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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots

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By @ConnorFultonRS

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots

Tom Brady Reggie Wayne AFC Championship
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

After escaping from the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round, the New England Patriots will renew another fierce rivalry on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. It would be an understatement to say that these two teams know each other very well. Here are five things you didn’t know about the Patriots/Colts series.

5. Tom Brady’s First NFL Start Came Against Colts

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tom Brady’s First NFL Start Came Against Colts

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Back in Week 3 of the 2001 season, Tom Brady earned his first career start. Despite a lackluster day for Brady (just 168 yards), the Patriots picked off Peyton Manning three times, including a pair of pick-sixes, en route to a 44-13 victory. It was the Pats’ first win in a season that would end in confetti.

4. Tom Brady’s First AFC Championship Loss Came Against Colts

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

4. Tom Brady’s First AFC Championship Loss Came Against Colts

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The 2005 season marked the first in which Brady would lose in the playoffs (to the Broncos in the Divisional Round). But his first loss in the AFC Championship came the following season, when the Colts pulled off a come-from-behind 38-34 victory. Before that, Brady had defeated the Steelers twice and Colts once in the three previous Super Bowl seasons.

3. Patriots Have Won The Last Five Meetings

Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

3. Patriots Have Won The Last Five Meetings

Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Remember the infamous fourth-and-two game back in 2009? That Bill Belichick blunder may have been costly, but the Patriots have made up for it by beating the Colts in every meeting since. The past three encounters — the games since Andrew Luck has taken over at quarterback for the Colts — have been double-digit victories for the Patriots.

2. Patriots, Colts Used To Play In Same Division

Adam Vinatieri Indianapolis Colts
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

2. Patriots, Colts Used To Play In Same Division

Adam Vinatieri Indianapolis Colts
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

This is a generally well-known fact, but it may be lost upon the newer generations of NFL fans that the Patriots and Colts inhabited the AFC East from 1970-2001. The division realignment in 2002 placed the Colts in the AFC South, but the two foes have met 11 times in the regular season and soon-to-be five times in the postseason, so the rivalry has raged on.

1. The WR Swap of 2014

Austin Collie New England Patriots
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. The WR Swap of 2014

Austin Collie New England Patriots
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

An interesting subplot leading up to last year’s Divisional Round game between the Patriots and Colts was the fact that longtime Patriots' receiver Deion Branch had recently signed with the Colts a few weeks after the Pats picked up Colts' veteran pass catcher Austin Collie. Branch had always been a favorite target of Tom Brady, and Collie had also made a name for himself catching passes from Peyton Manning.

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