Pats Prediction - AFC Championship Game

Last week: Once again, wow. The Pats managed to gut out a difficult win against a very good team in the San Diego Chargers. Gostkowski was great, going 3-for-3 on field goals. Troy Brown saved the season when he stripped Marlon McCree after McCree had intercepted a fourth-down pass from Brady.

Ladainian Tomlinson of course played the sour grapes card after the game, complaining about Ellis Hobbs celebration at mid-field. I, for one, was thrilled that someone from the Pats imitated the ridiculous Merriman dance. I told my wife before the game that I was hoping the Pats would win and do just that. I'm glad the general consensus in the national media was that LT should shut his trap. LT's sad attempt to blame Belichick for the celebration of his players was a stretch. Maybe the Pats should send LT some popcorn (and sour grapes) to enjoy while he watches the AFC Championship Game tomorrow.

Reg. Season Record: 9-7 straight up, 4-10-2 against the spread.
Playoff Record: 2-0 straight up, 1-1 against the spread.

AFC Championship Game Favorite: Indianapolis (-3)

I feel extremely relaxed about tomorrow's game. In fact, I called my father not fifteen seconds after the game ended last week and left him the following voicemail: "We're going to the Super Bowl!"

The Colts cannot, and will not, hang with the Patriots. I don't care how well the Colts defense has played for two whole weeks. Both the Chiefs and Ravens had simply awful gameplans and terrible play calling against Indy. The last time I checked Bill Belichick could outcoach Herm Edwards, Brian Billick, and the ghost of Vince Lombardi combined. Tony Dungy is only slightly better than Marty Schottenheimer in the playoffs. He can't make the necessary in-game adjustments to beat a team smarter than his.

Peyton Manning has looked like crap in the playoffs. He's thrown 1 TD against 5 INTs. He should have 7 INTs, save for Ray Lewis deflecting two sure picks. Peyton is going to smell like crap when he dumps in his pants tomorrow. He's simply not a good leader. He likes the adoration of being a QB, but he feels entitled. He's been groomed to be a QB for so long that he probably doesn't remember wanting to be an astronaut or a fireman as a child. After tomorrow's game seals his legacy as a great regular season QB who couldn't hack it in the playoffs, he'll wish that he had become an astronaut.

Tom Brady's mechanics were inconsistent last Sunday. Is there any doubt that he will be anything less than rock-solid perfect with his mechanics tomorrow? The Colts pass rush pales in comparison to San Diego's. I bet that Brady could try some left-handed throws for fun tomorrow if he wanted to.

Belichick will combine a spread offense with a strong rushing game to gash the Colts. Manning will choke on the field like a man choking on a sausage when he tries to play catch-up. The Colts might want to consider moving out of Indy in the middle of the night after the game.

Prediction: Patriots 30, Colts 20