Matt Chatham: Patriots Must Prepare For Much Different Colts Team

What a difference a few weeks makes.

The New England Patriots had little trouble handling the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns in 42-20 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Yet don’t expect the Colts to be the same pushovers when they visit Gillette Stadium for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Indy has dropped just one of its last seven games after its loss to the Pats and is coming off a 24-13 upset win over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round.

As former NFL linebacker Matt Chatham points out, the Colts have more than just growing confidence on their side. Daniel “Boom” Herron and Donte Moncrief both have emerged as major contributors on the offensive side of the ball, while defensive end Arthur Jones could play a key role in slowing New England’s rushing attack after sitting out in Week 11.

So what does it mean for New England? This could be a very different game than we saw earlier in the season and how both teams adapt to those changes could be the deciding factor.

“One thing is for certain, this won’t just be a cut-and-paste of what we saw in November,” Chatham writes on FootballByFootball.com. “Somebody’s going to the Super Bowl, and these ‘new’ decisions will light that path.”