Colts-Patriots rivalry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 23em;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: ;" | Indianapolis Colts–New England Patriots
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: center" |
|-
{| style="background: none; width: 20em; margin: 0 auto;"
|-
! style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2" | Regular Season History
|-
| First Meeting || October 4, 1970
Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Built in 1903, the stadium seats 30,323. The stadium seated up to 57,166 in the past, as permanent steel stands were installed in the north end of the stadium in 1929...

Boston, Massachusetts
|-
| First Result || Colts 14, Patriots 6
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Last Meeting || November 21, 2010
Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...

Foxborough, Massachusetts

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...

|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Last Result || Patriots 31, Colts 28
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Next Meeting || December 4, 2011

2011 NFL season

The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...

@ Foxboro

Gillette Stadium

|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Rivalry status || 74 meetings
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Largest victory || Patriots 42, Colts 3 (1974)
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Smallest victory ||Colts 29, Patriots 28 (1981)
Colts 35, Patriots 34 (2009)
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Current Streak || Patriots W1
(2010-present)
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | All-Time Series || Patriots 45-29
|-
! style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2" | Post Season History
|-
| Last Meeting || January 21, 2007
|-
| Last Result || Colts 38, Patriots 34
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | All-Time Postseason Series || Patriots 2 - Colts 1
|-
! style="background: #E0E7EF;" colspan="2" | Playoff and Championship Success
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Super Bowl Wins || Patriots: XXXVI (2001), XXXVIII (2003), XXXIX (2004)
Colts: V (1970), XLI (2006)
|-
{| class="infobox" style="font-size:90%; width:100%; border:0px;"
|-
| colspan="2"|

|}
The rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

and New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

is one of the NFL's most famed rivalries of the 2000s. The two teams combined for four Super Bowl

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

victories (three by the Patriots) and six American Football Conference Championships since 2001

2001 NFL season

The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...

, while both are noted for their organizational excellence.

The nature of this rivalry is somewhat ironic because while the Colts and Patriots were AFC East

AFC East

The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...

division rivals from 1970 to 2001 (dating back to the Colts' time in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

), their intensified enmity wasn't prevalent until Indianapolis was moved into the newly formed AFC South

AFC South

The AFC South is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams...

following the 2001 season as part of the NFL's realignment. Since 2002 (the only season since realignment in which they did not meet) the rivalry has been bitterly close: following New England's 31-28 win in 2010

2010 NFL season

The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...

the Patriots lead the series with seven wins (two in the playoffs) versus five wins (one playoff) for the Colts, and the Patriots hold a lead in points scored, 370-311.

The modern matchup is often headlined as a contest between Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

quarterbacks Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

and Tom Brady

Tom Brady

Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...

, who together have won six NFL MVP awards in eight years (2003-2010; four of which by Manning and two by Brady). Tom Brady received his first start against the Colts after an injury to then-starter Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe

Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...

, and proceeded to defeat the Colts in his first six games against them in the next years, including the 2003 AFC Championship game and a 2004 AFC Divisional playoff game. The Colts won the next three matches, notching two regular season victories and a win in the 2006 AFC Championship game on the way to their win in Super Bowl XLI

Super Bowl XLI

Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...

Rivalry statistics

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!
!Patriots wins
!Ties
!Colts wins
!Patriots points
!Colts points
|-
|Regular season
|43
|0
|28
|1,669
|1,334
|-
|Postseason
|2
|
|1
|78
|55
|-
!Total
!45
!0
!29
!1,747
!1,389
|-
|}

Game results

{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#CCFFFF"|Post Season Meeting
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...

|bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|Tied Game
|bgcolor="#FFE6BD"|Overtime Result
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

