No. 4 Indianapolis at No. 2 New England — Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS): The unwillingness to lose is a tough intangible to measure. And it might be the Colts’ most dangerous quality.
They put it on full display last weekend in storming back from 28 down to stun the Kansas City Chiefs, thus setting up this matchup against New England. Opening in such a hole again this week likely would mark the end of the line as requiring another massive rally, this time in Foxboro, might be too much to ask.
But the Colts are dangerous enough, especially on offense, to hang with New England. The conversation with both teams often starts at quarterback, and Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck has moved quickly onto the verge of joining players like the Patriots’ Tom Brady among the elite at his position. (Some might even argue that Luck is there already, despite his short time in the league.) Luck shook off three interceptions last week to bounce back with four TD passes and 443 yards through the air.
His play has been aided in recent weeks by the continued development of the weapons around him, despite the loss of Reggie Wayne for the season. T.Y. Hilton (13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns versus Kansas City) is now a viable No. 1 threat, while Da’Rick Rogers has come out of nowhere to provide a home-run option. Meanwhile, Donald Brown has grabbed the top RB job by the throat, wrestling it away from Trent Richardson.
“They’re very much a gameplan offense. What you see them doing in one game is not necessarily what you see them doing in another,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “Against Kansas City it was almost all three receivers and a tight end.
“Maybe they’ll look at us differently, maybe they won’t. … It’s hard to predict exactly what they’re going to do.”
What the Colts have not always done is protect Luck. He was sacked 32 times in the regular season — a number that easily could have been higher, if not for his escapability. New England can be dangerous off the edge, thanks to Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones.
That’s what the Indianapolis defense often lives and dies by, too. Robert Mathis led the league in sacks this season, and his forced fumble of Alex Smith last week helped turn the tide in Indianapolis’ favor. The Colts need him and his fellow linemates to at least pressure Brady because their secondary may be too wounded to corral the Patriots’ passing attack.
Smith lit up Indianapolis early last week, something Brady surely took notice of. Even with Rob Gronkowski on the shelf and no true No. 1 receiver, Brady had a stellar season. A multi-prong run game, led by Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen, will test the Colts as well. – Chris Burke
The Pick:
CB: Patriots 31, Colts 20
DF: Colts 23, Patriots 21
