Patriots-Colts rivalry reboots with Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, same high stakes – New England Patriots Blog

INDIANAPOLIS — “Hello old friend, it’s really good to see you once again.”

The New England Patriots visit the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday (8:15 p.m. ET, NFL Network) in a high-stakes AFC matchup, which evokes nostalgic memories of the rich history between the franchises.

It’s hard to believe the Patriots’ last visit to Indianapolis was in 2015, with coach Bill Belichick having joked that he never received a warm reception in the city until his unsuccessful decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 in 2009.

Those were the epic years of the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning rivalry, when the teams seemed like AFC East division rivals even though they no longer were (the Colts moved out of the division in 2002 as part of the NFL’s realignment). They met every year from 2003 to 2015 — either in the regular season or playoffs.

“There’s always an element of history in the NFL, more so with fan bases. It was a pleasure to watch those growing up,” said Patriots offensive lineman Ted Karras, an Indianapolis native who won two high school state championships at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“The rivalry this week is that we have two good teams, and we’re both vying for big-time stakes. Everyone is going to bring their best and see what happens.”

It’s a new era for Patriots-Colts, marking the first time since 1997 the game won’t feature Brady or Manning (it was Drew Bledsoe vs. Jim Harbaugh at quarterback that year).

The Patriots (9-4) enter on a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest in the NFL, as Mac Jones has become the fourth rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win seven straight starts. Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers, 13, 2004), Dak Prescott (Cowboys, 11, 2016) and Kyle Orton (Bears, eight, 2005) have the longest winning streaks for a rookie quarterback.

Jones, 23,…