Sports Then and Now

First and foremost, I am a Patriots fan and season ticket holder of 15 years. To say

It's all about respect between the Patriots and Colts.

the least, I am a die hard Patriots, but I DO NOT HATE the Colts.

I HATE the Steelers and Jets.

I want to BEAT the Colts.

There is a difference between hating a team and wanting to beat a team.

If you hate a team, you hate every player on the team and you hope they have a horrible season.

They may trash talk you and never can back it up.

Then there are teams you want to BEAT.

They don’t trash talk and they back it up on the field.

They are true professionals.

You want them to be competitive, so you have to bring you’re A game to beat them.

You don’t hate their players, you respect them.

You have to beat the best to be the best.

Because they are very similar to you.

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The Matchup: New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

All Time Head to Head Record: The Patriots had won ten of their first eighteen match-ups against their AFL rival in the 60s. New England then split four meetings in the 70s before losing eleven straight against John Elway’s Broncos teams. The Patriots finally beat Denver after Elway’s retirement, winning two straight before dropping two straight entering this 2003 match-up.

The Game: November 2, 2003 played at INVESCO Field at Mile High Denver, CO

Season Team Records: New England Patriots (6-2), Denver Broncos (5-3)

Overview: Denver was the house of horrors for New England entering their Monday Night tilt. The Patriots were 1-12 in their last 13 trips to the Mile High city.

New England and Denver were both feeling the injury bug. The Patriots have shuffled 40 players in and out of the starting line up. All Pro, Richard Seymour joined the walking wounded with a leg injury.

The Broncos were down to their third string quarterback, Danny Kanell. Starter Jake Plummer and back-up Steve Beuerlein were both injured and not available. They were also missing receiver, Ed McCaffrey and two starting linebackers.

Both teams were jockeying for position in the AFC playoff picture. This matchup was extremely important for both teams possibly dictating home field advantage come January.

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Through out the NFL season, Sports Then and Now will pick one upcoming NFL matchup and look through the history books to find an intriguing past meeting between the two teams. We will recap the game and hopefully help reintroduce (or introduce for you younger readers) you to some of the greats (and in some cases not so greats) from the history of professional football.

The Matchup: New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

Playoff Head to Head Record: First Meeting

The Game: December 28, 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Regular Season Team Records: New England Patriots (11-5), New York Jets (11-5)

Overview: The Patriots and Jets both earned wild card berths in the log jam that was the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins with a 12-4 record edged out New York and New England by one win for the division crown.

The teams split two close contests during the regular season. The Patriots edged the Jets in Foxboro 20-13 on October 20th pushing their record to 4-3. They would go 7-2 the rest of the regular season.

The Jets handed them one of those defeats, 16-13 on November 24th. This would be the rubber match between the two AFC East rivals.

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Dear Tom Brady and the New England Patriots,

I am cheating on you with the Cleveland Browns. Our relationship started in the mid 80’s. I fell in love with Bernie Kosar, Clay Matthews, Frank Minnifield, Hanford Dixon, Webster Slaughter, and Earnest Byner. I loved their logo less helmets, their pets in the Dawg Pound, and their heartbreak.

They lost to John Elway in the1986 AFC Championship because of “The Drive”. “The Fumble” by Earnest Byner in the 1987 AFC Championship ripped all Browns fans’ hearts out and stomped them to death. However, I was still there for them and lent them my shoulder to cry on.
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