The Colts really did seem to “Get Lucky” this past weekend against a revitalized Kansas City Chiefs, but the next opponent looming in their path doesn’t quite possess the Andy Reid like late game failings.
That team? None other than the perennial nemesis New England Patriots.
These two clubs have had a long history, at one point dueling annually for the AFC East title rights, and the competition between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have been well documented. For the better part of the last 15 years, these two clubs have damaged a lot of AFC contender’s hopes and dreams, including each others. Even with the Colts shifting to the reformed AFC South, they have had bitter battles, and the two teams fans have had more than their fair share of trash talking.
In short, this game is not to be taken lightly.
The glaring difference in this game is Peyton’s absence, and in his stead current bright and future hope, Andrew Luck. I wrote last night about Luck’s fourth quarter heroics and was yet again rewarded with another miraculous come from behind heart attack inducing highlight reel. The man he will be facing has a slew of fourth quarter comebacks as well, and a few of them on the NFL’s biggest stage. Brady doesn’t have a star laden defense, or Randy Moss and Wes Welker anymore, but he is still a commanding presence in the pocket, and deadly accurate no matter who runs the patterns. Luck will have to rely on Donald Brown working through a depleted Patriots defensive line that seriously misses Vince Wilfork clogging the middle to keep Brady off the field. He will have his opportunities to hit his wideouts, including new receiver and former Brady buddy Deion Branch, who I suspect is nothing more than a body to help the Colts steal plays from.
Brady is in pretty much the same boat as Luck, and will need his current stable of running backs to remain successful and keep a young Colts defense off balance and worn out to succeed. He doesn’t have his magical tight ends anymore, and has begun to rely on Julian Edelman to do his best Welker impression to keep them consistent in the passing game.
Neither of these teams has a fearsome defense, and it will be a battle between the offenses and who makes the least mistakes. Luck will not get away unscathed if he throws three picks this time around. Even with a young and not that great Pats defense facing him, he will need to do better than he has previously, but he will always have a chance as long as the club remains persistent in the second half as they have been known for.
Brady, on the other hand, might have to match that intensity later rather than sooner, something the Pats have been known for as well, so the best fireworks may not come early here. In fact as the late game, I fully expect people to be on the edge of their seats for this matchup in the wee hours, and overtime wouldn’t shock me, either.
The game is in Foxboro, and while my heart says 31-28 Colts? I’m going with 34-31 Pats as the reasonable result.
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