The game was more important to New England, bearing less resemblance to a three-time Super Bowl champion than a team struggling to win the AFC East and make the playoffs. It is playing badly, and making mental errors uncharacteristic of Bill Belichick's teams. But New England is still winning at 4-3, as it almost always seems to do at home. And as it always does against the Manning-led Colts.
In other games on Sunday, Atlanta is at Miami; San Diego at the New York Jets; Oakland at Kansas City; Houston at Jacksonville; Cincinnati at Baltimore; Detroit at Minnesota; Tennessee at Cleveland; Carolina at Tampa Bay; Seattle at Arizona; Chicago vs. New Orleans at Baton Rouge; the Giants at San Francisco; and Pittsburgh at Green Bay.
NFL star Brett Favre says he would be reluctant to return to Green Bay next season if Mike Sherman isn't still coaching the Packers.
The Packers (1-6) are off to their worst start since 1991, which has led to speculation about Sherman's future.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Favre said Sherman's status would play an important role in his annual decision to keep on playing or to call it a career.
"I don't think there's one specific thing that would make me say yeah or no. It's just a culmination of a lot of different things, that being one of them," Favre said. "Maybe you're on the verge of saying yeah, and then you say, `You know what, do I really want to sit in meetings and have to learn something all over again?'
"That could be the straw that breaks the camel's back."
General manager Ted Thompson, who has refused to comment on Sherman's future, was out of his office and didn't immediately return a call from AP.
Sherman, who signed a two-year, US$6.4 million contract extension on Aug. 23 that would take him through 2007, declined comment on Favre's remarks.
Favre, who turned 36 last month, previously has said he wouldn't want to finish his career in another uniform because he's too set in his ways to learn a new offense.
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