Boston Sports

Patriots And Colts Face Off For Undefeated Title

Reigning Champ Indy, 7-0, Hosts 8-0 New England

INDIANAPOLIS (Sports Network) ― There's no denying that the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts have been the class of the NFL through the first half of this 2007 season. The debate as to which is the better of the two teams can finally be settled this Sunday, when the two unbeaten powerhouses collide in a titanic matchup from the RCA Dome.

It's the NFL's midseason version of the Super Bowl and a showdown of historic proportions, as never before in the history of the NFL have two undefeated teams met this late in a season. And maybe most importantly, Sunday's long- awaited tilt will give the winner the inside track towards securing home field advantage in the AFC playoffs come January.

The tale of the tape is indeed impressive. New England's dominance during its 8-0 start has likely made the members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins a very nervous bunch, while the defending world champion Colts haven't lost since Christmas Eve of last season, when Tony Dungy's club was handed a surprising 27-24 defeat by the four-win Houston Texans in Week 16. Included in that amazing 12-game run was a thrilling 38-34 triumph over the Patriots at the RCA Dome in the 2006 AFC Championship Game.

New England has clearly been an improved and focused group since that stinging setback. The Patriots have been outscoring their overmatched foes by a astounding average of 25.5 points per game this year, and have rolled up a whopping 331 points at the midway point, which puts the team on pace to shatter the 1998 Minnesota Vikings' single-season record of 556.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has already thrown 30 touchdown passes through the first eight games, sending Indianapolis' Peyton Manning's NFL mark of 49 set three years ago in serious jeopardy. Re-born receiver Randy Moss has hauled in 11 of Brady's strikes and could be making a run at Jerry Rice's league record of 22 that has stood since 1987.

Brady can break another record he currently shares with Manning on Sunday. New England's unflappable triggerman has put up at least three touchdown passes in all eight games this season, tying a mark set by Manning during the two-time MVP's remarkable 2004 campaign.

Brady, who has been intercepted just twice this year, threw for three more scores and amassed 306 passing yards in last Sunday's 52-7 dismantling of the Washington Redskins.

The Colts' credentials have been equally impeccable. Indianapolis has won its last four contests by at least 18 points, and ran its record to 7-0 with last week's 31-7 road rout of Carolina. The reigning champs boast the NFL's No. 1- ranked pass defense and have yielded the second-fewest points in the league thus far.

Indianapolis has also won 13 consecutive times at the RCA Dome, a streak that dates all the way back to the 2005 season. The Colts haven't tasted defeat at home since a 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional Playoffs on January 15, 2006.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots hold a decisive 41-26 edge in their all-time regular season series with the Colts, but have lost each of the last two meetings with Indy, including a 27-20 home defeat in Week 9 of the 2006 season. Indianapolis also traveled to New England and earned a 40-21 win during the 2005 campaign. Prior to that matchup, the Patriots had scored four straight regular season victories over Indy, including victories at the RCA Dome in both 2001 and 2003. New England last lost a regular season game in Indianapolis in 2000.

The Patriots and Colts have met three times in the postseason, with New England taking a 24-14 decision in the 2003 AFC Championship and a 20-3 triumph in a 2004 AFC Divisional Playoff prior to the Colts' above-mentioned 38-34 win in the 2006 AFC Championship.

The Patriots are 31-12, including playoffs, against Indianapolis since the Colts moved from Baltimore following the 1983 season.

New England head coach Bill Belichick is 9-6 against the Colts all-time (including 7-3 with the Patriots), while Dungy is 5-4 versus New England (including 3-4 with the Colts). Dungy is 4-4 head-to-head against Belichick, including a victory for Dungy's Buccaneers team in the 2000 campaign.

WHEN THE PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL

New England brings in the NFL's top-rated offense in total yards (439.5 ypg) and passing yards (303.8 ypg) and has yet to meet its match this season, as the club has scored at least 34 points in every game. It all starts with Brady (2431 passing yards, 30 TD, 2 INT), who's completing over 74 percent of his throws and has had three straight games of 300 yards or more. The leading MVP candidate is well-protected by a veteran offensive line that's allowed only eight sacks, and has a wealth of proven weapons at his disposal. Moss (47 receptions, 11 TD) is the home-run hitter and most heralded member of the highly-productive receiving corps, but shifty slot man Wes Welker (56 reception, 6 TD) has been Brady's go-to guy as of late. The ex-Dolphin has caught at least nine passes and scored five touchdowns over New England's last three outings. Donte Stallworth (26 receptions, 3 TD) provides another big- play threat, while tight end Ben Watson (18 receptions, 5 TD), one of Brady's favorite targets in the red zone, could return to action after missing the last two games with a high ankle sprain.

The Patriots have been effective running the ball as well, ranking eighth overall in that category with an average of 135.8 yards per game on the ground. Laurence Maroney (358 rushing yards) and Sammy Morris (384 rushing yards, 3 TD) are a quality backfield tandem, although the duo has rarely been together this season. Maroney missed three games with a groin ailment earlier in the year, while Morris -- the better inside runner of the two -- will sit out for a third straight week with a chest injury. Maroney will split touches on Sunday with third-down specialist Kevin Faulk (156 rushing yards, 22 receptions), New England's top receiving threat of the backs.

Brady's touchdown streak will be put to the test by an Indianapolis defense that is yielding a mere 165.4 passing yards per game and only five touchdowns through the air. The Colts did receive a scare when Marlin Jackson (48 tackles, 1 INT), the team's top cornerback, hurt his neck during the Carolina game, but he's expected to be okay for Sunday. Indy has produced only 12 sacks in its seven games but does have two outstanding pass rushers in ends Dwight Freeney (18 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Robert Mathis (13 tackles, 2 sacks), both of whom will be counted on to apply heat to Brady. Also look for blitzes by All-Pro safety Bob Sanders (39 tackles, 1 INT), who's compiled 2 1/2 sacks out his backfield spot.

