As the Colts play in theAFC South and the Patriots are in theAFC East, the two teams do not play every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium due to the NFL's rotating division schedules during which their divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions or meet in the playoffs.[2][3][4]
It is considered one of the most famous rivalries in the NFL from the 2000s due to the teams posting numerous winning seasons during the decades as well as it being the height of therivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, even though the rivalry began in 1970 when theAFL and NFL merged.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] While the Patriots were the unquestioned lords of the NFL during the 2000s, the Colts were one of the few teams that could reasonably challenge the Patriots, especially with their higher winning percentage and2006 season Super Bowl victory.[12][13][14] The two teams have combined for sevenSuper Bowl victories (six by the Patriots) and elevenAFC Championships (nine by the Patriots) since2001. The Colts and Patriots wereAFC East division rivals from 1970 to 2001 (dating prior to theColts' move fromBaltimore toIndianapolis), but their intensified enmity was not prevalent until Indianapolis was moved into the newly formedAFC South following the 2001 season as part of the NFL's realignment.[5] The Patriots hold a lead in points scored, 2,112 to 1,602 for the Colts. In 2020, CBS ranked this rivalry as the No. 1 NFL rivalry of the 2000s.[15]
The modern matchup spanning the period of2001–2011 was usually headlined as acontest between quarterbacksPeyton Manning andTom Brady, who together won six NFL MVP awards in eight years (2003–10; four by Manning). In September 2001 Brady received his first start against the Colts after an injury to then-starterDrew Bledsoe, and proceeded to defeat the Colts in his first six games against them in the next years, including the 2003 AFC Championship Game and a2004 AFC Divisional playoff game. The 2004 Divisional game was notable as the Patriots held a record holding the Colts offense to 3 points on snowy cold night in Foxborough. The Colts won the next three matches, notching two regular season victories and a win in the 2006 AFC Championship Game on the way to their win inSuper Bowl XLI. Since then, the Patriots have won ten out of the next fourteen games from 2007 to 2023. The quarterback angle of the rivalry changed in 2012 following Manning's release from the team, and with the surge to success of Colts rookieAndrew Luck. The rivalry gained momentum again in February 2018, when Patriots offensive coordinatorJosh McDaniels, who had agreed to become the head coach of the Colts, went back on his word and decided to stay on as a coordinator in New England. The Patriots beat the Colts every single game in the 2010s, going 8–0 (including 2–0 in the postseason in 2013 & 2014).[16] The streak ended in 2021 in a 27–17 Colts victory.
The Patriots lead the overall series, 53–32. The two teams have met five times in theplayoffs, with the Patriots holding a 4–1 advantage.[1]
Notable games
August 13, 1967 (preseason):
The 1967 football season for both the NFL and theAmerican Football League opened with the agreement for the pending merger of the two leagues already in place. On August 13, 1967, the Boston Patriots hosted the Baltimore Colts at Harvard Stadium. The Colts won 33–3.[17]
October 4, 1970:
The Patriots and Colts met for the first time in NFL regular-season play at Harvard Stadium in week three of the1970 season. The Colts jumped to a 7–0 lead in the first quarter, but the Patriots closed to a 7–6 fourth-quarter score on twoGino Cappelletti field goals. On following series, Johnny Unitas, who relieved starter Earl Morrall, finished off the Patriots with a 55-yard touchdown pass and a 14–6 Colts win.[18]
November 14, 1976:
Battling the Colts for the AFC East title, the Patriots traveled to Baltimore with a 6–3 record (including a 27–13 Colts victory in Foxborough in week one of theseason). The Patriots picked off Bert Jones twice, leading to a 21–14 win. The win accelerated a six-game winning streak for the Patriots and their first playoff berth since 1963.