|}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Date
! Location
! Winner
! Score
|-
| Oct. 4, 1970
| Boston
| Baltimore Colts
| 14-6
|-
| Oct. 25, 1970
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 27-3
|-
| Oct. 3, 1971
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 23-3
|-
| Dec. 19, 1971
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 21-17
|-
| Nov. 6, 1972
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 24-17
|-
| Nov. 26, 1972
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 31-0
|-
| Oct. 7, 1973
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 24-16
|-
| Dec. 16, 1973
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 18-13
|-
| Oct. 6, 1974
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 42-3
|-
| Nov. 24, 1974
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 27-17
|-
| Oct. 19, 1975
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 21-10
|-
| Dec. 21, 1975
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 34-21
|-
| Sep. 12, 1976
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 27-13
|-
| Nov. 14, 1976
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 21-14
|-
| Oct. 23, 1977
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 17-3
|-
| Dec. 18, 1977
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 30-24
|-
| Sep. 18, 1978
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 34-27
|-
| Nov. 26, 1978
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 35-14
|-
| Oct. 28, 1979
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 31-26
|-
| Nov. 18, 1979
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 50-21
|-
| Oct. 19, 1980
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 37-21
|-
| Nov. 23, 1980
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 47-21
|-
| Sep. 6, 1981
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 29-28
|-
| Dec. 20, 1981
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 23-21
|-
| Sep. 12, 1982
| Baltimore
| New England Patriots
| 24-13
|-style="background: #FFE6BD;"
| Sep. 4, 1983
| Foxborough
| Baltimore Colts
| 29-23
|-
| Oct. 9, 1983
| Baltimore
| Baltimore Colts
| 12-7
|-
| Nov. 18, 1984
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 50-17
|-
| Dec. 16, 1984
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 16-10
|-
| Nov. 10, 1985
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 34-15
|-
| Dec. 1, 1985
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 38-31
|-
| Sep. 7, 1986
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 33-3
|-
| Nov. 9, 1986
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 30-21
|-
| Oct. 25, 1987
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 30-16
|-
| Nov. 22, 1987
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 24-0
|-
| Oct. 2, 1988
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 21-17
|-
| Nov. 27, 1988
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 24-21
|-style="background: #FFE6BD;"
| Oct. 29, 1989
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 23-20
|-
| Dec. 3, 1989
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 22-16
|-
| Sep. 16, 1990
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 16-14
|-
| Nov. 11, 1990
| Foxborough
| Indianapolis Colts
| 13-10
|-
| Sep. 1, 1991
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 16-7
|-style="background: #FFE6BD;"
| Dec. 8, 1991
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 23-17
|-style="background: #FFE6BD;"
| Nov. 15, 1992
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 37-34
|-
| Dec. 6, 1992
| Foxborough
| Indianapolis Colts
| 6-0
|-
| Oct. 31, 1993
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 9-6
|-
| Dec. 26, 1993
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 38-0
|-
| Nov. 27, 1994
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 12-10
|-
| Dec. 11, 1994
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 28-13
|-
| Nov. 19, 1995
| Foxborough
| Indianapolis Colts
| 24-10
|-
| Dec. 23, 1995
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 10-7
|-
| Oct. 20, 1996
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 27-9
|-
| Nov. 24, 1996
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 27-13
|-
| Sep. 7, 1997
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 31-6
|-
| Nov. 30, 1997
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 20-17
|-
| Sep. 13, 1998
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 29-6
|-
| Nov. 1, 1998
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 21-16
|-
| Sep. 19, 1999
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 31-28
|-
| Dec. 12, 1999
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 20-15
|-
| Oct. 8, 2000
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 24-16
|-
| Oct. 22, 2000
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 30-23
|-
| Sep. 30, 2001
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 44-13
|-
| Oct. 21, 2001
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 38-17
|-
| Nov. 30, 2003
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 38-34
|-style="background: #CCFFFF;"
| Jan. 18, 2004
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 24-14
|-
| Sep. 9, 2004
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 27-24
|-style="background: #CCFFFF;"
| Jan. 16, 2005
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 20-3
|-
| Nov. 7, 2005
| Foxborough
| Indianapolis Colts
| 40-21
|-
| Nov. 5, 2006
| Foxborough
| Indianapolis Colts
| 27-20
|-style="background: #CCFFFF;"
| Jan. 21, 2007
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 38-34
|-
| Nov. 4, 2007
| Indianapolis
| New England Patriots
| 24-20
|-
| Nov. 2, 2008
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 18-15
|-
| Nov. 15, 2009
| Indianapolis
| Indianapolis Colts
| 35-34
|-
| Nov. 21, 2010
| Foxborough
| New England Patriots
| 31-28
|-
| Dec. 4, 2011
| Foxborough
| TBD
| TBD
|}

Notable games

August 13, 1967 (preseason):

The 1967 football season for both the NFL and the American Football League

American Football League

The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...

opened with the agreement for the pending merger of the two leagues already in place. On August 13, 1967 the Boston Patriots hosted the Baltimore Colts at Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium

October 4, 1970:

The Patriots and Colts met for the first time in NFL regular-season play at Harvard Stadium

Harvard Stadium

in Week Three of the 1970 season

1970 NFL season

The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...

