The Patriots are way overhyped and they have to CHEAT to win, *cough* taping signals *cough*.

This will be an easy victory for the colts.

colts....less a prediction than outright hatred of the patriots and wishfull thinking that they fail. fucking cheaters.

I would say that the Patriots can come out on top. The wins that the Patriots have had have been more impressive to me than the Colts even though the win percentage of the teams they played is less than the Colts. The Pats have a pretty good defense but the Colts also have a good defense. I'm hoping for a shootout in this one.

While it's pretty bad that the level of fanatic competition is at that point, as for the patriots cheating? Boo whoo. Exact same effect as having 4 people just watch the defense and write it down, plus, I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that next season, signals will be changed for that team.

Now, I suppose when it comes to playoffs, it's a large issue. So assuming they video tape the defence on every team (which people would be looking for now) without getting caught, they would have the ability to... see a defensive signal, have someone call coach, have the coaches relay that signal... through signals of their own....

Patriots. I like the colts better, and i especially like Manning more than Brady, but I feel that the Patriots are the overall better rounded team, that executes well consistently.

But then again, i still think Miami is going to end the Patriots winning streak when they play again, so who knows.

 as an Eagles fan, i thoroughly enjoyed it, as I despise the Cowboys, Terrel Owens, and Tony Romo. However, I believe I'll be watching a thorough beating of the Eagles in roughly 4 weeks.

Colts, because they have a running game while the only thing patriots do is passing. Sanders will be very important. Also the offensive line of Indy is much better than NE.

I have to go with pats, since their my home town team.

The stats you used are horribly skewed by the way.

Average rank of opponents...

The Pass/Rush Defense numbers are in current league rankings.  In other words those are out of 32 with 1 being the best defense and 32 being the worst.

This makes it clear that the colts have played against much better pass defenses and slightly better rushing defenses.  But also against teams who give up 20% less TDs than those of the Pats.

My current thought is that no matter what its going to be a tight game, but I do believe that the Colts have an edge both statistically speaking (which usually means little once the game is underway) and on a leadership level.  I know many people love Brady and I agree he is a great leader, but the way Manning handles the team on the field and adjusts the play calls is a huge asset in a game with two very good teams and I think that kind of leadership can and will make the difference in this game.

PS - @Naz, Its "bye" week, not "bi"...unless the NFL is trying to foster alternative lifestyles for its members 

Sqrl I typed this up at 1AM, give me a break lol. As far as skewing the stats, I didn't go through average rank of the opponents, but since you brought that up, we should discuss the difference in ability of the teams the Pats and Colts have played.

The Pats have played some of the most awful teams in the NFL, and the 3rd best (Dallas). They blew away everyone, but Dallas actually played them close through most of the third quarter (even leading them 24-21 at one point), and it wasn't until near the end that New England stole the momentum from them and ran away with the game.

The Colts are a much better team than Dallas. For one thing, they have the #2 ranked defense in the NFL by points allowed. A half-time adjustment won't take down the Colts. If anything, the Colts historically come out significantly stronger during the 3rd and 4th quarters. The Patriots are also the cocky ones. They are the ones who are blowing everyone away. They aren't prepared to be challenged and the Colts are. Attitude can kill a team very quickly in the NFL. The Colts have been challenged a lot this season, and they have had to play good teams like Tennessee and Jacksonville.