The Patriots will certainly have their hands full on Sunday when they face Peyton Manning for the second time this season and the fourth time in two years. Manning has not had much success against Bill Belichick/Romeo Crennel defensive schemes in the past but this weekend may be different because of the injuries suffered by the Patriots defense. Manning is deadly against healthy teams. This weekend, he will face off against a defensive backfield filled with a wide receiver, a linebacker, two rookies and a guy who joined the team a week ago. Meanwhile, the Patriots best defender, All Pro Richard Seymour, is questionable for the game. If the Colts score less than 30 points, it would be a tremendous feather in the caps of Belichick and Crennel. If the Patriots beat the Colts, it will undoubtedly be a high scoring affair. Injuries have depleted the New England defense, but the Patriot offense is much better than it was last season at this time. Corey Dillon is a weapon that the Colts will have a difficult time stopping. Indy is 29th in the league in total defense but more importantly they rank dead last in the league in opponent completion percentage and only Arizona has allowed opposing teams to gain more yards per carry. Colt opponents have averaged 4.6 yards per rush in 2004. Here are my Patiots Keys to the Game:

1. Take the Lead Early (ie. Do Not Fall Behind) - The Patriots set an NFL record by scoring first in 20 consecutive games (the streak ended in the final week of the regular season). The Pats have played exceptional defense in the first half of playoff games (they have allowed only 30 first half points in six playoff games over the past three seasons). That trend will need to continue against the Colts. Getting an early lead on Sunday would allow the Patriots to feature Dillon and the ball control passing game that Tom Brady runs to perfection. That would mean fewer possessions for Mr. Manning. If Indianapolis falls behind by a couple of touchdowns, New England can dedicate even more resources to pass coverage, knowing that Indy will be throwing on just about every play. If the opposite occurs and New England falls behind by a couple of scores, the Patriots would be forced to play Indy's style. The Patriots are simply not built for that style of football.



2. Create Turnovers - Manning is a guy that no opponent wants to see in a rhythm. When he's comfortable, he can put up three touchdowns in the blink of an eye. In the past, Belichick and Crennel have been able to keep Manning from getting comfortable by changing their defensive alignments frequently. This has rattled Manning, leading to frequent interceptions (they had four in last year's AFC Championship Game). When the game starts on Sunday, the Patriots will have the mental edge over Peyton Manning. That edge will disappear quickly if Manning cuts through the Patriot defense early. If he throws an early interception, however, he might experience a little deja vu. I expect Tedy Bruschi to be lurking in the shadows in the middle of the field looking to pickoff a Manning pass or two. Needless to say, putting pressure on Manning via the pass rush is imperative. I expect plenty of blitzing which could serve a dual purpose: to limit Manning's time to throw and to force turnovers.



3. Do Not Let the Colts Score from Outside the Red Zone - One of the big reasons why the Patriots have won two of the past three Superbowls is their outstanding red zone defense. The Pats defense is usually more highly-ranked in points allowed than yards allowed because they rarely allow touchdowns when the opposing team gets inside their 20 yard line. The Colts normally don't wait to hit the red zone to score. The Pats simply cannot allow Manning to take them deep. The Colts will chew up yardage between the 20's but even for Manning, the yards are harder to come by as the offense approaches the goal line. The less field that the Colts have to work with, the better for the Patriots. The officials will also play a huge role in Sunday's game. If they allow the Patriot defensive backs to play a physical game, especially near the goal line, New England should be able to minimize the damage. If the refs continue to implement flag football rules for physical contact, the Pats will be in big trouble.



4. The Colder the Better - The Colts offense has been virtually unstoppable this season but none of those games were played in New England in the middle of January. With 48 hours to go before game time, the weather report is predicting something in the vicinity of 30 degrees and sunny with winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour. That forecast isn't nearly as unpleasant as Patriot fans (at least the ones that won't be at the game) would like it to be, but it's also not the comfortable temp-controlled environment of the RCA Dome. The weather and the home crowd will be a tremendous advantage for the Superbowl Champions, especially if the Pats can take an early lead.

Just when you thought that Randy Moss couldn't possibly disgrace the NFL any more than he already has, he took his idiocy to a whole new level. Last weekend, he pretended to "moon" the good fans of Green Bay after scoring a late touchdown (he was limping around the field, but somehow had no limp when he was doing his TD celebration). The Terrell Owens (sharpie) and Joe Horn (cell phone) endzone celebrations were obnoxious but they weren't done at the expense of the opposing fans. Moss's celebration was one of the most tasteless, classless act I have ever seen on a football field. The NFL fined Moss a measly $10,000 for the incident (that's like fining me a penny) when they should have suspended him for this weekend's game against the Eagles. Playoffs or not, Moss and the Minnesota Vikings should be punished for his vile actions. The NFL has done a good job (and may have even gone overboard) penalizing players for illegal or late hits. What they haven't done successfully is punish players for boorish behavior that reflects badly on the league. Moss is a first class scumbag. The league, the Vikings ownership and Mike Tice should be ashamed of themselves for letting Moss get away this type of behavior time after time. Any parent who allows their child to wear a Moss jersey should also be ashamed. Most of all, Randy Moss should be ashamed but I guess people without a soul or a conscience don't feel shame. At the very least, he could have saved his moon for the unruly fans of Philadelphia.

The Jets-Chargers contest was one of the most exciting playoff games of the past few years but it was also one of the most poorly played postseason games I've seen. The Jets resume included:

• Two consecutive (crucial) plays where their defense had only ten men on the field
• An encroachment penalty on fourth down when the whole world knew that the Chargers were not going to snap the ball - a play that works about a .001% of the time
• A roughing the passer penalty that occurred after the Jets had essentially won the game
• A near fistfight during the game between Herm Edwards and his running backs coach, Bishop Harris

The Chargers "brilliant" display of football included:

• Incomplete passes on consecutive plays while the Jets had only ten men on the field
• A 12 men on the field penalty on a Jets punt (the penalty gave New York a first down)
• A missed field goal in overtime after Coach Schottenchoker failed to line the ball up in the middle of the field for his shaky rookie kicker

Last week proved that there are only four truly good teams in the NFL: New England, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. At least one of those four will be eliminated this week.

Boston College beat North Carolina 37-24 in the Continental Tire Bowl to secure their fifth bowl victory in five years, an accomplishment unmatched by any other program. Though the Eagles haven't won ten games, finished in the top ten or played in a BCS game over that time, they have been one of the more consistent programs this decade. Here is a list of the 19 schools that have won at least 40 games since 2000:

Speaking of Boston College, the university's men's and women's basketball programs are a combined 25-1 this season. Both squads are ranked in the top 15 in the nation. The two BC basketball programs and men's hockey are a combined 38-4 this season. Congratulations to the coaches: Skinner, York and Inglese.

Earlier this week Randy Johnson shoved a New York cameraman who "had the nerve" to point his camera in Johnson's direction. Only one day in pinstripes and Johnson is already fitting in perfectly with the egomaniacal Yankees. My guess is that Randy is about three steroid injections away from being named team captain.

The BostonSportsHub award for the worst name for a college basketball arena goes to ... The Jenny Craig Pavilion, home of the University of San Diego Toreros. I know what you are thinking: (a) are the seats there wider than those in the average arena? and (b) do the drink vendors sell Slimfast instead of beer and Pepsi?