The playmaking Sanders also plays a major role in stopping the run, an area in which the Colts have greatly improved from a year ago. Indianapolis ranks a respectable 13th in rushing defense (107.4 ypg) and has allowed only one back (Denver's Travis Henry) to eclipse the 100-yard barrier this season. The team does have some concerns at linebacker, as weakside starter Freddy Keiaho (29 tackles, 1 INT) has missed two of the last three games with a concussion. He has been practicing this week, however, and is probable for Sunday's test.

WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL

Just as the Colts' 7-0 start has been overshadowed by the Patriots' blitzkrieg through the league over the last two months, Brady's accomplishments have trumped another consistently excellent season from Manning (1833 passing yards, 13 TD, 3 INT). The cerebral quarterback's comparatively modest numbers have also been the result of a more balanced approach on offense by Indianapolis this year. The Colts enter Sunday's showdown fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (140.3 ypg) and sixth in passing yards (258.7 ypg), while putting up an average of 32 points per game. Running back Joseph Addai (592 rushing yards, 17 receptions, 8 total TD) has helped ease the burden on Manning with a brilliant sophomore season, highlighted by a three-touchdown effort against the Panthers last Sunday that earned him AFC Player of the Week honors. When Addai needs a break, former CFL star Kenton Keith (344 rushing yards, 3 TD) has shown to be a capable fill-in.

Manning has had to make do without favorite receiver Marvin Harrison (20 receptions, 1 TD) in two of Indy's last three games, but the All-Pro wideout is expected back in the fold after missing time with a sprained knee. Counterpart Reggie Wayne (44 receptions, 5 TD) stepped up with Harrison out last week, amassing a season-high 168 yards on seven grabs and hauling in a 59-yard touchdown from Manning. The Patriots will also have to account for Dallas Clark (32 receptions), who leads all NFL tight ends with six touchdown catches and burned New England for 137 receiving yards in last year's AFC Championship. Manning's only been sacked five times this year and should get his blindside protector back in rookie left tackle Tony Ugoh, who sat out last week with a shoulder stinger.

New England's veteran defense has surrendered the third-fewest yards (268.5 ypg) in the league and got even stronger with last week's return of five-time Pro Bowl end Richard Seymour from a knee injury that caused him to miss the first seven games. Seymour's absence has been compensated for via solid play from replacement Jarvis Green (19 tackles, 3 sacks) and an outstanding first half out of outside linebacker Mike Vrabel (42 tackles). The 11th-year pro recorded three sacks in last week's rout of Washington and now has a team-best 7 1/2 on the season. He's also the second-leading tackler on a unit that stands fifth overall in rushing defense (87.0 ypg).

The Patriots also rank fifth in the NFL in passing yards allowed (181.5 ypg), which is quite an achievement considering how teams have had to continuously play catch-up when facing them. Cornerback Asante Samuel (17 tackles, 4 INT, 11 PD) is a dangerous playmaker on the perimeter, and New England also sports two excellent coverage linebackers in the versatile Adalius Thomas (38 tackles, 1 INT, 0.5 sacks) and future Hall-of-Famer Junior Seau (33 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack). The Patriots induced four turnovers against the Redskins last Sunday, including a forced fumble by Vrabel that linebacker Rosevelt Colvin (20 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) returned for a touchdown.

FANTASY FOCUS

As one would expect in a battle between the league's elite teams, there will be a plethora of top-tier fantasy performers on the field Sunday. High-scoring affairs are usually the norm whenever these clubs get together, so a case can be made for nearly every regular offensive skill player on both sides to receive a spot in this week's lineups. Brady is a no-brainer to start, and Manning has amassed over 300 passing yards in each of the Colts' last three meetings with New England. Addai has emerged as a legitimate No. 1 fantasy back in his second season, while Harrison, Wayne and Clark also qualify as every-week plays for Indianapolis. Clark has caught a touchdown pass in five of the team's seven games this year.

No receiver has produced more points than Moss in 2007, and it's reasonable to expect that Welker will keep up his torrid recent pace with a very favorable matchup on Sunday. Watson owners should be a little more cautious with the big tight end, who could be limited on Sunday with his tender ankle. Perhaps the only Patriot fantasy player that has disappointed this season has been Maroney, who's yet to score a touchdown and missed significant time with nagging injuries.

Even the kickers, New England's Stephen Gostkowski and ex-Patriot Adam Vinatieri, make strong plays on Sunday, but stay away from either defense.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Patriots have barely been challenged while steamrolling the competition during the season's first half, but now the NFL's bullies will be taking on someone their own size. The Colts have the personnel on offense to handle a shootout and won't be intimidated by the magnitude of this game or the lofty achievements of their opponent. Indianapolis was able to overcome an early 21-3 deficit to New England in last year's AFC title game, mainly because the Patriots' aging defense wasn't able to contend with the Colts' speed on the fast track of the RCA Dome. New England has clearly upgraded the talent level since that stinging loss, bringing in impact players such as Moss, Welker and Thomas, but won't find the big plays on offense that have been so instrumental to this season's success as easy to come by on Sunday. This game may very well be determined by which team is better able to succeed within the red zone, where the Colts' better balance on offense, toughness in defending the pass, and lively home crowd give the defending champs a slight overall edge.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Colts 31, Patriots 27

(Sports Network)