The Pats Failed To Show Up For The First Three Quarters & Ended Up Losing 27-17 To The Colts

 

    After playing great for the past two months and winning seven straight games, your New England Patriots (9-5 overall, 6-1 away) were due for a letdown. Likewise, Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (26-of-45 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) had not really had a complete stinkbomb in a game this season (when he's been called on to pass the ball more than three times) so obviously that happened tonight as well as Indianapolis (8-6 overall, 4-4 home) beat the Patriots 27-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was a costly loss for New England too since they dropped from the top seed in the AFC (the only one that gets a first-round bye) into third-place behind surging Kansas City (10-4) and Tennessee (9-4). With only three games left in the regular season now, the Pats will likely have to win out to have a shot at that No. 1 spot.

    Both teams were coming off a bye week but for some reason, the Pats could not do anything right for the first three quarters as they trailed 17-0 at halftime (1st time in 100 games that they were shut out in the 1st half) and 20-0 after three quarters. They made a decent comeback attempt in the fourth quarter but Indy is a good team and it is almost impossible to rally from down 20+ points in the NFL (that is unless you're playing the Falcons in the Super Bowl). Anyone could have told you coming into this hyped matchup that Colts running back Jonanthan Taylor (29 carries, 170 yards, TD) would be the main focus for Pats head coach Bill Belichick and they mostly held him in check until it really mattered. 

    New England had cut it to 20-17 with 2:21 left in regulation as tight end Hunter Henry (6 catches, 77 yards, 2 TDs-giving him a new career-high of 9 in his first season as a Patriot) caught a seven-yard touchdown from Jones that coupled with Nick Folk's point-after made it 20-17 Indianpolis. With a timeout plus the two-minute warning left, the Patriots had a chance to get the ball back with a chance to tie it or go for the win if their vaunted defense could get one stop but in this instance they failed epically. Taylor broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run and after Michael Badgley's PAT, it was all over 27-17 with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter. It's a quarterback-driven league so Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers will likely win the MVP this season but Taylor should get plenty of votes as well, he's been the best running back in the league especially with Derrick Henry out. 

    It was an odd game, how else to explain Patriots punter Jake Bailey getting blocked for the third time already this season and Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (perfect football name) returning it for an easy score? Badgley's point-after made it 14-0 with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. The Colts had gotten out to a 7-0 lead on running back Nyheim Hines' eight-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz (5-of-12 for 57 yards, TD, INT) with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Mac was awful in the first three quarters: he threw a brutal red zone interception to Indy's superstar linebacker Darius Leonard (8 tackles, 2 assists) and later another Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke made a spectacular diving pick. The only points in the second quarter came from Badgley's 25-yard field goal. He missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter but a false start penalty (1 of 8 infractions on New England in the game that totalled 50 yards, compared to just 2 on the home team) gave him another chance which he predictably made the most of when he was given a second chance. 

    Henry caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and Folk added the extra point to make it 20-7 Colts. He added a 25-yard kick on the next Pats possession which was a questionable decision by Bill since three points hardly mattered at that juncture with so few possessions left in the game (not to mention that Indy's defense is legit). Safety Devin McCourty had an interception after linebacker Jamie Collins tipped a pass from Wentz. Truthfully, the Pats should have had a few more picks since Wentz threw a couple right to them including one that cornerback J.C. Jackson dropped and another that Collins might have had a pick-6 on earlier in his up-and-down career. Patriots safety Kyle Dugger and Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman were both ejected for fighting with each other plus New England lost linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (ankle) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) to injuries during the game.   

Ultimately, the better team won this evening. If they meet again-particularly in chilly Gillette Stadium in January-I think the Patriots would win the rematch-but they made way too many mistakes (mental and physical) to beat one of the other sneaky contenders in the AFC. Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich is solid and without Brady, the Colts had waited a long time to beat the Pats (losing 8 in a row against them before this). New England will have an extra day to regroup and enjoy Christmas before they host the Bills (7-6) next Sunday (1, CBS) in a showdown that should decide who wins the AFC East in 2021. We were all riding high, overrating the team and Jones so this was a reality check that the Patriots probably aren't as good as we tried to pretend since they last lost on October 17 to Dallas (9-4) 35-29 in OT at Gillette.

Adios To The Other GOAT-Adam Vinatieri-Who Also Should Have Been A Patriot For His Whole Career

 

    I am old enough to remember when the Patriots once employed the greatest player in NFL history at his respective position. Yes of course I could be talking about Tom Brady but in this case, I'm referring to Adam Vinatieri who kind of announced his retirement from the NFL this afternoon on the Pat McAfee Show. There have been plenty of great kickers in the NFL but I am pretty certain that nobody will ever have a resume that matches a guy from South Dakota State that went undrafted and once played in NFL Europe before catching on with the Pats. He won four Super Bowls (3 with New England and 1 with Indianapolis that we won't talk about), was a three-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler.

