Patriots-Colts AFC Championship Predictions
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots are in the AFC Championship Game for the fourth straight year, with the Indianapolis Colts standing in their way of a trip to the Super Bowl.
Here is how the 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-TV and WBZ NewsRadio 1030 sports teams see Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium playing out:
Scott Zolak, 98.5 The Sports Hub
In with the new, out with the old. The storylines for the AFC Championship are going to be about the two quarterbacks, but this is a story about a team in the Patriots that was built the right way in all three phases.
Last week against Baltimore was a bad matchup for the Patriots, and we knew that going in. The Patriots won't start as bad as they did last week and have learned from their mistakes. If they protect the ball and play their game, it will force Andrew Luck to go 35-for-42 for 400 yards and four touchdowns to win, and that still might not be enough.
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See you in Arizona.
Patriots 38, Colts 20
Andy Gresh, 98.5 The Sports Hub
If Tom Brady makes horrible decisions like he did in the first half against the Colts in Week 11, there will be some issues. Brady was the reason that game was as close as it was in the first half.
I think it might be a little more of the same thing this time around, minus the Brady mess-ups. I think the Colts will play better, but it won't be enough.
If anyone who reads this owns a golf course in Arizona, I would like a hookup or two (or three).
Patriots 35, Colts 23
Rob "Hardy" Poole, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Four safeties total in this game, but I also see two touchdowns for the Patriots and one for the Colts.
Patriots 18, Colts 11
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports
The Patriots are a better team. They know it, and the Colts know it. The one thing the Patriots must guard against is being over-confident heading into Sunday's AFC Championship.
Just because the Patriots won 42-20 back in November doesn't mean they'll blow them out again on Sunday. This game should be a lot closer.
Patriots 34, Colts 27
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports
A lot of folks may be taking the Colts lightly coming into this matchup, but you better be careful. The Colts are rolling after a solid win over the Bengals in the Wild Card round, followed by an upset of Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver. Granted, Manning was not good in that game, but the Colts did more than enough to win it.
Also, beware of Andrew Luck. The third-year QB may not know any better than to just let it go, have a blast and attack the Pats. He has nothing to lose in this game against the mighty Tom Brady.
Read: Tom Brady's AFC Championship History
With that said, I would come out with Brady and go up-tempo offense and let Brady take command scoring early and often. The Colts secondary is vulnerable and play-action could be on the docket after Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns in their first meeting.
I like the Patriots here, but I certainly respect what the Colts have done so far.
Patriots 38, Colts 24
Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports
So are the Patriots going to go to the Super Bowl? There's one team in their way and it's a team they've handled rather easily the last couple of times. But the Patriots are not over-confident. All week long they've given reasons of why the Colts are a better team than the one they faced in Week 11.
The Pats talked this week about the return of Arthur Jones to the Indy interior line, and how his presence has made them better against the run. Arthur, the brother of Patriots defense end Chandler Jones, is a big dude and handles the running backs when they come his way. He didn't play Week 11, when Jonas Gray ran wild for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Jones will make a difference, and he's played on this stage before. You may remember Arthur from his time with the Ravens, when they came to New England and beat them two years ago to advance to the Super Bowl.
The Pats also pointed out that the Colts are tackling better than they were in Week 11. In Indy's AFC Divisional Round win over the Broncos, they stopped Denver in all of their yards-after-catch plays. That's where the Pats make their mark with Amendola, Edelman, LaFell and Gronk. They dominate the YAC.
Finally, the Colts have Andrew Luck and he is simply a stud. He's strong, can run with power and throw frozen ropes. He's one of the great young stars in the NFL.
All of what the Patriots have said this week is true, but the bottom line is they are better than Indianapolis. They have a better front line on both sides of the ball and they are better equipped to slow down the Colts passing game. The Pats also have Tom Brady, and he's seeing this as one of his last chances for another title. He played extremely well last week and I don't see a let down.
The Pats are going to try to bully Indy like they did earlier this season. If the Colts find themselves playing from behind, this game may not even be close. The Pats will punch their ticket to the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Patriots 31, Colts 20
Adam Kaufman, 98.5 The Sports Hub
The expectation for the Patriots entering the playoffs was a trip to the Super Bowl, and fans should remain confident in that becoming a reality after this weekend's showdown with the Colts.
Andrew Luck's Colts come in hot, with wins in seven of eight and a much-improved defense since their 42-20 drubbing at the hands of the Pats in Week 11, but New England is stronger in all facets of the game. Unlike last weekend, when the Patriots offered just 14 yards on the ground, they'll be able to run the ball, as they historically have against the Colts in recent meetings (480 yards, 10 rushing touchdowns in their last two match-ups). Tom Brady is poised for his second straight quality postseason game - something he hasn't done in the same playoff year in a decade - against an Indy team that's struggled with some of this year's elite passers. As for Luck, he'll drop to 0-4 lifetime versus Brady.
There's no telling if we'll get any more tricks from Bill Belichick's playbook, but they won't be necessary this time around.
Patriots 34, Colts 21
Tune in to the Patriots-Colts AFC Championship game on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. WBZ-TV kicks off coverage Friday night with a special edition of Patriots GameDay at 7pm, a LIVE edition of Patriots All Access Saturday night at 7pm, and a 90-minute Patriots GameDay on Sunday morning at 11:30am. After the game, switch over to myTV38 for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's press conferences on Patriots 5th Quarter.
98.5 The Sports Hub begins their coverage Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm, with three full hours of postgame reaction and analysis following the game.