The New England Patriots are the best team in the National Football League.  Not only are they the best team in the NFL this season, but they are without any question the greatest team the NFL has ever seen.  They are yet to be tested by any team this season.  This Sunday in Indianapolis the Colts may provide the greatest test for New England to date, but like we saw when Ohio State visited Penn State this past Saturday, is it really going to matter?

The answer to that is no.  Absolutely not.  The Indianapolis Colts are a great football team.  In fact so great that they have won 12 games in a row dating back to last season, including a 38-34 defeat of the Patriots in last years AFC Championship game.

This gives NFL fans the perfect matchup with the only two undefeated teams in the league coming face to face. 

Every fan outside of New England is probably hoping for an Indianapolis win.  For the last few years it was "god, I can't stand Peyton Manning."  Now, anything to prevent Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots from running the table would be a blessing.  They've been caught cheating, condemned for running up the score on these poor NFL teams, and been at the scrutiny of anything else fans want to throw in their direction.  Everything but the respect that a team of this great level deserves.

I am not a fan of the Patriots.  I am not an adversary of the Colts.  I'm just an NFL fan who sees things with an open mind, and I know what I see.  I'd really like to make this game into a bigger story.  I'd love to have the game everyone is hoping for.  Something inside of me just says it's like giving money to the homeless and thinking for a second they'll spend it on food over a pack of GBC's and a bottle of Colt 45.  I know it's a useless point and that's what this game feels like.  This game has already been decided.

I may eat my words Monday morning, and the Colts may just do the impossible and beat the offensive explosion known as the Patriots.  But does it actually matter?  If the Colts would happen to win, they still may not have home field advantage over the Patriots, who play in the worst division in the history of organized sports with the Bills, Jets and Dolphins.  The Colts must play much tougher division rivals in the Jaguars, Titans, and Texans one of which always pulls off that impossible upset of Manning and his army.

The only thing this Sunday afternoon's game will do is one of two things:

For the Patriots, a win would silence the critics.  It would give them no game to plan ahead to, for the big loss that puts Belichick back in his place.  It'll leave them only with petty complaints of running up the score on NFL teams, who simply cannot game plan and execute to the ability of the Patriots.

Secondly if the Colts win, it will give the pessimist of New England a slight glimmer of light that they won't be hoisting another Super Bowl title this winter. People can fight off the inevitable, but in this case with the Patriots it's just how long can you hold on to hope, before reality sets in.