The Patriots are playing so angrily and unmercifully, you would almost think Belichick orchestrated the whole illegal videotaping scandal at the beginning of the season — the one that had some pundits wondering if the Patriots’ Super Bowl titles were tainted — to give his team the no-respect chip on their shoulders they lacked getting knocked out of the playoffs the last two seasons.

It’s hard to imagine the Colts being as intimidated as Washington was.

It’s also difficult to imagine Indianapolis being satisfied with only staying close to the New England juggernaut. But it’s not hard to imagine, in the public eye, Indianapolis winning even if it doesn’t win, as long as it gives the Patriots a challenge.

After all, this is still only a regular-season game, even if it is likely to be extremely important in determining whether Indianapolis or New England has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The important game is the one those teams will play in January, probably the AFC Championship.

The question is, if the Colts lose, is it because New England is better?

Or are the Colts sandbagging to keep New England off-balance before the playoffs start?

New England won’t have that benefit of the doubt. If the Patriots lose, then the schoolyard bully has just been punched in the mouth and exposed as a big coward. New England would be the one with the reputation of not being able to win the big one.

It sounds ridiculous, and it is. But when you’re dominant enough to overshadow a Super Bowl champion that is still very much playing like one, that’s the breaks.

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The difference in reputation between the Patriots and the Colts right now is this. If the Patriots win, go undefeated and win the Super Bowl, Indianapolis, assuming it keeps the game close, will be respected as a worthy foe.

If the Patriots lose, and end up eventually losing out to the Colts for a championship berth, then everybody wonders what big announcement Belichick and his agent might decide to leak sometime about the third quarter of the Super Bowl.