Colts, Patriots a victim of past success
Sunday, November 21, 2010
On Sunday, the New England Patriots will host the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium in what figures to be a pivotal AFC showdown between two teams headed for the playoffs. Although they’re no longer division rivals (the Colts moved to the AFC South in 2002), they’ve played one another 10 times since 2003, including three playoff games; during that stretch, both teams won their respective division for five consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2007. Going back even further, the Patriots and Colts finished first and second, respectively, in wins during the 2000s; the Patriots were 126-52 during that decade, which is the best record in NFL history by any team in any decade, while Indianapolis finished 124-53. The two teams also combined to win four Super Bowl titles.
The problem with setting the bar so high is you’ll inevitably be compared to your former self instead of being compared to the rest of your league at that given time, which is the way all teams should be evaluated. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been guilty of applying these unfair standards to the Patriots, who I’ve criticized wholeheartedly this year for the simple fact they’re not as good defensively as they were in 2003 or 2004 – or during any of their other championship years, to be exact.
Maybe I’m being too harsh. After all, how many teams in the past seven years have put up numbers similar to those of the ’03 Patriots, who allowed only 14.9 points per game and won three shutouts during the regular season (and also came within a field goal of a fourth shutout against Cleveland)? The point is had we not been subjected to such greatness in the past, we’d probably be more appreciative of New England’s efforts this season. While they’ve been far from perfect, the Patriots are still tied for the league’s best record at 7-2 and lead the NFL in points per game.
The Colts are held to similar standards. They’ve won 12 or more games in each of the last seven years. At 6-3 heading into today’s game, there’s a chance they might – gasp! – only win 11 this year, which might be the reason they feel like somewhat of an afterthought in this crowded AFC playoff picture despite the fact they lead their division and are third in the league in total offense. And speaking of the Colts, Peyton Manning is quietly on pace to set a new career high in single-season passing yards, but when you’re talking about a future Hall of Fame quarterback who once threw 49 touchdowns in a season, sometimes other achievements slip through the cracks.
To me, it feels like this game isn’t generating the same hype as a Patriots-Colts showdown has in the past. Maybe that has something to do with the fact the Eagles and Giants are squaring off later tonight in an equally-important NFC battle, or perhaps it’s because some of their previous meetings have had historical ramifications, whereas this one feels like just another mid-November game between two bitter rivals.
Three years ago, the 9-0 Patriots traveled to Indianapolis to face the 7-0 Colts in what was billed by some as the biggest regular-season game ever because it was the first time in NFL history two undefeated teams had played one another that late in the season. No matter how great today’s game turns out to be, it’s hard to match the intensity and pre-game hype of a showdown between two teams with a combined 16-0 record. Again, that’s the problem with experiencing such greatness in the past – everything else pales in comparison.
We all need to move on – myself included. The Patriots probably aren’t as good as they were in ’03 or ’04, and it’s hard to picture Indianapolis matching the success it had during its Super Bowl run in ’06 – or even last year when it finished 14-2 – but both teams are good enough to win another title this year when you consider there aren’t any elite teams standing in their way. That’s probably more of an indictment on today’s NFL and its quest for parity (a.k.a. mediocrity), than it is a statement on each team’s chances. Whether that ruins your ability to enjoy today’s game is based on your interpretation of the situation.
You can either lament the current state of the league and long for the days of Tedy Bruschi, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James, or do what the rest of us are going to do this afternoon – enjoy what should be another exciting chapter in the Patriots-Colts rivalry.
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It