ESPN AFL

Monday, May 7, 8 p.m. ET
ESPN2, ESPN360
This could be a preview of two teams headed for the playoffs. Chicago comes into this one with a little bit of swagger and a seven-game win streak. The Rush are playing excellent defense with a good pass rush and solid coverage schemes. Offensively, the Rush's passing duo of QB Matt D'Orazio to WR Bobby Sippio is almost unstoppable. Colorado is starting to play a lot better after a sluggish start and its offense is taking shape, thanks to the passing duo of QB John Dutton to WR Damian Harrell. Watching Sippio and Harrell will be entertaining and there should be plenty of explosive plays. Right now you get the feeling that Chicago is an elite team and Colorado is trying to get to that status. Monday's game will bring out the best in these two teams. You have two head coaches in this game Mike Dailey (Colorado) and Mike Hohensee (Chicago) who are such good friends that they were the best men in each other's weddings. Hohensee is coaching despite being hit by a car last week and suffering injuries serious enough that he was forced him to coach from the box. That fact just adds to the drama and story lines.

When Colorado has the ball
This has been a frustrating year for Crush's proud offense because they really haven't gelled and Dutton has been far too inconsistent. In fairness, their best player, Harrell, has had a lot of annoying minor injuries to play through and has really not been 100 percent healthy all season. Dutton did a better job last week of looking for his complimentary receivers and being less dependent on Harrell, but he faces the best secondary in the AFL at Chicago. DBs Jeremy Unertl, Dennis Robinson and Jonathan Ordway are excellent tacklers and they love to tighten up their man-to-man coverage schemes as the game goes on. The Rush have a very good pass rush, making it very difficult for opposing receivers to get good separation and get open. Because of that aggressive Chicago pass rush, we may see Dutton revert to a shorter passing game and count on yards after the catch. But when that happens the Rush's defensive backs will simply come up and play press coverage. They will get physical with Colorado's WRs and dare Dutton to throw deep. The Crush must be efficient on offense and not waste scoring opportunities and because they do not have a very productive running game and it will be interesting to see if they have any success in the red zone.

When Chicago has the ball
The game plan to stop this offense is very simple -- neutralize the D'Orazio-Sippio passing duo and you take away their big plays, but that's easier said than done. The Crush have an elite DB, Rashad Floyd, who leads the league in tackles and is also a ballhawk. This could be a classic matchup because Sippio loves to catch short passes and overpower DBs after the catch with his size, power and running ability. However, Floyd is also a physical player and it won't be easy for Sippio to run over him. D'Orazio is a smart QB and the Rush's coaches do an excellent job of adjusting their game plan. If Sippio is neutralized, he will look for his complimentary receivers. D'Orazio will also sacrifice his body and take a hit to hold on to the ball long enough to let his receivers separate from tight coverage. That is why Chicago's receivers have so much success on double moves, which take time to finish. Also, look for Chicago to run the football in the red zone with its effective "jumbo" package. They have two quality fullbacks, Bob McMillen and DeJuan Alfonzo, to attack a Crush defense that is not overly physical. Floyd needs to have a great defensive game, the Crush have to tackle well, and they must get some hits on D'Orazio to have a chance to win this game.

Colorado keys to success
• Try to neutralize Sippio: He is big, physical and impossible to stop with one-on-one coverage. When he goes in motion, he is tough to jam and his strength allows him to easily push off. Colorado will likely try to play off coverages and then close on the ball and maybe even guess on some routes.

• Find a secondary weapon to Harrell: Last week the Crush's second receiver, Brad Pyatt, was the go-to guy with nine catches for 120 yards and a TD. We know Harrell will get all the attention, so Pyatt will have good one-on-one matchups, and if Dutton looks for him, he could have a big night.

• Get some hits on D'Orazio: Considering he play on an elite team, D'Orazio gets hit a lot more than you would expect. He likes to hold on to the ball until the last second to give his receivers extra time to separate. He's a tough guy, but if the Crush keep the pressure on him it could lead to a turnover.

Chicago keys to success
• Try to take Harrell out of the game: Even though he has been banged up most of this season, Harrell is the go-to guy in Colorado's offense and the ultimate playmaker. He runs excellent routes and has great hands. The Chicago DBs will likely try to get physical at the line of scrimmage and try to reroute him, but he's tough to push around.

• Better pass protection for D'Orazio: The Rush's QB gets hit so much largely because of inconsistent play by his offensive line. Philadelphia punished him last week, and although Colorado doesn't need to sack him a lot, it needs to at least be aggressive and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.

• Know where Floyd is at all times: He is the best DB in the AFL and is a very productive player with great range and ball skills. He likes to get physical with WRs and is excellent at breaking on the ball and anticipating routes. He will likely spend a lot of time covering Sippio, which will be a classic matchup. D'Orazio must identify him before the snap.

Prediction
These are two strong organizations that are used to winning and playing in big games. Chicago was a so-so team in 2006 during the regular season before getting hot in the playoffs and winning it all. In 2007, the Rush seem more focused and are an elite team that is playing as well as any squad in the AFL right now. Colorado has been up and down all season with Dutton not always playing with consistency, but they have started to put things together the past few weeks. With two of the best receivers in the AFL in this game -- Harrell and Sippio -- there is a lot of pressure on each secondary to try to neutralize them and limit big plays. The major difference between these two teams is on the defensive side of the ball. Colorado has an acceptable defense, while Chicago has a great one. Not only do the Rush put pressure on the QB, but they also have excellent playmakers in the secondary. They will make enough defensive stops in the game with tight man-to-man coverage to slow down the Crush offense. This promises to be an interesting and fairly close game without a lot of scoring, but Chicago will win because of its defense.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.