Look for Pats and Saints

In November, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Patriots 27-20 in Foxborough. So, naturally, the Colts are likely to win again in next week’s AFC title game, which will be played in Indy. Right?

Forget it.

New England is a different team in the postseason, as it proved in its improbable 24-21 win in San Diego on Sunday over a team that was vastly superior physically, but somehow managed to lose to Bill Belichick’s lads. It’s why everyone fears the Patriots in the postseason – everyone – despite a cast that on paper is not nearly as good as the teams that won Super Bowls in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears qualified to play host to New Orleans in the NFC championship game next Sunday by barely managing to beat Seattle. The winner of that conference title probably gets a consolation prize, because the NFC was so obviously inferior this season, it’s hard to see the winner of that game beating either of the AFC contestants.

The New England-Indy game will be the latest in a postseason tradition, one that’s not favorable to the Colts.

They lost 24-14 to the Patriots in the 2004 AFC title game, one in which Peyton Manning threw a career-high four interceptions. They lost again in Foxborough in the AFC semifinals the next season, 20-3. Manning threw just one pick in that game, but was shut down by New England.

Manning and the Colts atoned for that to a point with regular-season wins in Foxborough the last two years. In the NFC, it looks good for the Saints, everyone’s favorite this season because of the travails the city (and the team) went through last year after Hurricane Katrina.

The top-seeded Bears were hardly impressive Sunday against Seattle, winning 27-24 in overtime.

It will be just as hard or harder against New Orleans in the NFC championship game next week. And harder means that Chicago probably won’t be going to the Super Bowl.