Colts vs. Patriots: 5 Best Games in Rivalry's History

The Colts-Patriots rivalry goes against the grain of most traditional rivalries in the NFL.

This is no Packers-Bears, Giants-Eagles or Ravens-Steelers. Despite being AFC East divisional rivals for 32 seasons, the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots only started getting warmed up when Indy moved to the AFC South.

For all their familiarity pre-2001, the series lacked any spark, in part due to both teams spending much of the '80s and '90s in the doldrums.

With the introduction of two elite quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady (and briefly, Drew Bledsoe), the competition intensified and gave the NFL some of the best contests over the past decade.

Meeting every season since 2002, the familiarity breeds respect rather than contempt, with both organizations setting the gold standard on and off the field, winning a combined four Super Bowls in the last 10 seasons.

And with two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks squaring off each year, we are spoiled for choice in condensing the rivalry into the top five games in their modern history.

Let's take a look at the best of the best.

Honorable Mentions

Let's start with the games that didn't make the final cut.

Colts 28, Patriots 31: November 2010

The most recent of Brady-Manning matchups—also the first at Gillette Stadium in four seasons—didn't disappoint.

As in recent times, the Colts staged a late comeback, from 28-14 down to open the fourth quarter, to have the ball in a two-minute drill to win the game, down by four.

The Patriots' "bend, but don't break" defense was stretched to the limit by Manning's hurry-up play-calling, but managed to make a play on the New England 6—a James Sanders interception, after some nice pressure from the rookie linebacker Jermaine Cunningham.

This was a classic rivalry game that entertained throughout, but the five that made the list all carried greater significance for both teams in one form or another.

Colts 40, Patriots 21: November 2005

Manning's first win over Brady in seven attempts came against a controversial backdrop, with Colts general manager Bill Polian allegedly calling for his team to break the leg of Patriots backup quarterback Doug Flutie, for running one final play in junk time.

The Colts quarterback ran a passing clinic that night, torching the Patriots' depleted secondary for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

However, in the same way that this season's matchup lacks the usual anticipation of a Colts-Patriots clash, the 2005 edition suffered similarly with injuries. Aside from Manning snapping the Patriots' hex over Indy, this meeting saw the heavily-favored Colts deliver an expected win.

There have been more intriguing encounters than this, so it stays on the cutting room floor.

Patriots 37, Colts 34 (OT): November 1992

Back in the old AFC East days, this divisional clash had it all.

The 4-5 Colts entertained the 0-9 Patriots in the old Hoosier Dome in the days of Scott Zolak and Jeff George under center, and entertain they did.

The lead changed hands 10 times as the Patriots grabbed their first win of the season. George's picks proved decisive, with the Patriots taking two to the house, and a third interception in overtime set up the game-winning field goal.

In a season where neither team made the playoffs, this carries less significance than the modern rivalry between the two franchises, so it just misses the short list.

5. Colts 13, Patriots 44: September 2001

Patriots fans all know the story from one week earlier—September 23, 2001, to be precise.

With hindsight, they say they are eternally grateful to Mo Lewis and the Jets for knocking Drew Bledsoe out of the game, as it paved the way for Tom Brady and the dynasty years. At the time, though, the season was in jeopardy with a young, inexperienced backup under center.

Brady's first start as a Patriot had to make the list. From humble beginnings—he managed the game rather than dictated it like he does today—a true rivalry was born.

In the days of Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison lighting up the scoreboard, Brady would need help if the Patriots were going to keep pace, and they found it in a smash-mouth defense that picked off Manning three times, with two returned for scores.

I can't understate the importance of Antowain Smith to the Patriots offense that year. The 1,000-yard rusher took much of the pressure off Brady's shoulders and scored twice in this contest, outshining Edgerrin James and controlling the clock for New England.

There would be better matchups between the two teams in later years, but this is where it all began.

The Patriots' first Super Bowl win came that season, and the Colts would spend the next five years trying to emulate their success.

4. Colts 14, Patriots 24: January 2004, AFC Title Game

By now, the Colts were sick of the sight of the Patriots and their all-star defense, and the first postseason meeting between the two teams would be decided by Peyton Manning's nemesis, Ty Law.

The Patriots cornerback picked off Manning three times en route to their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons. The secondary limited Marvin Harrison to three catches for 19 yards.

On the ground, the defense—which allowed just under 15 points per game in the regular season—limited Edgerrin James to 78 yards and one score, a victory of sorts given his 1,500 total yards and 11 touchdowns that season.