September 18, 1978:
The Colts had been AFC East champs the previous three seasons, but were minus many of their best players due to trades and injuries, including Bert Jones and starting cornerbacksNelson Munsey andNorm Thompson. They were 0–2 and 18-point underdogs when they traveled to Foxboro to play the Patriots onMonday Night Football.[19] It was a sloppy game for three quarters, with New England leading 13-7 heading into the final period. As it started raining hard, Baltimore came to life behind running backJoe Washington, making his first start with the team after an off-season trade from San Diego. First he threw a 54-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option toRoger Carr. Later he caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Bill Troup. After Troup and Carr connected for a 67-yard score, the Colts led 27–13 with eight minutes to play.[20] The Patriots came back to score twice on runs bySteve Grogan andSam Cunningham sandwiched around a successful onside kick to tie the game with 1:32 left. But Washington fielded the bouncing ensuing kickoff and darted 90 yards across the shimmering rain-soaked field for the touchdown to give Baltimore the stunning 34–27 win, causingHoward Cosell to exclaim, "What a football game this turned out to be!"[21]
October 9, 1983:
The Patriots lost to the Baltimore Colts 12–7 in Baltimore; it turned out to be the final meeting between the Patriots and the Baltimore Colts, as the team moved to Indianapolis in 1984. It was also New England's last game in Baltimore until theBaltimore Ravens debuted in1996.[22]
November 18, 1984:
In their first meeting at Indianapolis, the Patriots made their first trip to the Hoosier Dome and defeated the Colts 50–17. The win was the second for new coachRaymond Berry, a former Colts receiver.[23]
November 15, 1992:
The 4–5 Colts hosted the 0–9 Patriots and the two teams lit up the Hoosier Dome scoreboard in an overtime thriller. The game lead tied or changed 10 times and the Patriots scored twice off Jeff George interceptions. Patriots kickerCharlie Baumann accounted for the Patriots' final nine points of a 37–34 overtime triumph that came amid illness to coachDick McPherson.[24]
September 19, 1999:
Peyton Manning made his second career trip to Foxborough and led the Colts to a 28–7 halftime lead. The Patriots, behind Drew Bledsoe, scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth off Colt turnovers and the game-winningAdam Vinatieri field goal came in the final thirty seconds.[25]
December 12, 1999:
The Colts hosted the Patriots, holding a 10–2 record to New England's 7–5. The Colts earned a 20–15 win despite 344 passing yards from Drew Bledsoe. It was the first for Manning over New England after three straight losses and the first win over the Patriots for theManning family (Peyton's dadArchie was 0–3 lifetime against the Patriots with theNew Orleans Saints andHouston Oilers.)[26]
September 30, 2001:
Week three of the 2001 season, Tom Brady made his first NFL start when the 2–0 Colts came to Foxborough. The Colts were defeated 44–13 as Peyton Manning threw three interceptions, two returned for touchdowns.[27] On October 21, New England traveled to the RCA Dome and won 38–17, where PatriotDavid Patten became the first player sinceWalter Payton in 1979 to score touchdowns three separate ways: throwing a 60-yard pass toTroy Brown, a 91-yard reception from Brady, and a rushing score.[28]
November 30, 2003:
The first meeting since divisional realignment put the Colts into the now-second year AFC South, the two clubs sported 9–2 records, the latest into a season two teams with such records had met. The Patriots erupted to a 31–10 lead in the third quarter. Peyton Manning rallied the Colts back, throwing three touchdowns to tie the game, however the Patriots clawed back to a 38–34 lead. The Colts drove to the Patriots' 2-yard line in the final minute, only to be stopped on four downs.[29]
November 7, 2005:
Heading into the Monday Night fight between the Colts (7–0) and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Patriots (4–3), QB Peyton Manning was winless against New England in Foxborough (0–7). The Colts beat the Patriots, 40–21. In the game's closing minutes, veteran QB Doug Flutie replaced Brady, and Colts presidentBill Polian was heard in the press box yelling "break his leg!"[30]
The Colts and Patriots met in their first AFC Championship game since 2003, a game in which New England won en route to their third Super Bowl Championship in four years. The Patriots and Colts were both unable to earn a first-round bye at the end of the 2006 season, the first time in the series history that they had met in the playoffs after both played in the Wild Card round. New England was coming off of wins over the Jets and Chargers, and finished the 2006 season with a 12–4 record. The Colts were also 12–4, but finished ahead of the Patriots by virtue of their head-to-head win over them during the regular season in Foxborough. The Colts were coming off wins over the Chiefs and Ravens. In this game, the Patriots ran out to a 21–3 lead in the second quarter, but the Colts would pull off a fierce comeback to win 38–34, the largest comeback win in conference championship history at the time.[31] With 1 minute remaining in the game, Joseph Addai rushed in for a touchdown from 3 yards out to give the Colts the lead. The game was sealed with an interception by Marlin Jackson with 14 seconds remaining, sending the Colts to the Super Bowl, which they won 29–17 over the Chicago Bears. The 15-point comeback in the second half by Indianapolis was the largest in conference championship history until it was broken 8 years later in the 2014 NFC Championship game, in which the Seahawks came back from 16 points down to beat the Packers 28–22 in overtime.[32]
