The last time the Patriots played on Sunday Night this season, they were playing for much more than just a win. After falling to 2-2 and second place in their division, most everyone seemed to have written the Patriots off. Even more, they had written Tom Brady off. The dynasty was over and and in the words of Trent Dilfer, "they're a weak team" and "the Patriots are not good anymore". The Patriots entered the week 5 primetime game coming off an absolute blowout in Kansas City, to face the then undefeated Bengals. The only analyst/"expert" to pick the Patriots to win was my favorite, Adam Schefter. And well, we all know how that played out. Tom Brady got pissed, and boom, touchdowns and greatness, and most of all a WIN. I don't want to jinx anything so I'll leave it there.
This week, the Patriots travel to Indianapolis to take on Andrew Luck and the high-powered Colts. At 6-3 and first in their division, the Colts are actually playing pretty well. I always like to look at the strength of teams' divisions and who they've played though, so take this with a grain of salt. The Pats are currently the underdogs in this game, which is understandable because the Colts have been on fire lately, and they play in a dome, which is always an advantage for the home team. Lucas Oil Stadium is not unfamiliar territory for the Pats. So they know what to expect...noisy, loud, and full of energy.
Luck-y
Andrew Luck is 0-2 vs the Patriots in his career. With Andrew Luck under center, the Colts have lost to New England by a combined 56 points. And that was without the secondary we have now.
Keys for an Indy Win:
- Run the ball. If the Colts want to win, they would benefit greatly from establishing a run game early on.
- Get to Brady. Something I'm hoping doesn't happen. But, if the Colts have learned anything from watching tape this week, surely they've noticed that putting pressure on Brady is the best way to slow down New England's offense.
- Good luck covering Gronk. I mean really, how do you effectively cover the 6 foot 7 tight end? If you put two defenders on him, that leaves another Patriots receiver open, if you don't, well that just seems kind of unfair to the lone guy who's left with the challenge. But hey, I'm not complaining.
- Limit turnovers. Especially Andrew Luck. Considering he has more interceptions that touchdowns in his two games vs the Patriots, he probably already feels the insane amount of pressure.
Keys for a New England victory:
- Mix up the gameplan. Keep the defense guessing. Don't overrun or over pass the ball. Finding a perfect balance between the two early on will help set the tone for the rest of the game.
- Disrupt the pass. Though I expect a lot of zone, I'm hoping Bill lets Revis and Browner get physical. This matchup will be no cakewalk for our secondary. In fact, it is arguably their toughest challenge yet. Revis on Hilton is going to be interesting. Hopefully though, Revis is able to shut him down like he has other top receivers. Browner will have his hands full trying to lock up Reggie Wayne, one of the best in the game (and ever).
- Pressure Andrew Luck. Force him to rush plays and move around in the pocket. But keep in mind that he can and will tuck the ball and run when necessary. So limit his options in the air and on the ground.
- Create turnovers. I think this one pretty much speaks for itself.
- QUIT THROWING PICKS, TOM. 3rd and 1 and we pass it? Ridiculous. Best QB sneak in the game and we pass? Come on.
This week is fulllll of good match-ups, so I will literally being doing nothing but watching football allllll Sunday long.
I tweet a lot on gamedays, so for quick thoughts, lots of sarcasm, quotes from Gramps, and a little comedy, make sure you're following me on twitter! @Lauren736 <--- best way to keep up with me in between posts, too.
As always, Go Pats.
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