New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts: Expert Predictions, Latest Injury News Ahead Of AFC Championship

Tom Brady Patriots 2015 — A huge majority of experts believe Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will claim the AFC title Sunday night. Reuters

Already favored by a touchdown by Las Vegas casinos, experts from many of the country’s top sports outlets have picked the New England Patriots to beat the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship at Gillette Stadium.

Experts from ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, USA Today and IBTimes have resoundingly picked the Patriots to beat the Colts and earn the eighth Super Bowl appearance in the franchise's history.

Of the 34 experts below, 28 predicted the Patriots will advance.

Led by quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, who together have made five Super Bowls and won three, the Patriots are coming off a narrow 35-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional round last week.

Down by 14 points twice in the matchup, Brady capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon LaFell with 5:13 remaining to seal the win over Baltimore.

But the Colts are coming off an impressive win of their own, besting the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos with a convincing 24-13 victory and their first appearance in the conference title game since 2009. That was the same year they last went to the Super Bowl.

Quarterback Andrew Luck did counter his two touchdowns with two interceptions, but the Indianapolis defense was able to hold one of the NFL’s highest scoring offenses to 288 total yards and a single touchdown drive.

Injuries could certainly play a role, but as of now both sides are quite healthy. New England linebacker Dont’a Hightower (shoulder), defensive tackle Chris Jones (elbow) and cornerback Brandon Browner (knee) were all limited in practice this week but are listed as probable on the team’s official injury report.

Brady (ankle) was also on the report, but he fully participated in practice this week, and he’s been on the report since Week 6 with the same injury. Only rookie center Bryan Stork will be out against the Colts, suffering a knee injury in the second quarter against Baltimore last week. Belichick put offensive lineman Josh Kline in at guard and shifted guard Ryan Wendell over to center, a move he could repeat against the Colts.

The Colts defense is technically banged up, but no reports indicate any of their top defenders will miss out on Sunday’s game. Cornerbacks Vontae Davis (knee) and Greg Toler (groin) are both listed as questionable, while outside linebacker Erik Walden (knee) is probable.

Currently there is no status update on inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson or veteran receiver Reggie Wayne, but they were held out completely or partially during practice for rest.

Expert Picks

Mike Garafolo, Fox Sports: Colts

Alex Marvez, Fox Sports: Patriots

Peter Schrager, Fox Sports: Patriots

Brendon Ayanbadejo, Fox Sports: Patriots

Jimmy Traina, Fox Sports: Patriots

Don Banks, Sports Illustrated: Patriots

Mike Golic, ESPN: Patriots

Merrill Hoge, ESPN: Colts

Ron Jaworski, ESPN: Patriots

Chris Mortensen, ESPN: Patriots

Adam Schefter, ESPN: Patriots