My vote for the greatest NFL game of this decade? Without hesitation, I would pick the Colts-Patriots AFC Championship Game, Jan. 21, 2007. Colts 38, Patriots 34.

On that day, Peyton Manning erased a decade’s worth of demons — both his and coach Tony Dungy’s. Manning led the Colts to 32 second-half points, throwing for 349 yards and leading an impossibly clutch 80-yard drive for the winning touchdown. Relieved of the sizable monkey that had been clinging to his back since his Tennessee days, Manning proceeded to claim the ultimate prize in an anticlimactic Super Bowl.

“I don’t get into monkeys and vindication,” Manning said after beating the Patriots (“Whew,” said relieved monkeys everywhere). “I don’t play that card. I know how hard I worked this season, I know how hard I worked this week.”

He may not have needed or wanted it, but the game did provide sweet vindication for Manning, a cherry on a Hall of Fame sundae. That game also propelled the Patriots-Colts series onto a new plane as the game’s best, most meaningful non-divisional rivalry.

Since 2003, the Colts and the Patriots have matching 83–21 regular-season records. Their respective quarterbacks have combined for four MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Since ’03, these teams are 11-for-12 in playoff appearances; only the Tom Brady-less 2008 Patriots failed to make the playoffs, and that was after an 11–5 season.

Colts-Patriots week is here, and it’s as big as ever. The Colts are 8–0, but they’re not exactly steamrolling into this matchup. The Patriots, on the other hand, are arriving with the force of an F5 tornado.

Over the last three weeks, the Patriots have outscored their opponents 112–24. Brady has thrown for 300-plus yards all three weeks. Randy Moss is rediscovering his mojo and has caught 19 balls in those three games.

The P-men are fourth in the league in total offense (two spots ahead of Indy) and sixth in total defense (the Colts are seventh).

The coaching matchup favors New England. Rookie head coach Jim Caldwell has pushed all the right buttons for the Colts so far — including a timely coaching challenge that overturned a Houston TD in last week’s 20–17 Colts win — but he lags far behind Bill Belichick in experience, which in this series can be critical.

So are the Patriots clear favorites? Hardly. Indy has won four of five in this series, and Manning has saved many of his best games for his fiercest rivals, as the great ones usually do.

And it’s time for Caldwell to work his way into the Coach of the Year conversation. “It will be a little different looking across the sideline not seeing Tony (Dungy),” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “(But they’re) 8–0, leading the league in defense in points allowed. ... They’re a team offensively that can pretty much do whatever they want to do or need to do. I don’t think they are limited in any way. They never have been and they certainly don’t look like it now.”

Should be fun, as it always is.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Week 10 action. All times Eastern.

Atlanta at Carolina, 1 p.m. Jake Delhomme probably said a little prayer of thanks for Jay Cutler before he drifted off to sleep Thursday night. After his five-pick performance against the Niners, the Bears’ flamethrower grabbed the NFL lead in interceptions away from the embattled Panthers QB. Delhomme has 13 picks and five touchdown passes, and only one of those TD tosses has gone to erstwhile superstar Steve Smith. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan hasn’t played much better of late — five interceptions in his last two road games, both losses. Look for both teams to ride their sturdy running backs as far as they’ll take them.

Tampa Bay at Miami, 1 p.m. Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams once shared carries at Auburn, but this week they’ll face off as pros for the first time. Hey — these teams are a combined 4–12, so I’m scrambling for storylines, okay? To be fair, the Bucs are coming off their first win of the season, after an utterly unexpected 38-point explosion against Green Bay behind rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, giving the Raheem Morris regime a little credibility. But unlike last week, when the throwback orange creamsicle unis apparently hypnotized the Packers, the Bucs will be wearing their normal road togs, so look for a return to form.

Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m. This game is Exhibit A of the yawning gulf between the NFL’s haves and have-nots. The Vikings are 17-point favorites, a huge number in the NFL and the biggest of the weekend — and that spread might not be big enough. Minnesota beat the Lions in Detroit in Week 2 by two touchdowns, and that was before Brett Favre’s magical youth elixir had truly taken effect. Favre’s counterpart, Matthew Stafford, looks every bit of his 21 years — he’s young, confused and overmatched, especially in this game.

Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. After a stunning 3–0 start, the bloom has fallen from the Jets’ rose. But quarterback Mark Sanchez still believes in the Gang Green. “We’re on a great football team,” Sanchez said. “Our record doesn’t show the type of players we have, the kind of people we have in this locker room and the kind of coaching we have.” Methinks the lad doth protest too much. Only a 38–0 win over the hapless Raiders has separated the Jets from a five-game losing streak. They find kindred spirits in the Jags, who are groping for some semblance of consistency. One factor to watch: the Jags’ ability to pound the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew against a Jets defense that is missing run-stuffer Kris Jenkins.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. A strong contender for Game of the Week honors, and when’s the last time you could say that about a game involving the Bengals? These two are tied for the AFC North lead at 6–2, but within the division the Bengals are an eye-popping 4–0 and are looking for their first season sweep of the Steelers since 1998. It’s a monumental challenge, though. Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu missed the first encounter between these two, a 23–20 Cincy win in Paul Brown Stadium, but he’s healthy again, and Pittsburgh is 4–0 with him in the lineup. The key matchup: the Bengals’ Cedric Benson, who has been a revelation this season and is one of two players averaging over 100 yards per game this season, against a Pittsburgh defense that hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since December 2007.

New Orleans at St. Louis, 1 p.m. In stark contrast to Cincy-Pittsburgh, this one’s a contender for laugher of the week, as unstoppable force meets highly movable object. The Saints are averaging 427 yards per game, while the Rams are surrendering 373. And it’s not like the old days, when the Rams could look to their offense for comfort; St. Louis is dead last in the NFL in scoring offense at an embarrassing 9.6 points per game. If the Saints score early and often, as is their habit, this one should be over by halftime. To be fair, St. Louis is coming off two straight loss-free weeks — a win over Detroit and a bye. Hope they enjoyed their charmed fortnight, because it’s back to reality.

Buffalo at Tennessee, 1 p.m. Here’s a tidbit for all you VY haters: Vince Young is going for his 21st win as the Titans’ starting quarterback this Sunday. And how many wins does co-first-round pick Jay Cutler have as an NFL starter? Yep, 21. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Just pointing out that the Titans have a strange habit of winning with Young at the helm. Granted, sometimes it’s in spite of him, but as long as he protects the football, as he’s done in his two starts, and successfully completes handoffs to Chris Johnson, the Titans should be OK. Especially when you consider that the Bills are dead last in the league in rushing defense.

Denver at Washington, 1 p.m. The Broncos have returned to reality, while the Redskins never left. After a 6–0 start, Denver has been outscored 58–17 in losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and the offense has only reached the end zone once in those two games. Kyle Orton has reverted to his old, ordinary ways — he shaved off the patented neck beard this week to try to turn things around — and the running game has been MIA of late. FedEx Field is a good place to get healthy, though. The Skins have lost four straight, unleashing a torrent of finger-pointing and discontent in D.C. The Broncos should be able to make it five.

Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m. Move along. Nothing to see here.

Seattle at Arizona, 4:15 p.m. The Cardinals can apply a stranglehold to the NFC West with a win, but for all their road success, the Cards have been surprisingly vulnerable at home, where Kurt Warner has mixed a few inexplicable stinkers with his otherwise brilliant performances this season. It does bear mentioning, though, that Warner was sharp in a Week 6 rout of the Seahawks in Seattle. And as inconsistent as the Cards may have been at home, the Seahawks have been consistently awful (0–3) on the road.

Dallas at Green Bay, 4:15 p.m. December is the crucible that will define the Cowboys’ season, but it would be nice to enter the final month on a cresting wave of momentum. That’s been the pattern; Tony Romo has been unstoppable in November games — 37 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 115.9 rating in 17 Turkey Month contests. If the Cowboys can limit big plays on the perimeter from Packer wideouts Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, they should win their fifth straight — possibly building enough of a cushion to withstand a typical December swoon.

Philadelphia at San Diego, 4:15 p.m. Three straight wins have positioned the Chargers to challenge Denver for the AFC West crown. San Diego would love to travel to Invesco Field with a four-game streak in tow. Philip Rivers has been solid all season, but the Chargers’ suddenly dormant running game — they’re the only team that has yet to reach 600 yards on the season — is a cause for concern. One differentiating factor: The Chargers seem to excel in close games; the Eagles don’t. This should be a close game.

Monday

Baltimore at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m. Mike Tirico & Co. have to be cursing the schedule-makers for saddling them with this putrid primetime viewer repellant. The Browns are truly horrific — they’re last in the NFL in total defense, and only the Raiders offense is more impotent than a Browns attack that is “producing” 221.1 yards per game. Brady Quinn gets another shot to try to improve on those offensive numbers, against a Baltimore defense that has been surprisingly vulnerable this season.

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