There’s this idea that this is a revenge game, and that could be the case. But no one seems to be able to make me understand why this would be a revenge game for the New England Patriots.
Exactly what are the Patriots seeking revenge for? A blowout win the AFC Championship? A fourth Super Bowl victory? Getting away with cheating again? Sure, Tom Brady may end up punished later on for orchestrating DeflateGate, but right now he’s playing. He’s gotten away with it.
Revenge? Really?
But there is a team that should be looking at the opportunity for plenty of revenge in this game and it’s the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots didn’t only beat them in the AFC title game last year, they embarrassed them 45-7. Yes, the Colts got the Patriots caught for cheating, but you have to understand something about that. The Patriots were cheating. They were guilty as hell and Tom Brady was the ringleader.
New England isn’t Inigo Montoya. They’re the effing six-fingered man. The Patriots weren’t wronged here. Every other NFL team, player and fan was.
So with that in mind, go ahead and scroll down to the live blog or keep reading for some preview info.
The line is Colts +9.5 with a 53.5 OU (0:-110, u: -110). The money line is New England -400 and Indianapolis +330
Here’s the listing from this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
1. New England Patriots – (4-0) The Pats get a bye and then basically enjoy a second bye thanks to a cakewalk game against the Brandon Weedon-led Cowboys. They get the Colts this week and we’ve all been waiting for this one. Last week: No. 1
13. Indianapolis Colts – (3-2) Andrew Luck is back just in time to face down the white hot vengeance of the New England Patriots and plenty of angry twitter posts from a microphallic Bostonian living in his dad’s garage. Last week: No. 16
Here is my pick from this week’s Friday Afternoon Quarterback.
Sunday Night
New England at Indianapolis (+9)
Here’s what strikes me about this game and maybe I’m the only one that’s seeing it. There seems to be an idea that the Patriots owe the Colts, a team they trounced in the AFC Championship, some kind of revenge over DeflateGate. But here’s the thing. The Pats were guilty. Tom Brady is guilty, regardless of how stupid a federal judge is or how badly Roger Goodell does his job. They were cheating and got caught and the desire to seek revenge against a team that you were cheating against demonstrates the kind of hubris that convinces me that evolution didn’t give me enough fists to punch all the faces that need it. The Colts need to win this game because, by God, justice needs to win this game. Colts 27, Patriots 24
The game is on NBC and starts at 8:20 p.m. We’ve seen upsets all over the board today, why not one more? Watch it with me. I’ll make some salient points and plenty of jokes. We’ve heard about this game being “circled” all offseason. Now let’s see who did it in permanent marker.