. The Colts jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Patriots clawed to a 7-6 fourth-quarter score on two Gino Cappelletti

Gino Cappelletti

Gino Cappelletti is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player. He played at the University of Minnesota, and was a star in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots...

field goals. On follow series, Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas

John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...

finished off the Patriots with a 55-yard touchdown pass and a 14-6 Colts win.

November 14, 1976:

Battling the Colts for the AFC East title, the Patriots traveled to Baltimore with a 6-3 record (including a 27-13 Colts victory in Foxboro in Week One of the season

1976 NFL season

The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...

). The Patriots picked off Bert Jones

Bert Jones

Bertram Hays "Bert" Jones is a former LSU and NFL quarterback who played for the then Baltimore Colts and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle"...

twice and stormed to a 21-14 win behind the running of Don Calhoun

Don Calhoun

Donald Clevester Calhoun is a former professional American football running back who played for nine seasons in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles...

and Steve Grogan

Steve Grogan

Steve James Grogan is a former American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Grogan played for the Patriots for his entire NFL career, from 1975 to 1990.-High school and college:...

. The win accelerated a six-game winning streak for the Patriots and their first playoff berth since 1963.

October 9, 1983:

The Patriots lost to the Baltimore Colts 12-7 in Baltimore; it turned out to be the final meeting between the Patriots and the Baltimore Colts, as the team moved to Indianapolis for 1984. It was also New England's last game in Baltimore until the Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...

debuted in 1996

1996 NFL season

The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...

November 18, 1984:

In their first meeting at Indianapolis, the Patriots made their first trip to the Hoosier Dome and slaughtered the Colts 50-17. The win was the second for new coach Raymond Berry

Raymond Berry

Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...

, a former Colts receiver.

November 15, 1992:

The 4-5 Colts hosted the 0-9 Patriots and the two teams lit up the Hoosier Dome scoreboard in an overtime thriller. The game lead tied or changed ten times and the Patriots scored twice off Jeff George

Jeff George

Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" George is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft...

interceptions. Patriots kicker Charlie Baumann

Charlie Baumann

Bruce Charles "Charlie" Baumann is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League and the Arena Football League. He played college football for West Virginia and was acquired through free agency in 1991 by the Miami Dolphins...

accounted for the Patriots' final nine points of a 37-34 overtime triumph that came amid illness to coach Dick McPherson.

1999 season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...

:

On September 19 Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

made his second career trip to Foxboro and led the Colts to a 28-7 halftime lead. The Patriots, behind Drew Bledsoe

Drew Bledsoe

, scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth off Colt turnovers and the game-winning Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri

Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...

field goal came in the final thirty seconds. On December 12, the Colts hosted the Patriots, holding a 10-2 record to New England's slumping 7-5. The Colts outperformed to earn a 20-15 win, the first for Manning over New England after three straight losses and the first win over the Patriots for the Manning family (Peyton's dad Archie

Archie Manning

Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...

was 0-3 lifetime against the Patriots with the New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

and Houston Oilers.

2001 season
2001 New England Patriots season
The 2001 New England Patriots season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. They finished with an 11–5 record and a division title before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXVI....

:

On September 30, Week Three of the 2001 season, Tom Brady

Tom Brady

made his first NFL start when the 2-0 Colts came to Foxboro. The Colts were buried 44-13 as Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

threw three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. On October 21, the Patriots traveled to the RCA Dome

RCA Dome

RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....

and won 38-17, where David Patten

David Patten

David Patten is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Albany Firebirds as a street free agent in 1996. He played college football at Western Carolina....

became the first player since Walter Payton

Walter Payton

Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...

in 1979 to score touchdowns three separate ways: throwing a 60-yard pass to Troy Brown

Troy Brown

Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...

, a 91-yard reception from Brady, and a rushing score.

November 7, 2005:

Heading into the Monday Night duel between the Colts (8-0) and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Patriots (4-3), QB Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

was winless against New England in Foxborough (0-7). The Colts helped Peyton beat the Patriots, who were dealing with key injuries, 40-21. In the game's closing minutes, veteran QB Doug Flutie

Doug Flutie

Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...

replaced Brady, and Colts president Bill Polian

Bill Polian

Bill Polian is the Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. He rose to league prominence as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls, losing each time...

was heard in the press box yelling "break his leg!"

2006 AFC Championship Game

November 4, 2007:

The 8-0 Patriots faced the 7-0 Colts in the RCA Dome

RCA Dome

RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....

