Colts-Patriots Week 5 Preview
On Feb 7th, Colts GM Chris Ballard addressed the media after Patriots OC Josh McDaniels backed out of a deal to become the Colts new head coach. As he left the podium, Ballard offered everyone one more quote: “The rivalry is back on.”
The Colts-Patriots rivalry might be back according to Ballard, but that doesn’t mean this game will carry the same kind of weight that it has in the past. The Patriots remain perennial Super Bowl contenders despite struggling a bit early on this season, but the Colts are in the middle of a rebuild.
This game won’t decide who gets home-field advantage in the playoffs. This game isn’t an AFC Championship game preview like it used to be 10 years ago, or even just 3 years ago. Manning vs. Brady was must watch TV, but the new Luck vs. Brady matchup hasn’t maintained that quality, and without all of those story lines, the rivalry just isn’t the same.
This is a lot like when they made a reboot of The Mummy last year but they replaced Brendan Fraser with Tom Cruise. Sure, you brought back a classic, called it by the same name and added a new star, but it just doesn’t have the same blockbuster luster and appeal.
They might not be rolling out the red carpet before kickoff tomorrow night, but this game is still significant for both teams. For the Colts, a loss all but guarantees elimination from playoff contention and another lost year of Andrew Luck’s prime. However, a win would breathe new faith into this young team and show that Ballard’s rebuild is heading in the right direction.
On the other hand, the Patriots currently sit at 2-2, one game behind the Dolphins in the AFC East. A win keeps them on the right path after some struggling bit in the first few weeks of the season. However, a loss would set them back to 2-3, which would be their worst start to as season since 2001.
With all this considered, it’s safe to see this as a must-win game for both teams. The pressure will be on Thursday night and that might just be the kind of spark this rivalry needs to get back to its glory days.
This game will also serve as another look at whether Luck has truly returned to form. After throwing for over 450 yards and 4 TDs on Sunday, Luck will face a tougher challenge against a Patriots defense that allowed only 7 points to the Dolphins last weekend and held QB Ryan Tannehill to 100 yards passing.
Luck will also face the additional challenge of working without some of his favorite targets, as receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle are both officially out of the lineup against New England. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, as the Colts are currently plagued by injuries to key players.
If Luck can turn in another quality performance, it will prove that his dominance against Houston wasn’t just fool’s gold and that he truly is back to form after all of his injury troubles the past few seasons.
The Colts-Patriots rivalry has been rebooted, and while it might not be must-watch TV like it used to be, there is still a lot on the line for both teams. And that just might be the spark that this rivalry has needed all along.