Rivals no more? Pats, Colts meet on ‘TNF’

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Starting in the early 2000s and lasting for more than a decade, the matchups between Peyton Manning’s Colts and Tom Brady’s Patriots were must-see.

From their three AFC championship games to the six regular-season MVP awards Brady and Manning captured during that span, quarterback play was the centerpiece of the rivalry.

Manning’s departure from Colts and Andrew Luck’s arrival in 2012 ushered in a new era in Indianapolis. But Luck hasn’t been able to duplicate the success that his predecessor had against the Patriots.

In five starts against New England, Luck has yet to notch his first victory against Brady.

Luck is hoping to change his fortunes on Thursday night, when his comeback tour stops in New England. “Certainly (in) my experience, we have come up on the short end, and that’s not fun,” he said. “Obviously, we would like to turn that around.”

But on a team that has had a significant change in the roster over the past two seasons, the rivalry hasn’t been exactly the hottest topic around the locker room.

“A young roster, just not as much talk about it,” said Colts coach Frank Reich, who saw some of those big games up close when he started his coaching career.

Perhaps that is because Indy has lost seven straight in the series.

Things heated up again in February when Patriots offensive coordinator Josh Mcdaniels reneged on his verbal agreement with Colts general manager Chris Ballard to become Indianapolis’ new coach.

“The rivalry is back on,” Ballard said as he left a news conference to announce the start of a new search.

But the Colts (1-3) have started slowly since Luck returned after more than a year away because of shoulder surgery.

The Patriots (2-2) also had a modest start but might be turning a corner coming after a 38-7 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Thursday is expected to mark receiver Julian Edelman’s season debut after a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’S policy on performance enhancers.