The date was January 21, and the event was the AFC Championship game in the RCA Dome home of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts were taking on their conference rivals the New England Patriots, a team that had been a thorn in Manning's side over the past years when it came to playoff match ups in Foxboro. On this day the Colts backed by 57,000 home fans came from 18 down to beat a gassed Patriots squad who had to endure late injuries and illness to defensive starters which the Colts quickly exposed. But the key to this day was the tale of two QB's. In their win QB Peyton Manning threw for 349 yds while throwing to guys like TE Dallas Clark, and WR's Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. QB Tom Brady had to dominate on the ground whole Brady's air attack was in the hands of guys like WR's Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney who combined for 7 receptions over 83 yds. After their victory the Colts advanced to win the Super Bowl, and since that time they have been undefeated, but most importantly they have been undefeated since their 27-24 victory over the Dolphins on December 31 2006. This puts them at 11 consecutive wins putting them within 7 games of the team that holds the title of 18 consecutive wins, and that would be the New England Patriots, an opponent that is much different than the one they played back in January.

How different you ask? As we head into week 8 all eyes are on the Patriots (7-0) even though the Colts (6-0) are also undefeated The reason why? The Colts have two games this season that they could have very well lost while the Pats have just been laying teams to waste by scoring more than 30 week after week, and winning by margins of more than 20 week after week. The Patriots are also keeping the historical staticians busy as QB Tom Brady, WR Randy Moss and the rest of the team continues to break league, team and individual records. Just this past Sunday the Pats win in Miami was so comical that even the announcers were stunned by their performance, and so weren't the Pats fans who seemed to be the only ones left after the Dolphins fans seemed to evaporate in the 80 plus degree weather after halftime. They have been that damn good, and yet they still have room for improvement where they seem to have trouble sometimes stopping the run up the middle, but that is pretty much it. Offensively, Brady has a much better receiving corps than last year with WR's Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth combining for 1623 yds and 18 TD's as they head into their match up with the Redskins this weekend, and what makes matters worse is the fact their has yet to be a secondary or defensive co-coordinator who has been able to figure out a way to stop this offense. What makes matters worse to them is when they see highlights from these games, and you have to watch game film of WRs Randy Moss scoring TD's while being double and sometimes triple covered, Wes Welker tearing up the middle of the field and becoming this generations' Wayne Cherbet, Donte Stallworth costing secondaries extra tackling drills during practice because he continues to add YAC stats while QB Tom Brady might as well add "baker" to his NFL resume as he sits in the pocket with enough time to mix a batch of brownies for his o-line before getting rid of the ball. This is a title that has helped lead the league this season with 2125 total passing yards, 27 TD's and 169 completions while only throwing 2 interceptions... A mind boggling low statistic at this time of year, and as defenses scramble to try and cover the passing attack new stars emerge as Brady is hitting wide-open TE's like Benjamin Watson and Kyle Brady who have combined for 7 TD's this season, and with these stats the Pats have yet had to rely on a running game that has been off kilter due to the injuries of RBs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris. Morris went out with a chest injury during the Dallas game while Maroney returned for the Dolphins game sharing time with Kevin Faulk.

The Colts are ranked third in the NFL just above the Patriots in total defense, but they are still the same team as last year. The Colts are ranked first in the league against the pass, but ranked 14th in the league against the run. The last time these two matched up in the regular season the Pats dominated with the run, but Belichick got anxious, and went away from his game plan costing them the game and crucial home field advantage for the playoffs. This time around the Pats will have a legitimate air attack, taking their biggest threat out of the game, and that would be SS Bob Sanders, a great player when it comes to defending the pass, but an even better on the blitz and stopping the outside run. This is the guy that I'm personally dying to see how Dungy (Colts head coach) plays this guy. Do you bring him up, and let him threaten Brady and the run? That would mean putting the trust in your corners to shut down Moss and Stallworth meaning Sanders would still have to keep an eye on FS Antoine Bethea who may have his hands full covering Wes Welker or Ben Watson as they come across the middle.

At no disrespect to the Redskins (this week's opponent), here are my true thoughts on a game that is two weeks away? The Patriots will be heading back to the scene of the crime. The crime committed by the Colts as they stole victory from the Pats that day, in front of their home crowd. The Patriots remember that day, and they remember how close they were to that victory until it all came crashing down. The Pats are a much different team with a lot more depth, and a lot more threat . Look for the usual on defense (with or without Seymour) as they will try to confuse Manning, and get him to make bad decisions on the fly, hopefully making Asante's day that much better. Look for the Pats to test the secondary early to see how they play Sanders, and then make adjustments from there. If Dwight Feeney is kept contained by this stellar o-line look for Brady to have a long day, but with their run defense ranking the this could be the first game the Pats may win on the ground with help from the pass. If the Pats win this would eventually set up a AFC championship game in New England, and at the rate this team and the rest of the AFC East is doing this Patriots team could be AFCE champs within the next few weeks. The Pats will also be looking to keep the Colts from breaking their streak of 18 games, something they will probably play up to the press that it 's no big deal, but we all know that is for the cameras, and when they take the field in the RCA Dome that night they will be more on the line than that undefeated record.

And speaking of undefeated...

Earlier this year when I wrote my predictions, I officially chose the Pats to go 11-5 looking to extend my streak of perfect season predictions, but at this point I think my streak may come to an end. Barring any major injuries, this team may just run the table while smashing all types of offensive records in their path, they are just that good and it's a joy to continue to watch this team play on Sunday. If I could officially change my prediction I would do so, but I have never done so over the years and don't plan on doing it now.