, the latest in a season that two undefeated teams had ever faced off. The Patriots had scored over 34 points in every game but the Colts defense stifled the Patriots attack and Indianapolis clawed to a 20-10 lead in the fourth. But a 58-yard Tom Brady

Tom Brady

bomb to Randy Moss

Randy Moss

Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...

was caught at the Colts 3-yard line, leading to a Wes Welker

Wes Welker

-San Diego Chargers :Welker, who was not drafted during the 2004 NFL Draft, signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers. Welker made the Chargers out of training camp, but was released after the first game of the season.-2004 season:...

touchdown catch. After stopping Manning and forcing a punt, a strong kick return by Welker set up a three-play touchdown drive highlighted by a 32-yard catch by Donte Stallworth and a Kevin Faulk

Kevin Faulk

Kevin Troy Faulk is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU.As of 2010, Faulk is the longest-tenured current member of the Patriots,...

touchdown catch. Manning was hit and threw the ball into the hands of Roosevelt Colvin on the next Colts drive and the Patriots killed the remaining clock for the 24-20 win.

November 2, 2008:

The Colts won 18-15 in a game which ultimately helped cost the Patriots a playoff spot as a result of a lesser conference record than that of the third-seeded Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

and the sixth-seeded Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens

. The Patriots would end up with the record for the most wins in a regular season by a team not qualifying for the postseason.

November 15, 2009:

The undefeated Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

again played the 6-2 New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

in what was Tom Brady's first start at Lucas Oil Stadium

Lucas Oil Stadium

Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The stadium celebrated its grand opening on August 24, 2008, and its ribbon-cutting ceremony August 16, 2008. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was built to...

. With 4:12 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots had pulled away 34-21. However, thanks to a leap in field position due to a pass interference call, Colts RB Joseph Addai

Joseph Addai

Joseph Addai, Jr. is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.-Early years:Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa...

scored a touchdown on a four-yard run with 2:23 left to make the score 34-28. Backed up to their 28 and needing to reach the 30 for a first down, Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick

William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...

elected to go for it on 4th and 2 instead of punting. Brady completed a pass to halfback Kevin Faulk

Kevin Faulk

, but Faulk appeared not to make a clean catch and was immediately driven backwards. Officials determined that Faulk had not secured possession of the ball until he was short of the first down marker, resulting in a turnover on downs, and giving Manning and the Colts the ball on the Patriots' own 29-yard line with two minutes remaining. After three plays, Manning completed a one-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne

Reggie Wayne

Reginald "Reggie" Wayne is a professional American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Wayne was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Colts...

, making the score even at 34-34 with 13 seconds left. Kicker Matt Stover

Matt Stover

John Matthew "Matt" Stover is a former American Football placekicker. As of the start of the 2009 NFL season, he was the third most accurate kicker in the history of the National Football League. He is of Greek origin. He has played for the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore...

, filling in for Adam Vinatieri

Adam Vinatieri

, made the extra point to make the score 35-34 and secure the victory for Indianapolis.

Belichick obliquely criticized the ball-spot on the play in his Monday morning press conference. Nevertheless, his decision was highly criticized by the media. Jarrett Bell of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

claimed the coach had "outsmarted himself," while Bill Simmons, ESPN.com writer and Patriots fan, asked "What the f---

Fuck

"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...

was Belichick thinking" and compared the entire ordeal to "riding in the passenger seat of a friend's car and watching helplessly as he plows over a pedestrian".

November 21, 2010:

The 6-3 Colts traveled to New England for the first time since 2006 and New England won its first home game against Indianapolis since a playoff game in 2005. Manning and his Colts were down by 17 in the 4th quarter and came back again to make it 31-28 with a few minutes left. Manning led the drive down field and it looked like last year's matchup all over again. However, already in great field goal range (24-yard line of New England), Manning's third interception was made by James Sanders with 32 seconds left, and it sealed an exciting win for the Patriots who went to 8-2 while the Colts fell to second in the AFC South with a 6-4 record.

Connections between the teams

Upton Bell
Upton Bell
Upton Bell is a former American football executive. Upton is currently a talk show host and commentator at WCRN Talk AM 830 in Worcester, Massachusetts...

was personnel director of the Colts in their first two Super Bowl appearances (III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...

and V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...

) and in 1971 took over as GM of the Patriots on the recommendation of Colts team owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....

. Bell clashed with coach John Mazur
John Mazur
John Edward Mazur is a former football player and coach who was a quarterback for the University of Notre Dame and also served as head coach for the New England Patriots from 1970 to 1972....

because Mazur objected to Bell's policy of picking up waiver-wire free agents for him to train during the season. Eventually the two all but stopped speaking (the corridor between their two offices at Schaefer Stadium became known as "the DMZ
Demilitarized zone
In military terms, a demilitarized zone is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers , where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement...

