tried straitjackets and cluster bombs, with varying levels of success.

Since Clark emerged as one of the league's most dynamic weapons three or four years ago, defenses have spent the week leading up to Colts games saying, "We've got to make Dallas Clark disappear."

Well, Clark has disappeared, courtesy of a season-ending wrist injury.

Which means this: There's even more pressure now, if that's possible, on Manning.

If No. 18 can lead his team past Houston in a Monday night monster game at The Luke, if he can overcome the injuries to Clark, receiver Austin Collie, running backs Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, and receiver Anthony Gonzalez's tenuous return from injury, and lead this group to another 12-win season, he should not only get his fifth MVP, they should rename the trophy after him.

"You still have the same expectations, but you may have to make some adjustments," Manning said Thursday. "To sit here and say there's not an adjustment without Dallas Clark, we can't say that. He's too great of a player not to have an effect."

Outside of the 2008 season -- when Manning's bum knee left the Colts 3-4 before a nine-game winning streak -- has Manning ever faced a bigger challenge?

It doesn't take a coaching legend to break down the obvious X's-and-O's ramifications of Clark's loss.

With Clark in the lineup, most defenses have used five or six defensive backs, daring the Colts to run the football -- which they have done with uneven success. Unless Jacob Tamme emerges as Dallas Jr., defenses will pay less attention to the Colts' tight end, meaning more emphasis on closing down the outside receivers (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Gonzalez) and/or more emphasis on shutting down the run."