Will the Indianapolis Colts revive their rivalry with the New England Patriots? During the 2000s, their matchups were always fun to watch. However, there hasn’t been much Colts vs. Patriots talk over the last few years.
The two teams will not face each other in this year‘s regular season. But they could meet at some point in the playoffs.
New England currently has the top record in the AFC (10-2). Meanwhile, Indianapolis is third (8-3).
Both teams came out of nowhere to emerge as Super Bowl contenders this year. Indianapolis finished 8-9 last season while New England was 4-13.
The Patriots hold a 4-1 all-time playoff record against the Colts. And a potential AFC Championship game would certainly add a new chapter to this heated rivalry.
Heated Colts vs. Patriots Rivalry Could Return in the Playoffs This Season
Looking Back at the Good Old Days
Rivalries are one of the best things about sports. It’s fascinating to watch a game between two teams that hate each other. Great examples include college basketball’s Duke-North Carolina and college football’s Ohio State-Michigan. Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry is also “must-see” TV.
From roughly 2001-2015, Colts vs Patriots was something NFL fans didn’t want to miss. The memorable rivalry was centered around Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for the most part. But Andrew Luck was in the picture as well once Manning signed with the Denver Broncos in 2012.
Indianapolis and New England faced each other in the playoffs several times. The Patriots beat the Colts in the 2003 AFC Championship Game and the 2004 divisional game. However, the Colts finally broke through, knocking off Brady and Co. in the 2006 AFC Championship Game. They went on to win it all that year, their only Super Bowl victory since relocating to Indianapolis.
Brady and the Pats defeated Luck’s Colts 45-7 in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. However, New England was accused of under-inflating footballs used in that contest, which would be dubbed “Deflategate.” Despite the controversy, the Patriots went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl that season.
Daniel Jones vs. Drake Maye
Again, the Colts vs. Patriots rivalry was highlighted by quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. And later, it was Andrew Luck against Brady.
Those guys, of course, are retired now. These days, Daniel Jones is the Colts’ starting quarterback while Drake Maye is the man for New England.
Jones is in his first season with the Colts. Considered a bust during his time with the New York Giants, he has revived his career in Indianapolis. He is currently fourth in the NFL in passing yards with 2,840.
Maye, the second-year star out of North Carolina, is leading the league with 3,130 passing yards. He has also powered the Patriots to nine consecutive wins.
Jones vs. Maye wouldn’t be on the same level as Manning/Luck vs. Brady. Nobody is going to argue about that. However, a potential Colts vs. Patriots playoff meeting would allow the present-day quarterbacks to carve their own legacies in one of the NFL’s most storied rivalries.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images
The post Colts Could Revive Rivalry with Fellow AFC Contender appeared first on Last Word on NFL.