Alex’s Top NFL Match up Preview – Week 6 

Game : Patriots @ Colts Sunday 8:30 pm 

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium 

Sunday night on NBC will host one of the most intriguing match ups of the season. The New England Patriots head to Indianapolis to face off against the Colts. This will be the first time the two teams have met since the now infamous AFC Championship game last post season. The game sparked a summer long investigation, various court dates and stole the sporting world’s headlines. The incident which occurred in the game, dubbed “Deflate Gate”, filled the off season full of drama and apparently needed a cool gimmicky name that everyone still talks about.

I know no one wants to hear what transpired and by now unless you live under a rock you know what happened. Long story short the NFL looked very dumb in court and the Patriots came out on top, well mostly the poster boy Tom Brady. Him and his team of expensive lawyers made Roger Goodell look even more clueless then originally thought.

Now on to the game, both of these teams have built up a good rivalry throughout the years. Mostly because it usually pitted two of the best NFL Quarterbacks in the league Tom Brady and then Peyton Manning when he played for Indianapolis. A couple years ago the torch was passed on to Manning’s heir apparent Andrew Luck. The future is bright for Luck, but with no pun intended (well actually, pun is intended) Andrew hasn’t been too Lucky this season. Injuries have nagged him and quite frankly the Colts aren’t as good as everyone thought they were going to be. Many saw them going to SuperBowl but the way the team is playing that’s far fetched.

The last six games have been very one sided, actually it’s not even close. The Patriots have beaten the Colts by a combined score of 252-125, while New England has not scored less than 30 points in each meeting, including a 59 point drubbing at Gillette Stadium in 2012. So on the actual field the games have been one sided but its the headlines that catches everyones attention. If the Colts want to finally beat their nemesis first Andrew Luck has to actually play like a “Elite” Quarterback and orchestrate a flawless game.

Andrew Luck should be starting on Sunday, any big name QB should want to play no matter what. He fully participated in Wednesday’s practice so that is a good sign. Many have ripped Luck this season for his poor play and many fans have even gone to say that the team should go with Matt Hasselbeck, which is utterly absurd. Luck gives his team the best chance to win, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The main focus for Pagano and his squad is getting that defense ready to stop the run. The Patriots have annihilated the Colts on the ground and LaGarrette Blount has been very effective pounding the ball. To go with the emergence of Dion Lewis this gives the Pats a one two punch that can baffle the Colts on defense. There’s a lot of youth on that line so it will be a daunting task for them to stop the Pats rushing attack.

If the Pats have a weakness it’s their secondary although they have a knack for making big plays at the right time, the Colts have some weapons. Hilton, Johnson, Moncrief and even their first round draft pick Phillip Dorsett are matchup problems. So Luck has to utilize them and take care of the football. I expect a high scoring game but not in Indianapolis favor.

For the Patriots, it’s simple. Pressure Luck and he’s bound to make a mistake. Run the ball and keep running the ball all while mixing in a little bit of Gronk.

I think everyone watching will get a high scoring treat, but just like the recent match ups between the teams the Patriots will win big.

Score Prediction Patriots 42, Colts 24

Subscribe to The Athletes Hub for more information on this story and more. Like our Facebook page “The Athletes Hub” and follow us on Twitter @HubOfAthletes…Follow me personally @lexclusive360