The rivalry has shifted

According to Johnny O,  Indy is firmly in control

Whether or not the decision was right, it’s hard to avoid concluding the balance in the series has shifted, however slightly — on the field and perhaps as importantly, in the minds of the teams. Since the Patriots dominated the series in 2003-2004, the Colts have been the better team by nearly any objective measure. Each team has been to a Super Bowl during the span. The Colts won theirs; the Patriots did not. They have played six times since the 20-3 Patriots victory in Foxboro. The Colts have won five. The Patriots’ lone victory over the Colts since the 2004 season came during their 16-0 season in 2007 — 24-20 in a game the Colts controlled for much of the first 50 minutes. The Colts haven’t been drasticallly better since 2004, but they have been better.

But the more notable balance shift perhaps has been mental. In 2003-2004, even when the Colts played the Patriots very, very tough — which they did each time, even in the postseason — you got the idea entering the game while the Colts really, really believed the could win, the Patriots knew they would win. A small difference, and at the same time enough to be the difference between the Lombardi trophies from those seasons residing in Foxboro rather than Indy. The Patriots in those games seemed confident that the Colts and Manning would make the error, or that the Colts just weren’t capable of making the play that mattered when it mattered most. And now, you get the idea that although the Patriots were better for three and a half quarters Sunday, the Colts knew on Sunday they were the team with the knack for winning the game it shouldn’t, with the savvy — and the quarterback — capable of producing victory from the unlikeliest of circumstances.