Rivalries are a tricky thing to figure out. They can pop up unexpectedly https://www.coltsfanshop.com , or be entrenched in team history. , or they could be so deep that the franchises themselves seem to breed dislike for one another amongst fans and players alike. In the decade from 2000-2010, few rivalries were more noteworthy or exciting than the Colts/Patriots rivalry. Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady was always a good prime time matchup, and over the years the teams took turns disrupting one another in some epic showdowns. Many Patriots fans disdain this ¡°rivalry¡± for obvious reasons. The Colts haven¡¯t beaten the Patriots in the Andrew Luck era. Their side of the rivalry has been the much the same as the rivalry that new asphalt has with a steamroller. However, Colts fans still feel overwhelmingly as though the Patriots are their primary rival according to the FanPulse results. Why is that?For starters, I think it is because since the Peyton Manning era in Indianapolis, there haven¡¯t been many teams who could hang with the Colts with any regularity. Manning¡¯s Colts ran roughshod over the league with few exceptions. While they had their playoff struggles, they won a lot of games. It is tough to view other teams as rivals when you regularly beat them all. That is certainly a sentiment that Patriots fans can relate to. As a result, the closest thing to a rival that the Indianapolis Colts fans can claim historically, is the Patriots. I believe that may be close to changing, however. The second team in these rankings is quickly becoming the thorn in the side of this Colts team under Andrew Luck. The Houston Texans stood in the way of the 2015 and 2016 Colts Indianapolis Colts Customized Jerseys , blocking them from the playoffs. They are positioned well to win the AFC South so long as they continue to take care of business to finish out their season. In truth, the only thing missing that keeps this rivalry from being fully established is that Texans fans and players are not inherently unlikable in the same way that Patriots fans and players are. While you might think that J.J. Watt is a bit pompous at times, he is undoubtedly a very generous person who cares about his community and helped lead an effort to help it recover after Hurricane Harvey. Best of all, he doesn¡¯t seem like he would try to convince you that you should wear Ugg boots and drink kale shakes. Deshaun Watson is an exciting player but doesn¡¯t have the bravado or trash talk that make a team easy to hate. DeAndre Hopkins is stupidly good, but not a guy who engenders a natural hatred. Essentially, this rivalry is just missing a spark. There will be plenty of heat as the two teams continue their collision course toward one another December 9th. The outcome of that contest could have far reaching consequences both for the division and for the prospect of a wild card slot. Whether or not the team is likeable, the fact remains that they have been the most consistent threat to the Colts winning the AFC South since Andrew Luck took over under center. When the Colts have played them, the games are closer and the stakes are typically higher than almost any other game for the Colts. Now that they have a franchise quarterback, this rivalry is likely to get even more competitive. What do you think? Who do you feel is the Colts¡¯ biggest rival? Adam Vinatieri started his career as a young kicker in awe of the stats of a Hall of Famer such as Morten Andersen.As a rookie in New England, the lofty numbers seemed as out of reach as a 70-yard field goal.¡°I remember playing against him early in the league going, so many points Indianapolis Colts T-Shirts , no one¡¯s even going to come close,¡± Vinatieri said.Come close?Vinatieri is on the brink of passing Andersen in career field goals and total points and putting the final bows on a career that has him destined for Canton, Ohio.The 45-year-old Vinatieri kicked field goals of 35, 31 and 28 yards on Sunday to match Andersen for most field goals in NFL history with 565.Vinatieri added an extra point to finish with 10 points in the game, putting him 33 shy of matching Andersen (2,544) for the most points scored in NFL history.¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Vinatieri said. ¡°Nobody every pays attention to who has the most field goals. It¡¯s who¡¯s got the most points. They almost run hand-in-hand. It¡¯d be fun if it happens.¡±The scoring mark could fall in a few weeks.But on a soggy Sunday in Philadelphia, Vinatieri at least snagged a share of Andersen¡¯s field-goal record. The Colts couldn¡¯t take advantage in a 20-16 loss to the Super Bowl champion Eagles, setting the stage for Vinatieri to set the field goal record next week at home against the Houston Texans.¡°It¡¯s obviously special,¡± Vinatieri said, ¡°but gosh dang it https://www.coltsfanshop.com/hats , when you do it on a close game and you lose, it just doesn¡¯t feel quite the same. It¡¯s a record that¡¯s been a long time coming. I just appreciate the opportunities I have.¡±Andersen needed 709 attempts to set the record; Vinatieri just 670 in 23 seasons to tie.¡°We put him in situations to give us three and he delivers every time,¡± Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton said.Vinatieri was already the NFL¡¯s postseason record holder for scoring (234) and field goals (56); and he hit two Super Bowl winners in the final minute. He¡¯s won four Super Bowls and was the only unanimous selection on the Super Bowl 50 Golden Team.He made 263 field goals in 10 years with the New England Patriots and has 302 with the Colts.Few fans will forget the two kicks he made in the Snow Bowl, or ¡°Tuck Rule¡± game, to help New England beat Oakland in a divisional-round playoff game following the 2001 season. It helped the Patriots capture their first Super Bowl.Last year, the oldest player in the league made a seemingly impossible extra point to force overtime in a December blizzard in Buffalo and helped keep the Colts within striking distance just 13 days later in monsoon-like weather in Baltimore.Last year, with a new long snapper and a new holder, Vinatieri made 85.3 percent of his field goals.¡°I like to step out there and kick field goals,¡± he said, ¡°but it¡¯s better kicking extra points, that¡¯s for sure.¡±Vinatieri remembers talking to Andersen Indianapolis Colts Hoodie , one of only two full-time kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, about the secrets to enjoying a long, successful career.Staying healthy, for sure.And the other?¡°Stubbornness, probably,¡± Vinatieri said, smiling. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of great young guys around and I think my joy of being around these young guys and trying to compete against guys half my age ¡­ I¡¯d contribute that to it a little bit.¡±___