Patriots vs. Colts: What's the Game Plan for Indianapolis?

There is a term in European football—commonly known as soccer in the U.S.—that describes an opponent that, regardless of circumstances, a team always has trouble overcoming. This bogey team, as they are called, is usually an underdog that time and again pulls a shocking upset over a heavily favored powerhouse, but the term can apply to teams on equal footing or the opposite as well.

For the Indianapolis Colts, the closest thing they have to a bogey team is the New England Patriots. Since the calendar turned to 2010, the Colts are 0-6 against their AFC rivals and 0-2 in the playoffs.

Not only have they been losses but embarrassing ones to boot. Since Andrew Luck took over the starting job in 2012, the Patriots have averaged 47.25 points per game in the quartet of games, while the Colts have averaged a measly 18.25.

If the Colts are going to reach the top tier of football with Luck at the helm, they first have to exorcise their demons against the New England Patriots. Sunday night’s matchup would be the perfect time to get the ball rolling by pulling a massive upset.

It won’t be easy and will require a lot of luck, but here is how the Colts can go about achieving that upset and ending the Patriots' undefeated streak.

Offensive Game Plan

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

For years, all the talk surrounding the Patriots has been about Tom Brady and the high-scoring, occasionally record-breaking offense. But Bill Belichick is a defensive coach, and New England has long had one of the top and most underappreciated defensive units in the league.

Despite a number of departures from the secondary that helped the team secure the title, the Patriots have actually stayed in the top half of the league, ranking No. 11 in pass yards allowed per game. Those numbers look even more impressive when you consider the fact the Patriots are, more often than not, in the lead and facing teams passing more than they typically would.

The Patriots aren’t invulnerable through the air, especially against a receiving corps such as the Colts', but the real place to strike New England is on the ground.

Giving up 112.8 yards per game on the ground, ranked No. 20 in the league, the Pats haven’t been great at stopping the run. The Colts need to take full advantage with another Frank Gore-centric attack plan if they hope to pull the upset.

Gore’s start to the season wasn’t great, but after finding the end zone in two of the past three games and averaging 79 yards over that same span, the veteran running back finally looks comfortable with the team and could be vital against New England.

Defensive Game Plan

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

The Colts are in a tough position when it comes to shutting down the New England Patriots. While the prevailing logic of the situation would be to stop Tom Brady and the passing attack and dare the team to beat you with the running game, Indianapolis has no such luxury.

After suffering embarrassing defeats in the playoffs to the Patriots in each of the last two years, which were largely powered by LeGarrette Blount and the running attack—the back recorded 7 touchdowns between the two games—the Colts head into Sunday's matchup well aware of what New England is capable of on the ground.

So to shock the world and upset the Patriots, things have to be taken in steps to try and shut down the league’s No. 2-ranked scoring offense instead of trying to take on the beast as a whole.

First and foremost, have Vontae Davis match up with Julian Edelman to try and take Brady’s top receiver out of the fold. Second, let the linebackers and defensive line key in on either getting pressure on the quarterback or stopping Dion Lewis and Blount. Finally, hope Rob Gronkowski doesn’t score 10 touchdowns.

It is one of the hardest tasks in football and requires not only the perfect game plan but a lot of luck, but stopping the Patriots is possible. The Colts just have to hope everything works out perfectly or watch Brady celebrate for the third year in a row.

Key Players and Matchups

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

CB Vontae Davis

Despite what many would lead you to believe, Julian Edelman, not Rob Gronkowski, is the top target in the New England offense so far this season. With more catches, yards and targets than Gronk, the Kent State product is the latest in the Patriots' long line of diminutive star receivers.

The return of Davis to full health is huge for the Colts, who need to find a way to stop New England's aerial assault and will likely match up their top corner with Edelman. The team still needs to deal with Gronkowski, but if Davis can down his man like he did against the Bills' Sammy Watkins in Week 1, Indianapolis will be in much better shape.

S Mike Adams

Week 5's AFC Defensive Player of the Week, strong safety Mike Adams has been the Colts' most improved player since the start of the season. After playing poorly in Weeks 1 and 2, Adams has turned his year around, culminating in a two-interception night against the Houston Texans last time out.

Against New England, though, the entire secondary—sans Vontae Davis—will be called on to slow down Gronkowski and, to a lesser extent, Lewis out of the backfield. Adams’ play could change the game for the Colts, especially if he continues his strong run of form or adds another interception to his tally.

WR Andre Johnson

Week 5 was, after a long wait, the coming-out party for Andre Johnson. After struggling through four weeks of obscurity and media questions, the veteran wide receiver showed why he is likely to go into the Hall of Fame one day with a two-touchdown game against the Houston Texans.

Against the Patriots, expect Johnson to be called upon again, especially if the Colts are forced to pass more than they planned because of a New England lead. T.Y. Hilton will get his opportunity, and Donte Moncrief has the talent to be a star, but in a prime-time environment against one of the league’s best teams, the veterans will be called upon to perform well—and Johnson is no exception.

RB Frank Gore

The other veteran skill-position player the Colts added over the summer, Frank Gore, has been a much more integral part of the offense since Day 1 but also managed his best performance of the year against the Texans. His 98 yards and touchdown were huge, as Indianapolis was once again pushed to the brink by an AFC South foe.

New England’s run defense isn’t the stoutest, and Gore will be hoping to take advantage and end the Colts' run of games without a 100-yard rusher. If he can put up a big game and find the end zone once or twice, Indianapolis has a much better shot at taking down the Pats.

Prediction

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Of the four teams that have faced the wrath of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots so far this season, two, the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, have been within a score of the Super Bowl champs when the final whistle blew, but both of those final results were misleading.

New England’s reign has started off strong, and no team has yet to truly challenge the champs. The Indianapolis Colts appear to be nothing more than the next team that will be left in their wake. A string of wins has put a slight sheen on Indianapolis’ season, but the team has been far from impressive in any of its five contests to date.

Brady has played like one of the best quarterbacks in the league so far this year—only Aaron Rodgers has an equal claim to that title—and the offense has become a machine the Colts will be hard-pressed to stop. With their well-documented struggles against the run in earlier matchups with the Patriots and a weak group of cornerbacks, Indianapolis needs everything to break right to pull off the upset.

As with the last few times they have played, though, there is too much that can go wrong and not enough faith in an Andrew Luck-led offense that has struggled at points this year to outscore the Patriots, who should easily drop the Colts to 3-3 on the season.

Prediction: Patriots 42, Colts 21