Howe: Colts Have Improved Since Week 11, But So Have Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots and Colts will battle for a trip to the Super Bowl in Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium, a matchup that many see as lopsided.
The Patriots have owned the Colts since Andrew Luck came into the league, outscoring Indy 144-66 in his three games against New England, and some think Sunday's game will be more of the same.
The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Friday to preview the game, and has a tough time giving the Colts an advantage in any matchup on the field.
"It's hard to look at this Colts roster and find where they have a distinct advantage. This is largely the same Colts team that has lost by three touchdowns to the Patriots in the three meetings since Andrew Luck joined the roster. Are they better because they won a couple of playoffs games? Of course. They've improved, absolutely, but the Patriots to a large degree have also. And the Patriots are much more talented," said Howe.
New England may be without center Bryan Stork, who has missed both days of practice this week after suffering a knee injury in Saturday's AFC Divisional Round win over the Baltimore Ravens. That will place more stress on their offensive line, one of their few weaknesses, but Howe doesn't think the Colts will be able to take advantage of that matchup.
"I'm not impressed enough with the Colts defensive line; they don't blitz a ton so I don't think they're going to add any pressure," he said. "I can't find a reason why this matchup should be all that different from the previous three."
Running back Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns in New England's Week 11 win in Indianapolis, but has since fallen out of favor with Bill Belichick. But his monster game continued a trend against the Colts in which the Patriots dominated the game on the ground. In the AFC Divisional Round against the Colts last season, LeGarrette Blount ran for a career-high 166 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 43-22 win, and Howe thinks whoever gets the carries on Sunday will be able to rack up the yards.
"I'm not all that impressed by the Colts defensive line. This team is allowing 110 yards on the ground per game since the Patriots got them for 250 yards in Week 11. Whether it's Jonas Gray, Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount, Shane Vereen, or if they sign Laurence Maroney before practice today, they should be able to run through all these guys," said Howe, adding that another strong rush attack will open the field for other opportunities. "It's important to run the ball, just because it's a favorable matchup. The Patriots have a tougher offensive line than the Colts defensive line, but it also has a carry-over effect because it stops their linebacker from cheating back to clog the passing lanes in those crossing routes they like to run."
As for New England's defense against Indy's air attack, Howe thinks they'll change up their coverage a bit from that Week 11 showdown. In that game, Darrelle Revis spent most of his time on veteran Reggie Wayne, but with Wayne struggling since that November matchup, Howe thinks Revis would be better used on T.Y. Hilton come Sunday.
"I expect them to mix it up a little more," Howe said. "I understand that philosophy in Week 11, using Revis to take away Wayne and [Kyle] Arrington and a safety to take away Hilton... This week, because there are a lot of combinations you can use, I would start Revis on Hilton. Take Hilton away and use that trickle down effect from there."
Howe also shares his thoughts on the downfall of Jonas Gray, and the future of Darrelle Revis in New Engalnd:
