Bye bye Indy

Think of it not as adieu, Indy, but as au revoir.

Until we see you again, as in, in January.

It was a game of epic hype, and it did not disappoint. New England came back with two fourth quarter touchdowns to beat Indianapolis -- and the refs -- for a 24-20 victory. Or, for most of the fans I talked to the following Monday, it was a game in which:

- The Colts really dominated the Patriots, but lost the game more than New England won it;
- It was a game in which Joseph Addai alone showed how the Colts should have destroyed New England, if it weren't for factors such as field position; and, my personal favorite,
- It was a game in which the Colts were without a very important wide receiver, Marvin Harrison.

Reality check, Colts fans and apologists: despite the very evenhanded nature of the final stats from the most recent tilt between the two teams, the stats are not important. The Pats scored more points after sixty minutes of football. Not thirty, not forty-five. Sixty.

Football is played with offense, defense, and special teams. If you believe your special teams must improve, you address that through the draft or free agency. Oh, look! The Patriots did just that, in signing Wes Welker. "If it weren't for field position" indeed.

On each team at any given time, 11 players can be active. But wait! That means that even if your special teamers don't play a down on offense or defense (pretty much the reverse of the situation,) you only need 33 guys!!! Hold on though, the roster is 53 guys. Why are there 20 more than the possible number needed to field a first string???

That's right, folks, the NFL knows there will be injuries! In fact, the last time the Pats and Colts played, the entire Patriots' starting secondary was out. They were down to late-season street free agents covering Harrison, Wayne, Clark, et al. This time, the Colts were without one of their pro bowl receivers. And that does it??? Whatever happened to depth???

Right, enough of Excuses That Piss Me Off This Week. In fact, enough of Hatriots talk at all, including by Don Shula. Let's get to the important stuff:

Will this team really go 16-0?

This is looking more and more likely. Still not a lock, of course, but more and more likely.

I find it exhilarating, but just a little frightening. I could see a 16-0 regular season turning into a 19-0 perfect season. It's no longer in the realm of the unachievable. But I could just as easily see us losing in the post-season. I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of let-down.

Somehow -- and I don't know how to rationally explain this -- I'd feel more secure about winning the Super Bowl if our regular season record were 15-1 or 14-2. Perhaps that would take this run out of the realm of "surreal," and into the realm of well-charted territory.

But will I complain if we hit 16-0? Oh hell no.

Of the Pats' remaining opponents, the Steelers will be tough. The rest look eminently destroyable. And honestly, after the Colts game, a loss will by definition be an upset loss, and a big upset at that. And if you want an odds-on Super Bowl favorite, well, that would be us.

But of course, the favorite does not win every game, and 19-0 has never been done before. But then again, this is a perfect storm of a season for the Pats. I would never before have said it was even imaginable. These days I find it hard to visualize an end to this run.

But hey, that's why they play the games.