As the two dominant forces in the AFC over the better part of the last two decades, the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots have developed one of the top non-divisional rivalries in the NFL.
The franchises have combined to win five Super Bowls and eight AFC titles since Tom Brady took over as the Patriots quarterback in 2001. The two will meet on Sunday for the first time since New England beat the Colts 45-7 in last year’s AFC Championship Game.
While the Patriots have won six straight in the series, the conflict between the two teams is far from dead.
“The rivalry is real,” former Colts executive and current ESPN analyst Bill Polian said this week, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.
Indianapolis hasn’t beat the Patriots since Nov. of 2009, a game remembered best for Bill Belichick’s failed fourth down gamble and Peyton Manning’s comeback from 17 points down. New England hasn’t lost since, beating the Colts by a combined 116 points (19.3 per game) over the last six meetings. Over the last four, the Patriots have averaged a ridiculous 47.3 points.
Last January’s showdown not only sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl, but also kicked off the national nightmare known as “Deflategate.”
Both teams now have ample motivation for payback.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has never beaten the Patriots. New England wants to squeeze the air out of Indianapolis’ season, especially after the mess created by the PSI of footballs.
“The Patriots are on to Indianapolis, and no matter what they say — or, more to the point, what they don’t say — they have been waiting months for this,” ESPN columnist Jackie MacMullan wrote.
Game on.