The 'Sunday Night Football' matchup between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts looks on paper like it should be one of the most competitive games of the week, and the experts agree that there is no clear-cut favorite in this AFC primetime showdown.
Patriots vs. Colts 2014 picks and predictions: No clear favorite in this primetime AFC showdown
The ‘Sunday Night Football’ matchup between the Colts and Patriots should be one of the most competitive games in Week 11.
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Although the Patriots (7-2) and Colts (6-3) both appear to have their respective divisions wrapped up and are near-locks to be playing in January, this game has huge implications for seeding in the AFC playoff race. According to playoff odds at fivethirtyeight.com, a Colts win would improve their chances of securing a first-round bye from 42 percent to 63 percent, while a Patriots victory would push its first-round bye probability to better than 75 percent.
The Patriots hardly resembled a playoff contender in the first month of the season. They were 2-2 after getting blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, and their offense looked completely broken. Since then they have won five straight games in dominating fashion, outscoring their opponents by nearly 20 points per game, and their offense has been revived, averaging 40.2 points per game during the win streak. There is no hotter team in the NFL right now, as the Patriots appear to be legit Super Bowl contenders once again.
The Colts followed a similar trajectory as the Patriots, losing their first two games before winning six of their next seven. The lone blemish since that 0-2 start was a shocking 51-34 loss to the Steelers in Week 8. That defeat can hardly be blamed on the offense, which ranks first in the NFL in both scoring offense (32.2 PPG) and total offense (451.2 YPG). There should be no shortage of points in this primetime showdown between two of the league's most explosive offensive teams.
Five of the eight guys at CBS Sports have the Colts winning at home, while nine of the 13 experts on ESPN’s panel picked the Patriots.
Here at SB Nation, our experts are similarly divided, with a slight nod to New England:
| Week 11 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | PFT Commenter | Matt Ufford | OddsShark Computer |
| NE vs IND | IND | NE | IND | IND | NE | NE | NE | NE |
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