The game is finally upon us. At the beginning of the season, this is the game that analysts, fans and players on both sides have circled on their calendars. It has become probably the hottest interdivisional rivalry in all of football. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne.

This game used to be so much more. This used to be a game between the two best quarterbacks in the game and the prohibitive favorites in the AFC, and the winner was automatically deemed the AFC’s best. But with Brady still seeming out of sorts since returning from his knee injury and Tony Dungy retiring and the multitude of turnover on both sides, this game has lost some of its luster.

I’m not trying to downplay this game at all because both teams are still extremely good, and this game does have major playoff implications. And let’s not lie to ourselves, they still don’t like each other very much. Just expect it to be a little less heated than normal.

What I see happening on Sunday night is an all-out shootout. I have called shootouts in the past that have failed to come to fruition, but I don’t see how this game can be anything else. The Colts offense has struggle and as I previously mentioned, Brady has yet to return to his 2007 form. But both of these defenses are suspect and have holes that each quarterback can exploit. I know the Colts have the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, but they have been mostly doing it with smoke and mirrors and they have yet to face an offense with the potential of the Patriots. This game is ripe for both quarterbacks to break the 300-yard barrier, and both should do so easily.

The Patriots need this win more than the Colts do because a loss and a win from some of their division rivals will make the AFC East a lot more interesting. On the other hand, the Colts have all but sewn up the AFC South.

All week, I was thinking that it was time for the unbeaten Colts’ luck to run out and there's not a better week for their first loss than this Sunday. But they keep finding ways to win and gets just enough from their defense to give their offense a chance to win at the end. Until they prove otherwise, it’s going to be hard for me to pick against them.

Prediction: So, with that being said, I see this game going to the Colts. Colts 35, Patriots 32.
--- BRANDON KOPCEUCH.