Mammoth Blog

As the two measures of success in the AFC during this decade, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts have had some memorable head-to-head battles in recent years. The hype doesn't figure to be quite the same when the prestigious clubs face off at Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday in a nationally-televised clash.

While the Patriots have successfully overcome superstar quarterback Tom Brady's year-ending knee injury to remain at the top of the AFC East heap, the Colts have slumped to a 3-4 record heading toward this season's midway point. That's a shocking development for a team that has not lost more than four regular-season contests in any campaign since head coach Tony Dungy's debut in Indianapolis in 2002.

The Colts' stranglehold on the AFC South division appears to be a thing of the past as well. After Monday's 31-21 setback to still-unbeaten Tennessee, Dungy's club now stands four games back of the 7-0 Titans for first place in the standings.

On the positive side, Indianapolis is expected to get back some key reinforcements for Sunday's all-important tilt. All-Pro safety Bob Sanders will return to action after sitting out the team's last five games due to September knee surgery, while running back Joseph Addai's two-game absence caused by a hamstring strain is scheduled to end as well.

Sanders, the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will be counted on to bolster a defense that ranks 26th in the league against the run.

In addition to the usual high-stakes status of the games, what has made the Patriots-Colts rivalry so intriguing is the individual showdown between marquee quarterbacks Brady and Peyton Manning. But with New England's primary triggerman currently recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, replacement Matt Cassel just doesn't provide the same star power.

Cassel has done a credible job as the Patriots' new field general, however. The defending AFC champions have won four of the six games the previously- unknown quarterback has started, including last Sunday's hard-fought 23-16 home win over St. Louis in which Cassel engineered a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

New England has won two of its three road tests with Cassel under center as well, while the Colts are just 1-2 so far in the inaugural season at Lucas Oil Stadium. That lone victory was an impressive one, however, a 31-3 rout of Baltimore back in Week 6 in which Manning threw for 271 yards and a season- best three touchdowns.

SERIES HISTORY

The Patriots hold a 42-26 edge in their all-time regular season series with the Colts, including a 24-20 road victory when the teams last met, at the RCA Dome in Week 9 of last season. The teams were a combined 15-0 heading into that much-anticipated matchup. Indianapolis won the previous two regular season meetings, both in New England, in 2005 and 2006. The Pats are 3-0 in regular season games played in Indianapolis since last losing such a matchup 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' 38-34 home win in the 2006 AFC Championship.

The Patriots are 32-12, including playoffs, against Indianapolis since the Colts moved from Baltimore following the 1983 season.

New England head coach Bill Belichick is 10-6 against the Colts all-time (including 8-3 with the Patriots), while Dungy is 5-5 versus New England (including 3-5 with the Colts). Dungy is 4-5 head-to-head against Belichick, including a victory for Dungy's Buccaneers team in the 2000 campaign.source>>>