Colts vs. Patriots: Updated Odds, Latest Player Comments and Predictions

A wild divisional round on the AFC side of the 2015 NFL playoffs has set up a meeting between old versus new, as the New England Patriots host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts for a ticket to Super Bowl XLIX.

Not three years after the Colts drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick coming off a 2-14 season, Luck has taken Indianapolis just two steps away from the promised land. Along with going one step further in the playoffs in each of his three postseason appearances, he gave every Colts fan gratification in the form of beating Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to get here.

Such feats are just another year for the Patriots, who are making their ninth AFC Championship Game appearance in the Tom Brady era. But it's now been over a decade since the Pats' last championship, and they're eager not only to get back to the big stage, but also to win it all for a fourth time.

Maybe it's too far to say legacies will be defined by these 60 minutes, but it will certainly play a major role in the early career heroics of Luck and the twilight days of Brady. With that said, let's go ahead and break it all down.

Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Patriots -6.5	53.5	IND 12-5 / NE 5-13

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated January 14

AFC Championship Preview

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Already such a war of attrition during the regular season, the level of emotion in NFL games invariably spikes come playoff time. And it's more often than not to Tom Brady's advantage.

It's no secret that the Patriots' living legend at quarterback wears his emotions on his sleeve, and it's no coincidence that he's also among the best to ever play postseason football. But the type of success Brady has seen this time of year doesn't come solely from energy.

While elaborating on what goes into his high-intensity style of play, Brady noted how he has no problem keeping himself in check, per NFL.com's Dan Hanzus:

"

I kind of always can find a way to bring it back to balance however I need to be. I don't ever lose track of plays, things I need to do to coordinate our offense, you know when we're on the field. I just think the emotional part is a really important part for me and I think that's always been a part of the way I play. It's a lot of fun what we get to do for a living, certainly to get to this moment and play in this game -- there's nothing better.

"

Brady's intense emotional play will go up against a Colts team on an emotional high after toppling the Bengals and Broncos both in convincing fashion to get to this point.

Luck has already silenced the critics who pointed to his absence of a long playoff run despite three magnificent seasons in the league, and he has a chance to make his biggest statement to date on Sunday. The Patriots have been his toughest nemesis in those three years, going 0-3 against them with an average defeat margin of 26 points.

The unfavorable odds only make the game that much more enticing to Luck and crew.

Luck told NFL.com's Kevin Patra:

"

I think there is a competitive spirit in all of us, that's, 'hey the harder it is the better, let's go try and make it happen. But we are just excited to play a really good Patriots team on the road. Maybe there's a little extra excitement because of that, but to be in the AFC Championship that is great. But we got to go out and win.

"

All the Colts need to do to realize how tough achieving victory will be is to look at their meeting with New England earlier this season. The Patriots came into Indianapolis and drubbed the Colts 42-20, one of just two losses for them in the season's second half.

As you'd expect, the Colts have plenty to take from that experience as they get ready for the rematch.

“What happened in the regular season is what happened and we’re a much better team for that,” Colts defensive end Cory Redding said, per the team's official site. “We learned from those mistakes and we’re moving on. Right now, we watched one tape on them just kind of getting a good idea and just getting ready for the week.”

But when the Colts and Patriots look back on their Week 9 meeting, what will stand out more than anything is the sizable gap between these two football clubs.

They didn't show it last week when they ran it 13 times for 14 yards against Baltimore, but the Patriots have the superior rushing attack—by far. The Pats rushed for 246 yards last time out against Indianapolis, which has been a weakness for the Colts all season long.

Running the ball is also expected to be a focus.

“We ran the ball pretty good against (the Colts) last time obviously," Brady said on a WEEI radio show, per ESPNBoston.com's Lee Schechter, "and we are going to need to be balanced and run it and throw it this weekend."

With that said, Luck can do enough through the air in his lonesome to keep the Colts in it. T.Y. Hilton and Coby Fleener look destined for some big plays, but Patriots cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner will leave Luck fighting for every first down when the game gets tight late.

New England stymied Baltimore's rushing attack when the Ravens were trying to pull away last weekend, and the league's ninth-ranked rushing defense will keep Daniel "Boom" Herron and the Colts rushing attack ineffective all game long. That will loom large in the fourth quarter, when LeGarrette Blount (or Jonas Gray, who really knows with Bill Belichick) is putting the finishing touches on another New England AFC title.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Colts 27