November 4, 2007:
The 8–0 Patriots faced the 7–0 Colts in the RCA Dome, the latest in a season that two undefeated teams had ever faced off. The Patriots had scored over 34 points in every game but the Colts defense stifled the Patriots' attack and Indianapolis clawed to a 20–10 lead in the fourth. But a 58-yard Tom Brady bomb toRandy Moss was caught at the Colts' 3-yard line, leading to aWes Welker touchdown catch. After stopping Manning and forcing a punt, a strong kick return by Welker set up a three-play touchdown drive highlighted by a 32-yard catch byDonté Stallworth and aKevin Faulk touchdown catch. Manning was hit and threw the ball into the hands ofRosevelt Colvin on the next Colts drive and the Patriots ran out the remaining clock for the 24–20 win.[33] This win was number nine in the Patriots' 16–0 regular season.
November 15, 2009 (4th and 2 Game):
The undefeated Indianapolis Colts again played the 6-2 New England Patriots in what was Tom Brady's first start at Lucas Oil Stadium. With 4:12 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots had pulled away 34–21. A pass interference call against New England set up a four-yard touchdown run by Colts RBJoseph Addai with 2:23 left. Leading 34–28, but backed up on their own 28-yard-line and needing to reach the 30-yard-line for a first down, Patriots coachBill Belichick elected to go for it on 4th and 2 instead of punting. Brady completed a pass to halfback Kevin Faulk, but Faulk appeared not to make a clean catch and was immediately driven backwards. Officials determined that Faulk had not secured possession of the ball until he was short of the first down marker, resulting in a turnover on downs, and giving Manning and the Colts the ball on the Patriots' own 29-yard line with two minutes remaining. After three plays, Manning completed a one-yard touchdown pass toReggie Wayne, making the score even at 34–34 with 13 seconds left. KickerMatt Stover, filling in for Adam Vinatieri, made the extra point to make the score 35-34 and secured the victory for Indianapolis.[34]
Belichick obliquely criticized the ball-spot on the play in his Monday morning press conference. Nevertheless, his decision was highly criticized by the media.[35][36] Jarrett Bell ofUSA Today claimed the coach had "outsmarted himself,"[37] while Bill Simmons, ESPN.com writer and Patriots fan, asked "What thefuck was Belichick thinking" and compared the entire ordeal to "riding in the passenger seat of a friend's car and watching helplessly as he plows over a pedestrian".[38]
November 21, 2010:
The 6-3 Colts traveled to New England for the first time since 2006 and New England won its first home game against Indianapolis since a playoff game in 2004. Manning and his Colts were down by 17 in the 4th quarter and came back to reduce the New England lead to 31–28 with a few minutes left. Manning led the drive down the field, but a terrible play call would occur, as had happened in the previous year's matchup. With the Colts already in great field goal range (24-yard line of New England), Manning was intercepted byJames Sanders with 32 seconds left; it was Manning's third pick of the game and the 31-28 New England win put the Patriots to 8-2 while the Colts fell to second in the AFC South with a 6–4 record.[39] The game turned out to be the last game ever between the Patriots and Manning as a member of the Colts; he would miss the 2011 season due to neck surgery and was released; he then signed with theDenver Broncos and faced the Patriots in his first season there.[40][41]
2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs:
Because thedivision-rival Texans won the AFC South with the Patriots winning the AFC East, there was no regular season meeting in2013 between both teams for the first time since 2002, the first year of the NFL's current division alignment. Both teams won division titles in 2013 and with a stunning comeback win overKansas City combined withSan Diego's playoff win overCincinnati, the Colts met the Patriots in the AFC Divisional round on January 11, 2014. The Patriots and Colts played a tight game until the Patriots scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 43–22.LeGarrette Blount erupted to 166 rushing yards and four touchdowns while Tom Brady reached 6,000 postseason passing yards with 198. Andrew Luck threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted four times for the second consecutive game, twice by Alfonzo Dennard.[42] The Patriots would go on to lose the AFC Championship Game 26–16 against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
2014 AFC Championship Game:
The Patriots defeated the Colts 45–7 in theAFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2015, following Indianapolis playoff wins overCincinnati andDenver and New England's divisional round win overBaltimore.[43] With the victory the Patriots moved on to defeat theSeattle Seahawks inSuper Bowl XLIX to win their fourth championship.[44] New England's victory has been controversial, as the Patriots were alleged to have deliberately or negligently underinflated footballs used in the game, which has been dubbed "Deflategate". The controversy was addressed byBill Belichick in a snap press conference a week beforeSuper Bowl XLIX and took a bizarre turn whenAdam Schefter reported a league employee was fired after this game for stealing footballs and illegally selling them.
