NFL: Andrew Luck confident the Indianapolis Colts can upset the odds in New England
Thursday 15 January 2015 12:50, UK
Andrew Luck is confident the surging Indianapolis Colts can upset the odds once again when they face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
The Colts won 24-13 on the road against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos last Sunday and now have Tom Brady and the Patriots in their sights.
Luck is wary of players such as Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower on the Pats defence but is confident the underdogs have the tools to win in Foxborough and reach the Super Bowl.
"Yeah, I think they do a great job of taking away your strengths in a sense,” Luck said. “They're not going to let you get easy first downs, easy yards and easy points.
“Every down is a chess match and a battle. They do a great job of scheming and have great players - there's a bunch of studs out there.
“Their back end is loaded with guys who can play football. They can rush the passer. Two stud inside linebackers. They can create a lot of problems.
“Obviously experience helps. As a team, every game you get closer and closer together as an offensive unit and a unit a whole.
“We are more prepared to handle the unknown and the unexpected. With all these practices, guys keep getting better every day.”
Chess
This will be the teams’ second meeting of the season, the Patriots convincing 42-20 winners on November 16 thanks to 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns from running back Jonas Gray.
Despite the comfortable victory last time out, Brady is taking nothing for granted and expects the Colts to be ready for the Patriots rushing attack this time.
Live NFL
“Any time you play a team the second time around you hope you can go in there and do the things that you were successful with the first time around but obviously they know that too,” Brady said.
“So it's always a chess match - you try to determine the things that you did well versus the things they didn't do well. We've played this team a lot of times the last few years, but nothing as important as this game here.
“I'm sure they're going to be doing the things they're most confident in and we're going to be doing the things we're most confident in and we'll see how it all shakes out."
Explosive
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is wary of the Colts explosive passing attack which is led by Luck and Pro-Bowl wide receiver TY Hilton and believes his team will have to be at the top of their game to advance.
"They've got so many big play guys,” Belichick said. “Of course it starts with Luck, but he's got a great receiving core. They run the ball well. They're consistent.
“They've got productive players at tight end; receiver; running back; quarterback, a lot to defend. Again, as explosive a team as there is in the league both in the regular season and then in the post season and then very consistent about making big plays from everywhere by everybody.
“So it's going to be a big challenge for us this week. We're going to have to play our best game of the year. That's the way I look at it.”
You can watch the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday, with coverage starting from 11.30pm.
