When the New England Patriots visit the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday in the NFL's AFC Championship game, Boston.com hopes the result will be a foregone conclusion: the Patriots will win 38-31.
That will be the final score, according to a Madden NFL 2007 simulation of the game performed by Boston.com on an Xbox 360. This is thanks in part to Colts kicker--and former Patriots hero--Adam Vinatieri missing two field goals. A video of the game's virtual highlights is posted on the site.
Boston.com's game is not the official EA Sports Madden NFL 07 simulation of the AFC Championship. EA Sports, which makes the Madden NFL franchise, has run full-game simulations before the past two Super Bowls. Those simulations correctly predicted the winner of the Super Bowl: Steelers over Seahawks in 2006, and the Patriots over the Eagles in 2005.
Still, anyone skeptical about Boston.com's Xbox 360 simulation will no doubt be convinced by this incredibly lifelike Tecmo Super Bowl simulation of the game, which has the Patriots leading 6-0 in the first quarter.
If you're too young or too unfortunate to remember Tecmo Bowl on the original 8-bit Nintendo, don't fret. You need only watch this clip of Bo Jackson running about 470 yards on one play and this phenomenal mock Tecmo Bowl commercial to understand the sheer power and awesomeness of Tecmo Bowl.