With 1:14 remaining in the third quarter on their own 37-yard line, leading 21–20, the Colts lined up withPat McAfee to punt. Then most of the Colts jogged toward the Indianapolis sideline, before stopping in punt formation near the outerhash mark.Colt Anderson jogged with them, then ran back toward the ball and lined up as quarterback behindGriff Whalen to receive thesnap. Most of the Patriots players followed the Colts toward their sideline, butBrandon Bolden andJon Bostic stayed on either side of Whalen, who snapped the ball with one second remaining on theplay clock, and Bolden was immediately on top of Anderson, wrestling him to the ground with the assistance ofTarell Brown for a loss of two yards. Apenalty flag was thrown on the Colts and refereeTony Corrente announced, "The whole right side of the line was not on theline of scrimmage." Patriots coachBill Belichick declined the penalty, giving the Patriots the ball at the Indianapolis 35-yard line.[45] New England scored on aTom Brady pass toRob Gronkowski and went on to win 34–27.
December 18, 2021:
The 9–4 Patriots traveled to Indianapolis to take on the 7–6 Colts in the first meeting between the two franchises in the post-Tom Brady era. With former Colts franchise QB Andrew Luck now retired as well, this was the first meeting since 1997 to not feature Brady, Luck, or Peyton Manning. With both teams starting new QBs inCarson Wentz for the Colts andMac Jones for the Patriots, Indianapolis stormed out to a 17–0 halftime lead behind stout defensive play and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by the Colts'E. J. Speed. However, aided by a Colts missed field goal and crucial interception by Wentz in the second half, Jones and the Patriots stormed back to make it a 20–17 game before Colts' running backJonathan Taylor sealed the game for good with a 67-yard touchdown run in the final three minutes of the game and the Colts would win 27–17. Taylor, who came into the game leading the league in rushing, finished with 29 carries for 170 yards and his 17th rushing touchdown of the year, which gave him the Colts' single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns. Jones would complete 26 of 45 pass attempts for 299 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Wentz, meanwhile, completed only 5 of 12 pass attempts for 57 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.[46] This was the Colts' first win over the Patriots since2009, after going 0–8 against New England in the 2010s.[47]
Season-by-season results
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots Season-by-Season Results[1]
The Patriots changed the name to "New England Patriots," openingFoxboro Stadium (then known as Schaefer Stadium). New England scores the game-winning touchdown in the season finale at Baltimore on an 88-yard pass fromJim Plunkett toRandy Vataha, costing the Colts the AFC East championship.
In Indianapolis, Colts' win snapped their 14-game losing streak. Their two victories over the Patriots were the only wins of their1981 season, coming in the first and last games of the season.
The game in Foxboro is the first overtime meeting in the series, with Colts LBJohnie Cooks scoring the game-winning touchdown on a fumble return. The game in Baltimore is the last meeting in the series there. Baltimore ends its series 15-12.
Patriots' win in Indianapolis ended their 14-game losing streak. One season after the Patriots finished 1–15, the Colts matched the humiliating feat by finishing 1–15this season.
The Colts' first season sweep since 1983. Only a regular season sweep for the Colts-based Indianapolis as AFC East rivals. Indianapolis clinches a playoff berth with a home victory in the regular-season finale.
