Slay the Dragon

That's the task the Indianapolis Colts face on Monday night at Gillette Stadium.

In this instance the dragon is the New England Patriots.

Can it be done? Certainly. Anything is possible when you're talking football.

Is it likely to happen this time? Possibly, but I wouldn't count on it.

Don't get me wrong, the Colts are a good team and have been for the past several years but they have not been able to beat the Patriots. Period.

Peyton Manning came into the NFL in 1998. His lifetime record vs. New England is 2-10 including playoffs. He is 0-7 lifetime playing in Foxboro. The last time the Colts won a game in New England was 1995. The last two seasons these teams have played four times, two of those games were in the playoffs.

Something happens to the Colts when they play in Foxboro. They are like impostors wearing Colts uniforms. They forget the fundamentals, or something.

Not to mention that the Patriots have owned the Colts primarily since they moved out of Baltimore in 1984.

This season's matchup features the last undefeated team (7-0) vs. a struggling team (4-3) looking to find enough healthy bodies to play a full 60 minutes.

The Patriots have played arguably the hardest schedule in the first seven games than any team in history has had to. We're talking about Oakland, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, San Diego, Denver & Buffalo. Four playoff teams from a season ago and three of those games on the road, where it's much tougher to win..

Who have the Colts played? Houston, St. Louis, San Francisco, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Baltimore. One playoff team from a season ago and that team at home.

If the Colts are ever to beat the Patriots, now is the time. When the schedule was released in April, this was singled out as one of the marquee games of the entire season. It has been written (not by me) that the Colts, in order to get to the Super Bowl, must win this game. Or at the very least to have a home game in the playoffs vs. the Patriots IF that's the way it works out.

Most "experts" have picked the Patriots to lose this game, primarily because of the amount of injuries to key players that the Patriots have had to deal with this season. Not me. I'm not an expert, meaning I don't get paid to analyze football games. What I do know is this: Given the recent history between these two teams, the psychological advantage belongs to the Patriots. Is that enough for the Patriots to win? No, but it certainly helps.

You (Colts) have to show me that you can come into Foxboro and actually win a game, first, before I'll pick you. Play 60 solid minutes of football in your personal house of horrors and slay the dragon. Then you'll get the respect you're looking for from me.

Until you prove otherwise, I must go with the champs.

My prediction: @ PATRIOTS 35, Colts (-4) 24