Patriots vs. Colts: Renewed Rivalry
Patriots, Colts Renew Rivalry
While most of the attention in the sportsbook will focus on the Pacquiao Cotto odds this weekend, which will be the main mega event on Saturday night, the highlight of Sunday will be the renewal of the best rivalry in the NFL: the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts and Pats have been going back and forth throughout this decade and with the same cast of characters returning – Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – this is sure to be another classic.
People making their NFL fantasy picks in this game should start everyone. Not that you would ever bench Brady, Manning, Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne, fantasy players should expect huge weeks from all the offensive stars in this game because both defenses are struggling.
The Colts come into this game a perfect 8-0 and while the Pats struggled early in the season, they are playing their best football right now. They are 6-2 heading into this contest.
New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts
Sportsbook odds: Colts -3
Many football sharps know that when two rivals get together, the games are rarely high-scoring mostly because the teams are so familiar with each other. This game should present a different circumstance.
The Patriots defense has been decent of late but they have one major flaw: they don’t put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Pats have just 15 sacks on the year, which means they probably aren’t going to get to Manning very often in this game. And more importantly for New England, they no longer have the Ty Law or Asante Samuel-type cornerbacks who can shutdown a receiver.
The Colts have plenty of wideouts – not just Reggie Wayne – and they should find lots of space in the Pats secondary if Manning has the time to throw.
On the flip side, the Colts have some secondary concerns of their own. Standout safety Bob Sanders is out for the season, as is starting cornerback Marlon Jackson. The Colts will be thin as the tandem of Randy Moss and Wes Welker come to town. Since both defenses are a few bricks short of a load, expect this to be a fairly high-scoring game. Both teams will trade punches and the team with the last possession will likely win.
Home-field advantage shouldn’t factor too much as these teams are very familiar with each other. Since it’s hard to pick a side, take the points in this contest.
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