AFC Championship Game. It's the first postseason meeting and the first meeting at Gillette Stadium in the series. Peyton Manning gets intercepted four times.
Game was dubbed "Super Bowl XLI½" with the Patriots entering at 8–0 and the Colts at 7–0. Patriots’ win handed the Colts their first loss of the season and ended their 13-game home winning streak. Last matchup played at RCA Dome. Patriots loseSuper Bowl XLII.
Colts win after stopping the Patriots on 4th & 2 in Patriots territory. Peyton Manning capitalizes to win in the final ten seconds. The Colts loseSuper Bowl XLIV.
Patriots loseSuper Bowl XLVI at Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts finished with the NFL's worst record (2–14) due to Manning missing the entire season following neck surgery.
First start forMac Jones in the series.Jonathan Taylor sets Colts single-season franchise record for most rushing touchdowns during the game. The first victory for the Colts in the rivalry since 2009.
Upton Bell was personnel director of the Colts in their first two Super Bowl appearances (III andV) and in 1971 took over as GM of the Patriots on the recommendation of Colts team ownerCarroll Rosenbloom. Bell clashed with coachJohn Mazur because Mazur objected to Bell's policy of picking up waiver-wire free agents for him to train during the season. Eventually the two all but stopped speaking (the corridor between their two offices at Schaefer Stadium became known as "theDMZ")[49] and Bell wanted to fire Mazur; the Patriots' board of directors agreed to the move provided the Patriots lost to the Colts by more than seven points in the 1971 season finale. Bell expected the Colts to win, since he knew the Colts team having helped build it, but instead of losing, Jim Plunkett's 88-yard touchdown pass caught byRandy Vataha made for a 21-17 Patriots win. Bell was heard furiously screaming for Vataha not to score, for the win guaranteed Mazur would continue as coach for 1972. Mazur and Bell were both released in the 1972 season.
Ron Meyer coached the Patriots from 1982 until mid-October 1984. He became coach of the Colts in December 1986 until October 1991, leading the team to a 36–35 record and one playoff appearance, in the 1987 AFC Divisional Playoffs where the Colts lost 38–21 to theCleveland Browns. Meyer was fired after the Colts lost their first five games of 1991. His record against the Patriots in nine games was 3–6.
Before leading the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins as head coach, Bill Belichick's first job in the National Football League was as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts in1975 under head coachTed Marchibroda. In1996, Belichick, then the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, returned to Baltimore following theBrowns relocation but was fired shortly after the move. He was replaced by Marchibroda, who had just completed a four-season stint with the Indianapolis Colts. Belichick then took his first job with the Patriots, becoming an assistant under head coachBill Parcells for the 1996 season.
KickerAdam Vinatieri made the iconic winning field goal against the St. Louis Rams inSuper Bowl XXXVI with the Patriots and also played with them in three other Super Bowls (XXXI,XXXVIII, andXXXIX), winning three in total out of four. After the 2005 season, the Patriots chose not to place the franchise tag on Vinatieri as they had the year before, allowing him to become a free agent. He joined the Colts in 2006 and wonthe subsequent Super Bowl with them to earn his fourth ring. He was injured during the 2009 season, and did not play inSuper Bowl XLIV, which the Colts lost 31–17 to theNew Orleans Saints.
Raymond Berry was one of the most famous receivers in Colts history when they played in Baltimore. He joined the Patriots coaching staff underChuck Fairbanks and became head coach in 1984; among his first wins was a 50–17 triumph versus the Colts in New England's first ever trip to Indianapolis. Berry went 10–2 against the Colts as Patriots head coach, including season sweeps in 1984-86 and 1989.
Jim E. Mora worked for the Patriots in 1982 under head coach Ron Meyer and became Colts head coach from 1998 to 2001; his record against the Patriots was 2–6.
In2009, the Colts finished the regular season 14–2 with the best record in the NFL, and an AP MVP award for starting quarterback Peyton Manning, while the Patriots finished the season 10-6 receiving the No. 3 seed. The exact reverse would occurthe following season, with the Patriots' starting quarterback Tom Brady winning AP MVP honors. None of the teams though, would win a Super Bowl. The2009 Colts were defeated by theNew Orleans Saints inSuper Bowl XLIV while the2010 Patriots were knocked out in the Divisional Playoffs byMark Sanchez and divisional rivalNew York Jets, who had narrowly defeated theColts 17–16 in the Wild Card round a week earlier on a last-second field goal.