The enduring image from the AFC title game, however—aside from five Adam Vinatieri field goals for the Patriots—was captured in the photo above. Manning was sacked four times and hit a couple more, as the Patriots' front seven brought the heat all game long, never allowing the Colts' star quarterback to settle into a rhythm.

If the 2001 game kick-started the modern-day rivalry, this one intensified it. Little did we know at the time, but Manning would gain some significant revenge in future seasons.

3. Patriots 24, Colts 20: November 2007

This one makes the list, as it not only saw two undefeated teams face each other, but featured all the intensity of a key playoff game.

The 8-0 Patriots would go on to the first ever 16-0 season before losing in the Super Bowl, but this would be remembered as one of the toughest encounters they faced all year, justifying the pregame hype.

The Colts led 20-10 in the fourth quarter. Had they hung on, history may have played out differently. But Brady would remain ice-cold, throwing two touchdowns within a four-minute span to escape the RCA dome with a key scalp.

Randy Moss came up huge in the fourth quarter, connecting with Brady on a 55-yard bomb to set up a three-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker to finish the drive.

On the next series, a Roosevelt Colvin sack forced a Colts punt, bringing Brady back for a 13-yard connection with Kevin Faulk for the game-winning score with 3:15 to go.

For a team that was putting up over 41 points per game going to Indianapolis, the Patriots received a real fright from the defending Super Bowl champions.

But as in many of the rivalry games over the past decade, the Patriots found a way to neutralize Manning with the game on the line.

2. Patriots 34, Colts 35: November 2009

The most notorious of all Colts-Patriots matchups makes the second spot in the list. Immortalized in NFL Films' Bill Belichick: A Football Life, the now-infamous "4th-and-2" call will be remembered for many years.

The suspicion remains that Belichick had no confidence in his defense to stop Manning driving 80 yards for the game-winning score, which prompted the aggressive play call to Kevin Faulk on the Patriots' own 28-yard line.

The decision will be dissected for years because it failed. Belichick has forged a reputation over the years for going for it on fourth down and taking calculated risks that pay off. On this occasion, it blew up in his face.

Supporting his decision was the fact that Manning had already led the Colts from 31-14 down in the fourth quarter to within six, gashing New England's secondary at will for chunks of yardage on each drive. 

On the other hand, the Patriots have historically found a way to make a play with the ball in Manning's hands and the game on the line.

The risk of not gaining two yards, versus the reward of closing the game out there and then, will always split opinion. But an oft-overlooked angle is Brady's performance that night.

He blew the doors off the Colts' secondary, throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns.

Watching with a friend (a Colts fan, no less), we both decided the game was all but over at halftime. Brady had his way with Indianapolis, and it seemed ridiculous that he would be caught by Manning and his battalion of receivers.

At the time, I had no doubt that Brady could make a two-yard passing play with his eyes closed. The homer in me was convinced. The cold, calculating mind of Belichick was too.

But Melvin Bullitt had other ideas and stopped Faulk short at the 29-yard line, ensuring that this slice of Colts-Patriots history will be re-run on the NFL Network and ESPN for years to come.

1. Patriots 34, Colts 38: January 2007, AFC Title Game

The king of Manning vs. Brady encounters—much as it pains me to say that, as a Patriots fan—the AFC title game in Indianapolis had it all.

In what would be a trademark in future seasons, we witnessed the Patriots storm out to an early lead. Manning would come back from 18 points down and exact revenge for the beatdown in Foxborough in the AFC title game three years prior.

That Brady was able to move the ball with the worst receiving corps of his Patriots career was remarkable. He made completions to Reche Caldwell, Benjamin Watson, Jabar Gaffney and Heath Evans that night, adding to his legacy in a losing effort.

An Asante Samuel interception return for a touchdown wasn't enough to deny Manning, who threw for 349 yards, setting up two short rushing touchdowns in the second-half comeback.

And for the first time, it was Tom Brady's turn to make a mistake on the final drive of the game, throwing a pick to Marlin Jackson with 17 seconds to go.

The Colts would go on to win Super Bowl XLI versus the Chicago Bears two weeks later, and deservedly so. But the game of the season took place under the roof of the RCA dome in January 2007, and arguably represents the single biggest contribution to the Colts-Patriots rivalry.

Let us know your thoughts. Is this the best matchup in Colts-Patriots history (objectively speaking, of course)? It wasn't my favorite, that's for sure, but did any games surpass the performance from both teams in this one?

Give us your entries for the list in the comments section below.

Follow Nick on Twitter @nickbutterworth