Patriots Preview Week 5: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
It's amazing what a difference a week can make in the NFL. Patriots fans (including me) were on the verge of panic, wondering if they'd be facing a 1-3 record heading into tonight's action.
That is not the case.
As the Patriots waited to run out of the tunnel on Sunday, they somehow morphed back into Dr. Jeckyll (or Mr. Hyde, depending upon your point of view). The Dolphins faced the wrath of the Tom Brady that gives defensive coordinators night sweats. Brady surgically cut apart the Dolphins' defense, almost making it look too easy.
Until the Patriots start showing some consistency, there will be a kernel of doubt in many Patriots fans, like a girlfriend whose guy has let her down.
Not for nothin', but tonight is going to be the first time the Colts have played at Gillette Stadium since the whole Deflate-gate fiasco. They'll be testing balls like crazy before and during the game, I'm sure.
Tonight, the Patriots will do something they haven't done in 32 straight games: Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski will both be on the field at the same time. It's shocking to think that this hasn't happened in what amounts to two complete football regular seasons, and it will be fun to see how the dynamic changes for the offense.
Then, there's Andrew Luck. The talented quarterback is making a comeback this year after seriously injuring his shoulder. He has changed up his approach a bit, leaning more on the short game than the long.
ABC 6 Sports Director Nick Coit is calling for a Patriots win and a 3-2 record by the night's end. All things considered, that wouldn't be a bad place to be heading into a 10-day span before their next game.