The night game tonight between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots is one of the most highly anticipated pairings of the season. Now personally, I think the game of the week to watch is the Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks. But I always think the Cardinals game is the most important to watch because I hate missing Fitzy and Kurt Warner!

So why is tonight’s game so exciting? Well, first off, it features two super hot, er, super STAR, quarterbacks: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

They are two of the best QBs in the NFL (you have no idea how much it pains me to say that since I heart Kurt Warner so much, but it is true). Peyton was MVP last year; Tom the year before. And the only reason Tom wasn’t a contender for last years MVP was because he was out with extensive knee surgery. But he is finally back and almost better than before! So when these two hit the field together, you never know what will happen.

Both teams are really gunning for the Super Bowl this year but the Colts are also undefeated this year. They are actually on a 17 regular season game winning streak (meaning they’ve won 8 games in a row this season, and 9 regualr season games in a row last year—but lost one in the playoffs/post-season round). The Pats really want to break that streak!  The Patriots are currently 6-2.

The teams have played each other 11 times since 2001 and New England has won 7 of those matchups; Indianapolis, 4. But the last time they battled was this time last year and the Colts won 18-15. That, however, was without Brady.

Things to expect (besides hottie players!):

• A very intense battle
• A high scoring game. Last years matchup was the only time since ’01 that neither team broke the 20 point mark. Five times in those 11 matchups, one of both teams broke 30+ points.
• A QB Duel. In baseball, a low scoring game usually involves a pitching duel, meaning both pitchers are so on point no one can hit. In football, however, a good QB duel usually features a high scoring matchup.
• A lot of yelling and cussing.
  
• The words Pats, Colts, Brady, Manning, Moss, etc to be trending topics in Twitter.
• Not being able to escape talk of the game on Monday morning at work/school/internet

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Over the last few days, I’ve been giving you all sorts of super yummy recipes for football season like unique wing recipes and NFL Team Inspired Cocktails. And coming soon I’ll be posting 32 NFL Team Inspired Burgers and unique dip recipes. For tonight’s key game I’m giving you a little sneak peak into those upcoming posts, and grabbed some of my fave recipes from the previous posts! Here’s what you need to make a fantastic Colts-Pats Sunday Funday Party!

PreGame:

1. Indianapolis Colts The Colt 45 Cocktail
2. New England Patriots Cranberry Almond Kicker

The Colt 45 Cocktail
1.0 oz  Gin
2.0 oz Jagermeister
5.0 oz Red Bull

Cranberry Almond Kicker
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup amaretto
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice*
Ice cubes
Clementines, peeled, separated into segments (optional)

* Mix cranberry juice, vodka, amaretto, and orange juice in pitcher. Let chill for a little while to blend flavors. Add vodka. Shake it up, serve!

First Quarter:

Hot Cheese & Hot Almond Dip This is part of my upcoming 17 Unique Dips post but for today’s matchup, I think we’ll rename it “The Double Hottie Dip” because tonight’s game has two hottie QBs!    Get the Recipe!

Second Quarter

Chipotle Grilled Wings : A slight smokey heat to them, enhanced by grilling, not frying these wings. I picked these guys from the 17 Unique Wing Recipes post because the flavor would compliment the NFL Team Burgers picked for halftime.  Get the Recipe

Half-Time

Half-time is the perfect time to get things cooking on the grill. Now in this case since the key game is a night game, you may want to juggle the order a bit. Otherwise you will be cooking these guys at like 10 p.m.

The New England Patriots “Best Burger Ever” I found this burger recipe called “The Best Burger Recipe Ever” and I thought that it would be the perfect burger for the Patriots since many consider them to be the best NFL team ever….. (I know, cocky words. But Pats fans are kinda like Yankees fans, they don’t just think they are the best, they know they are the best) But beyond the boastful claim, this burger also features Sam Adams beer, a New England tradition for years.

• 1lb of Ground Beef  (Must be PRIME Grade A)  The quality of the beef could be the most important factor.  Spend the money, you will not regret it.
• 1 minced onion (I like the pieces to be a little thicker)
• 2 teaspoons of garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of tabasco sauce
• 1 quick pour of  Sam Adams Beer
• 2 tablespoons of Honey Mustard
• 2 egg yolkes
• dash of salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients up with your hands.  Shape into thick large oval burgers.  Cook on Grill until temperature reaches medium.  Top with Cheddar cheese and melt breifly.

Indianapolis Colts Chipotle Pork Cheeseburger Indiana is famous for their breaded pork tenderloins and originally I was going to convert that into a burger recipe but then I found this chipotle pork burger that sounded so delicious, I had to make a quick substitution! The avocado and tomatillo give a light freshness to the dish. I also recommend blending the avocado and tomatillo into the mayo with some lime, cilantro and garlic for a refreshing sauce!

Because this is the late game tonight and lots of us have to work early Monday morning, I’m going to skip the third and fourth quarter snacks this time. Shouldn’t be eating that late anyway! I say go back to the recipes in pregame and make more batches of those!

About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!

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