The New England Patriots’ 43-22 demolition of the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round of the 2013/2014 playoffs will be remembered by most for LeGarrette Blount’s bruising, four touchdown, 166-yard rushing performance. For those who follow the Patriots a littler closer than the typical NFL buff however, January 11th 2014 will be looked back upon as the night that rookie linebacker Jamie Collins announced himself as a serious player in this league.

Collins did receive some national spotlight in the week that followed, but his six-tackle, one sack and one interception performance was largely overshadowed by both Blount’s huge night, and the build up to the Brady-Manning showdown that was set to take place the weekend after. His name was not mentioned once in the recap of the game on NFL.com, CBSSports.com or ESPN.com.

The 2013 second-round draft pick’s 2014 season continued in much the same vein, with the player failing to get substantial recognition to warrant his outstanding play. An article here and there. The odd comment from Cris Collinsworth. Collins seemed to be capped by most as an “impressive young player”, while the Kuechly’s and Wagner’s of the NFL received endless (and deserved) praise.

Sunday night, Collins takes on the Colts for the fourth time in his short career. This highly anticipated primetime match-up offers this rising superstar the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to the world why he’s every bit as good as a Luke Kuechly or a Bobby Wagner.