Pats Preview: Week 9

Some NFL analysts study trends. Others study stats. Our man, Gonz, does neither. But that won’t stop him from breaking down each week’s Patriots’ game. His picks are for amusement purposes only, since last year he dropped a small fortune to the world’s worst bookie.

On Sunday, just one week after the Red Sox claimed another World Series, Boston will be treated to another momentous game when the Patriots meet the Indianapolis Colts.

There’s been a lot of hype for this game. Under normal circumstances, I would dismiss most (if not all) of it as run-of-the-mill press hysteria. I used to be a member of the sports media, and I know full well how easily journos can get caught up in the pomp and pageantry of events like this one.

That said, as far as regular season games go, I think Sunday’s match-up will be spectacular. It’s going to be a real life Clash of the Titans — only without the underlying homoeroticism. And bad special effects. And Greek Mythology.

Otherwise, just like that.

For a long while, the Patriots owned the Colts. From 2000 through 2004, New England was 7-1 against Indy. In the last two years, though, the Colts have gone 3-0 against the Pats, including a victory in last year’s AFC Championship game. That back and forth, coupled with the fact that both teams are currently undefeated, is a large reason why some are calling the Pats-Colts rivalry the best in the NFL.

And they’re right. From New England to California, no one wants to miss this game. It’s so big, in fact, that Raider fans would rather watch the Pats-Colts game instead of the Houston-Oakland match-up. Then again, who can blame them? I’d rather watch Al Davis’s nurse change his bed pan than sit through the Texans-Raiders game.

The big thing on Sunday, though, isn’t just that we get to see two superior teams do battle, or that the respective coaches are at the very top of their profession. At least for me, and probably for you, the most exciting thing is having a chance to watch two of the best offenses in recent memory try to keep pace with each other. And the reason those offense are so damn good is because of the quarterbacks. On Sunday, we’ll be watching two guys who, at the ends of their careers, will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. And when it’s all said and done, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning just might be the best two QB’s in league history. That’s significant.

But you probably don’t care about any of that. You want to hear that the Pats are going to win and, in the process, move ahead of the Colts in the all-important race for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Fine. I get it. And I’m happy to serve.

The Pick: It’s going to be one hell of a game. Enjoy it. New England 38, Indianapolis 35.