Tom Brady and the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to end last season.
Tom Brady and the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to end last season. Reuters

The yearly matchup between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts is always one of the more highly contested games of each season. With Peyton Manning on the Denver Broncos, that wasn’t expected to be the case in 2012.

Andrew Luck, however, has done his part to give this year’s contest almost as much intrigue as the ones in years past.

Both teams enter Week 11 at 6-3 and in good position to make the playoffs. The Patriots have a 2.5-game lead in the AFC East, while Colts have a hold on the sixth and final wild card spot in the conference.

Instead of a matchup of between the two greatest quarterbacks of their generation, Tom Brady will face the future of the NFL in New England. CBS will have the game at 4:25. You can watch a live stream online by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket Max.

After an up-and-down start, the Colts have been on a role, reeling off four straight wins. Luck has played well in his first season, leading Indianapolis on multiple late-game drives to secure victories. Five of the Colts six wins have come by no more than one touchdown.

Indianapolis will have to contend with the best offense in football. The Patriots are scoring 33.2 points per game. Wes Welker should be good to go, even though he was questionable for much of the week.

Betting Line: New England-9.5, 54

Prediction: Luck and the Colts have played well of late, but they haven’t seen an offense like the Patriots. Indianapolis will put up a lot of points, but Brady and New England have too much offensive firepower.

Predicted Score: New England 41, Indianapolis 28

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