Colts to dethrone Patriots as AFC's best? Rodney Harrison isn't buying it

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The Indianapolis Colts have become a trendy pick to compete for an AFC championship in the upcoming 2019 NFL season, but Rodney Harrison isn't buying it.

Oddsmakers have pegged the New England Patriots as the favorites to win the AFC for the fourth consecutive season. Harrison clearly agrees, and he explained Friday at his Patriots Hall of Fame jacket fitting event why he's not picking the Colts to supplant the Patriots as the conference's top team.

“Everyone’s talking about the Colts," Harrison told reporters. "You think I’m taking Andrew Luck over Tom Brady? You think I’m taking that young, inexperienced team that went up to Kansas City and got their butts kicked? The Patriots went up there and did their thing. I'm taking the veteran-laced team with the best quarterback -- I don't care what they say on TV -- with the best general manager and head coach in coach, that's Bill Belichick.

"That's who I'm going with. There's no reason -- the only thing that can stop them is complacency. "

He's not wrong about the Colts' lackluster effort in the 2018 NFL playoffs.

The Colts traveled to Arrowhead Stadium for an AFC Divisional Round matchup and were soundly beaten 31-13. One week later, the Patriots played at a frigid Arrowhead Stadium and upset the Chiefs 37-31 in overtime to win the AFC Championship Game.

It was the second time Brady had defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs during the 2018 season. Brady and the Patriots ultimately went on to win Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams for their sixth championship since 2000. 

Make no mistake  -- the Colts should be an improved team and one of the better squads in the AFC this season. Franchise quarterback Andrew luck is healthy, Frank Reich proved to be a capable head coach in his first season in charge, and the defense has a few really talented young players led by second-year linebacker Darius Leonard, who was a first-team All-Pro selection as a rookie in 2018.

Still, it's difficult to envision the Colts dethroning the Patriots this season. Indy hasn't beaten the Patriots since the 2009 season, when Peyton Manning was still the Colts quarterback. Luck has never beaten Brady head-to-head, and that includes two playoff losses to the Patriots by a combined score of 88-29.

The Patriots' reign in the AFC will end at some point. But will it happen this season at the hands of the Colts? Don't bet on it.

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