Week 2 - San Diego: San Diego's early season slump is well documented. Since then, they've gone on a tear, won their last 6 games, and are probably the hottest team heading into the playoffs.

Week 5 - Cleveland: Cleveland needs help to make it into the playoffs. I think it's safe to say that they're not exactly difficult competition.

Week 6 - Dallas: The Cowboys have no excuse for this one. They had the Pats on the ropes and let em off the hook. Did I use too many cliches for that one?

Week 8 - Washington: Same general league as Cleveland. Wild card, but not destined to go anywhere with it.

Week 9 - Indianapolis: It took a pair of 4th quarter TD passes, a dropped interception, and Manning throwing to a JV receiving corps for the Pats to win by 4. If they play again, the Colts are going to have a lot more ways to score, and I don't think you'll get so lucky with dropped INTs again.

Week 14 - Pittsburgh: Pitt is fading down the stretch. They'll be an easy out in the playoffs. Plus that stupid safety had to make a guarantee. What a moron.

Week 16 - New York: The Giants had nothing to play for except pride. They too had the Pats on the ropes, and let em off the hook. Seems to be a trend for NFC playoff teams. I mean, honestly. Wilfork should have been ejected for that finger in the eye crap. They were getting lots of help from the refs.

This is a team that hasn't really been tested yet. The Ravens had them beat, and if it weren't for a crap penalty, a really bad timeout, and sheer dumb luck, they would have won. If the AJ Feeley hadn't tossed up the dumbest interception in recent history, the Eagles would have won. If Manning were throwing to someone that could catch the ball, the Colts would have won. And if Eli had any semblance of decision making skills, he wouldn't have tossed that INT to Ellis Hobbs, and we might not be having this conversation.

The only thing I don't agree with obviously, is that I'm hoping we knock them off instead of you guys.

I agree, in the AFC, Manning is the only qb capable of doing that. Should be another great game in the long line of great games between them.

The Colts are a very good football team, the Patriots are an excellent football team. They beat us in our own yard, it appears we will have to do the same to them.

If the Patriots hadn't beat the Colts this year, we could argue that their undeated season is suspect. The hard truth is the Pats beat us and everybody else they played. The Chargers beat us and we gave up the game to the Titans. The fact is, the Patriots are the toughest team to beat in the league, that cannot be questioned. They always find a way to win.  

I hope the Colts win next week and I hope the Patriots do as well. I too am looking forward to another epic battle with New England.

You seem to have a rational and healthy appreciation of the rivalry, as do many of us blue people. But after about 14 weeks of national media speculation about the Pats going undefeated and perhaps being the BEST TEAM EVER!!!!!, it's getting a little old. Seriously, a recent NFL.com poll wondered if the Pats were the best team ever. Nice question to ask before the playoffs even start. The current poll on that site asks which team has the best chance to defeat the Pats. So the league's site has pretty much crowned NE top dog. And don't get me started on ESPN.

The Pats are damned good. Scary good. Their season has been historic. But ask any pitcher who throws a no-hitter or perfect game: to be perfect you need a lot of luck. The Pats could/should have lost at least a couple of times this year. The Ravens game (with one ill-advised timeout providing the difference) and the Colts game are the 2 most obvious examples. And given that the Colts were without 5 starters, I like the chances of a healthy Colts team in January.

Not trying to "disrespect," just saying that perhaps the media hype is (and has been all season) a little out of control.  The Pats deserve tremendous accolades for what they've done this year. But I'm of the school of thought that says that winning the Super Bowl is the most important goal. And on that, the jury is still out. And I like my team's chances.

Lastly, the Pats ARE cheaters. I believe that perhaps too much was made of the cheating in the national press, but the facts are the facts. They were caught cheating and given the most severe fines ever meted out. Maybe other teams do the same things, maybe other organizations are more dishonest, maybe a lot of things. When Belichick was caught he went into full spin mode (what was his own personal "interpretation" of the rules again?) This does not diminish what the Pats have accomplished (without cheating as far as we know), but it is there. It doesn't go away because NE fans want it to or because NE had a great season.

On a cheating side note: is it really appropriate for MVP-candidate Randy Moss' web site to be resurrecting the "Colts pump in crowd noise" claim that has been thoroughly debunked by the league? Just saying, cheating allegations have been levied against both teams; the league has determined that only one of these teams were actually cheaters.

All in all, I'm ready for another epic battle myself. Throw out all the crap about cheating and records and history and play one game for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. I'll be glued to my seat when it happens, and jumping for joy when the Colts punch their ticket to Arizona.