INDIANAPOLIS -- Evidently the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots have a rivalry again.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard walked away from the podium at the conclusion of his news conference Wednesday and said the "rivalry is back” after New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a change of heart and decided not to become Indianapolis' head coach.
A rivalry usually consists of two evenly matched teams going back and forth. The Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady years could be considered a rivalry.
The recent Colts-Patriots matchups are nothing close to that. The Colts have lost seven straight games to New England.
Since the Colts drafted Andrew Luck in 2012, they have lost five straight games to the Patriots by an average of 24.6 points. To make matters worse, two of those losses occurred in the playoffs (including the AFC Championship Game in 2014) by 38 and 21 points.
That was also the last time that the Colts made the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Patriots have been to the Super Bowl three times, winning it twice, in that same span. The Patriots’ 12 victories over the Colts since 2002 are the most nondivisional wins over one opponent for any team in the NFL in that span.
The Colts will resume their “rivalry” with the Patriots when they travel to New England next season. That will be the first time Indianapolis will be back in New England since that AFC Championship Game, the matchup that sparked "Deflategate," in January 2015.
