The New England Patriots did more than just beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. They also made a statement to the entire NFL.
Or at least that’s what former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi claimed Monday during his weekly chat on ESPNBoston.com.
“A lot of times in football, it’s about sending messages,” Bruschi said. “The message the New England Patriots sent on prime-time TV Sunday night, to the entire league, is: ‘We’re not a bunch of pretty boys. You better buckle up when you play us because we will push you when you’re down and pick you up and throw you into a TV camera on national TV.'”
The 42-20 win certainly was convincing. The Pats went from being 2-2 in their first four games to dropping an average of 40.5 points on opponents over six straight wins. They changed the conversation from one about quarterback Tom Brady being on his way out of New England to one about the Patriots being Super Bowl favorites.
It certainly changed the mind of Bruschi, who picked the Colts to win the game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I can count the number of times, over the last six years, that I’ve picked against the Patriots on one hand,” Bruschi said. “I did feel there was a possibility for trouble in this game. Brady struggled but was picked up by his team. I think I overestimated Andrew Luck and overestimated the overall fight of the Colts. After two tough losses to the Patriots in Foxboro, I thought the Colts would come out swinging. Boy, was I wrong.”
Photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
