AFC Championship: Matchups and Prediction

Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback

(12) shakes hands after the game with New England Patriots quarterback

(12) at Lucas Oil Stadium. New England defeated Indianapolis 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

It’s that time of year again, and yes the New England Patriots are back in the AFC Championship for the fourth year in a row. This year’s opponent will be the Indianapolis Colts led by Andrew Luck. It will be Luck’s first AFC Championship Game of his career, and therefore probably the biggest contest of his three-year career so far. With a win over the Patriots, Luck could knock off both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks, starting a new age in the NFL.

In the three meetings the Patriots have had with Luck, they have dominated the young quarterback, especially in last year’s divisional round game in which Luck threw for four interceptions. The Pats have beaten Luck and the Colts by at least 20 points in each of the prior three meetings, so they are the clear favorite to win this game. I will analyze the matchups between the two teams for this Sunday’s contest.

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