The Patriots playedSuper Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts' home field and were defeated by theNew York Giants and quarterbackEli Manning, the younger brother of Peyton Manning. Manning and the Giants previously beat the Patriots inSuper Bowl XLII. The majority of Colts fans rooted for Eli Manning and the Giants over their arch-rivals.
Joseph Addai was the starting running back for the Colts for the most part from 2006 to 2011. After the 2011 season, he was released and then signed a one-year contract with the Patriots in May 2012; however he was cut before taking a snap in 2012 training camp.
Austin Collie played his first four years in the NFL with the Colts, catching 173 passes for sixteen touchdowns (118 of his catches and fifteen of his touchdowns were from Manning); Collie signed with the Patriots in 2013; in his first game two late catches for first downs set up the game-winning score for the Patriots againstNew Orleans. He was released during the season but re-signed in December for the 2013 playoffs; his 15-yard catch late in the fourth quarter of the divisional playoff against the Colts set up a lateStevan Ridley touchdown.
Deion Branch was a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots during his time with the team from 2003 to 2005, and was theMVP ofSuper Bowl XXXIX. He also played in one other Super Bowl for the Patriots after returning for three seasons from 2010 to 2012. On January 6, 2014, five days before the Colts were set to play the Patriots in a Divisional round game, Branch signed with Indianapolis. He was inactive during the Colts 43-22 playoff loss.
Reggie Wayne played his first fourteen seasons (2001–14) with the Colts; against the Patriots he caught 67 passes on 118 targets for 897 yards and five touchdowns; his touchdown with thirteen seconds to go won the4th and 2 game for the Colts in 2009. On August 24, 2015, Wayne signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots[50] but was released from the team after a request from Wayne on September 5, 2015.
QuarterbackJacoby Brissett was drafted by the Patriots in 2016 and played in three games in that season with wins over theDolphins coming off the bench and against theTexans as starter. After a five-touchdown performance against theNY Giants in the 2017 preseason with the Patriots he was traded to the Colts for receiverPhillip Dorsett[51] after a season-ending ACL tear to Patriots' star receiverJulian Edelman. Brissett became Colts starter in 2019 following the unexpected retirement ofAndrew Luck.
Josh McDaniels agreed to become Colts head coach for2018 and even began hiring a staff such as assistant coachJoe Judge, but on February 7, a day the Colts officially announced him as head coach, he abruptly backed out of the deal to stay with the Patriots. The two teams met in 2018 for the first time in three seasons and McDaniels' Patriots won 38–24.[52]
Appearances in advertising
The rivalry forms the basis of aSprint telecommunications television ad for their service providing NFL updates to cell phones.[53] In the ad, a cell phone opens up to form a miniature NFL stadium with the Patriots logo in one end zone and the Colts logo in the other (the only scenarios in which this type of field layout would occur are thePro Football Hall of Fame exhibition game and theNFL International Series). As two men watch, a winning field goal is kicked and fireworks erupt. The winner is not named but evidence suggests the Patriots, as the "game" call is by New England's radio play-by-play announcerGil Santos.
Setting: Extra hotel night in New England Attendant: "You're going down, Manning." Peyton Manning: "That's right, I am. Fourth floor, I'm getting a massage today, I'm excited."
The rivalry is also referenced in a 2008MasterCard ad in which Peyton Manning is staying in hotels in New England, San Diego, and Cleveland. At each stop, he misunderstands taunting comments made to him by hotel staff who are fans of the opposing teams. The New England hotel employee, a cart attendant and a Patriots fan, tells Manning he is "going down" in front of an elevator only for Manning to assume he means heading to a lower floor.[54]
The rivalry is referenced in billboards for theUnited Way's "Live United" campaign, featuring the mascots of both teams together to promote the charity to which the two teams contribute.
The rivalry is also referenced in a 2010 spoof of the movieThe Blind Side titledThe Dark Side made for that year'sESPY awards; the piece mixesSandra Bullock footage from the film with new footage of Manning.[55] In the piece Bill Belichick is quoted as calling the "film" hilarious.
