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Patriots Vs. Colts: New England Will Face Dan Orlovsky On Sunday As Starting Quarterback For Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts have benched starting quarterback Curtis Painter in favor of back-up player Dan Orlovsky for this Sunday's match-up against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

While it's not exactly an upgrade, the hapless Colts are 0-11 and desperate times call for desperate measures.

On the plus side, Orlovsky has plenty of experience playing for a winless team, having started seven games for the 2008 Detroit Lions, who own the dubious distinction of finishing that season 0-16.

Yahoo! Sports compares the two:

In nine games this season, Painter has done nothing to show that he has earned a job in the NFL. He threw for 1,541 yards and six touchdowns in his nine games. Painter only completed 54.3% of his passes, threw nine interceptions, and took 16 sacks.

Orlovsky has played in 16 total games in his career and saw most his playing time with the Detroit Lions during the 2008 season. In 10 games in 2008 he had a 66.7% completion percentage and threw for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Colts fans have seen Orlovsky on three separate occasions this year but his contributions were nothing to celebrate. There's no better time or place to get out of the doghouse than with a career-defining performance against one of the best teams in the division.

Unlikely, but you know the old saying about "any given Sunday."

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.