") and Bell wanted to fire Mazur; the Patriots' board of directors agreed to the move provided the Patriots lost to the Colts by more than seven points in the 1971 season finale. Bell expected the Colts to win, since he knew the Colts team having helped build it, but instead of losing, Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett
James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...

's 88-yard touchdown pass caught by Randy Vataha
Randy Vataha
Randel Edward "Randy" Vataha, , was a wide receiver who played seven seasons in the NFL.-College career:Vataha, a wide receiver, was one of Jim Plunkett's favorite receiving targets at Stanford...

made for a 21-17 Patriots win. Bell was heard furiously screaming for Vataha not to score, for the win guaranteed Mazur would continue as coach for 1972. Mazur and Bell were both released in the 1972 season.

Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...

coached the Patriots from 1982 until mid-October 1984. He became coach of the Colts in December 1986 until October 1991, leading the team to a 36-35 record and one playoff appearance, in the 1987 AFC Divisional Playoffs where the Colts lost 38-21 to the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. Meyer was fired after the Colts lost their first five games of 1991. His record against the Patriots in nine games was 3-6.

Kicker Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri
Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American football placekicker currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. He has played in six Super Bowls, four with the New England Patriots and two with the Colts, winning four. Vinatieri won a Super Bowl in 2006 with Indianapolis and won Super Bowls in 2001,...

made the iconic winning field goal against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game played on February 3, 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 2001 regular season. The American Football Conference champion New England Patriots won their first Super...

with the Patriots and also played with them in three other Super Bowls (XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...

, XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....

, and XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...

, winning three in total out of four. After the 2005 season, the Patriots chose not to place the franchise tag on Vinatieri as they had the year before, allowing him to become a free agent. He joined the Colts in 2006 and won the subsequent Super Bowl with them to earn his fourth ring. Ironically, in his four career meetings with the Patriots, Vinatieri has missed three field goal tries (8 for 11) versus just one miss against the Colts by his New England successor, Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...

(7 for 8), though Vinatieri did kick a game-winner against the Patriots in 2008.

Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...

was one of the most famous receivers in Colts history when they played in Baltimore. He joined the Patriots coaching staff under Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks
Chuck Fairbanks is a former American football coach, a head coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. The offensive and defensive systems he introduced and helped develop have proven influential in the NFL....

and became head coach in 1984; among his first wins was a 50-17 triumph versus the Colts in New England's first ever trip to Indianapolis. Berry went 10-2 against the Colts as Patriots head coach, including season sweeps in 1984-6 and 1989.

Jim E. Mora
Jim E. Mora
James Earnest Mora is the former head coach of the USFL's Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars and the NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. He played football at Occidental College where he was also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. His son Jim L...

worked for the Patriots in 1982 under head coach Ron Meyer
Ron Meyer
-References:...

and became Colts head coach 1998-2001; his record against the Patriots was 2-6.

In 2009
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...

, the Colts finished the regular season 14-2 with the best record in the NFL, and an AP MVP award for starting quarterback Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...

, while the Patriots finished the season 10-6 receiving the No. 3 seed. The exact reverse would occur the following season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...

, with the Patriots' starting quarterback Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...

winning AP MVP honors. None of the teams though, would win a Super Bowl.

Appearances in advertising

The rivalry forms the basis of a Sprint

Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...

telecommunications television ad for their service providing NFL updates to cell phones. In the ad, a cell phone opens up to form a miniature NFL stadium with the Patriots logo in one end zone and the Colts logo in the other (the only scenarios in which this type of field layout would occur are the NFL Hall of Fame exhibition game and the NFL International Series

NFL International Series

Beginning with the 2005 season, the National Football League has hosted regular season American football games held outside the United States in a series known as the International Series.-Background:...

). As two men watch, a winning field goal is kicked and fireworks erupt. The winner is not named but evidence suggests the Patriots, as the "game" call is by New England's radio play-by-play announcer Gil Santos

Gil Santos

Gil Santos is the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and morning sports reporter for WBZ radio in Boston. He retired from WBZ on January 30, 2009. Santos was inducted into the WBZ Radio Hall of Fame on July 9, 2009...

.

The rivalry is also referenced in a Mastercard

MasterCard

Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...

ad in which Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning

is staying in hotels in New England, San Diego, and Cleveland while misunderstanding taunting comments made to him by fans of the opposing teams.

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