    Much like Brady, Vinatieri's longevity and durability-granted kicker isn't the most physically demanding position in football-are legendary. He didn't play in 2020, but even so he played in 24 seasons in the NFL which is insane. He was 47 years old in 2019 when he last appeared in 12 games for the Colts. He also made kicking a little cooler which is hard to do for such a specialized role that is usually so isolated from teammates except for the long snapper and holder. He was tough (check YouTube for his tackle of Herschel Walker on a kickoff in Adam's rookie season) and he could throw the ball on the rare trick play (like the sweet touchdown pass that he threw to Troy Brown in 2004). 

    His records are endless: he's the NFL's all-time leading scorer (2673 points), he made the most field goals (599), had the most postseason points (238) and hit the most overtime field goals (12). More than anything though, he was incredibly clutch. His kicks in the blizzard against the Raiders in the 2001 playoffs are some of the greatest plays in any sport that I've ever seen. He had last second game-winning field goals in New England's Super Bowl upset over St. Louis that season followed by two years later, he did basically the same thing in another Super Bowl victory this time against Carolina. Finally, he capped his Patriots career with a field goal and three extra points in their Super Bowl 39 win vs. Philadelphia. All three of those Super Bowls were three-point wins by the Pats which was not a coincidence. 

    After playing for 10 seasons in New England, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick thought it was time to go with a younger kicker (that sounds loosely familiar) so they drafted Stephen Gostkowski (a fine kicker in his own right who also won 3 Super Bowls with the Pats but no Vinatieri). Adam left in free agency for the Colts where he would play for 14 seasons. In his first season in Indianapolis, they won their lone title under Peyton Manning as they beat the Bears in the Super Bowl (he had 3 field goals and 1 extra point) in the 12-point win. Through it all, Vinatieri never showed any ego and appeared to be the nicest guy in pro sports. He is a lock of the century to reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025-the first year that he's eligible to go in. Not bad for a quiet guy from South Dakota.

Pats Book Their Trip to Super Bowl 49 vs. Seahawks With Easy 45-7 Blowout of Colts

I can't ever recall being so confident heading into a big playoff game for the Patriots as I was this week for the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium vs. the Colts. It turns out that I was giving Indianapolis way too much credit as they got run out of town 45-7. The Pats will take on the Seahawks a week from Sunday in Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl 49.

Indy was so helpless and overmatched that this contest doesn't even deserve that many details of the one-sided carnage. Believe it or not, it was only 17-7 Patriots at halftime. Who knew that they'd go on to the second-biggest margin of victory in AFC Championship Game history? Tom Brady (23 of 25 for 226 yards, 3 TDs) threw an interception at the goal-line when he tried to force a throw to Rob Gronkowski but that was his only real mistake of the game and it didn't matter one bit. He became the first QB with 20 postseason wins as he advances to his record sixth Super Bowl.

Poor Andrew Luck can't do anything but get smoked by the Patriots, this is the fourth time (out of 4) in his young career that he's lost by over 20 points to New England. In many ways, it was a carbon copy of last season's blowout win by New England a round earlier. Like that, LeGarrette Blount (30 carries, 148 yards, 3 TDs) was unstoppable or should I say that nobody on the Colts wanted a piece of him when it came to tackling in space.

Indianapolis was extremely fortunate to make it this far after they upset Denver at home last Sunday. I'm not saying that crippled Peyton would have done much better but it's hard to think of a more one-sided affair than this was. Andrew Luck (12 of 33 for 126 yards, 2 INTs) was a disaster, not that his fraud teammates could get anything going as well to help him out.

The Pats continued to try and take advantage of the chaos with their cute ineligible receivers but Indy was there to stop most of them. In addition, Brady managed to hit James Develin for a 1-yard touchdown catch and offensive lineman Nate Solder caught a 16-yard touchdown to get the second half going in the right direction. New England exploded for 21 points in that frame. Gronk caught a 5-yard touchdown and Julian Edelman (9 catches, 98 yards) seamlessly replaces Wes Welker.

Darrelle Revis and Jamie Collins each had an interception for New England's defense (that looked like themselves again after last week's debacle vs. Baltimore) who pitched a shutout in the second half. It's hard to really evaluate Luck since everything around him is so average (at best). T.Y. Hilton was held to one catch and Reggie Wayne didn't have any, leading me to wonder if that was it and he'll retire this offseason since he's a ghost of his former Hall of Fame self.

The Packers had one of the great choke jobs in modern sports history against the Seahawks this afternoon in Seattle, allowing the home team to escape 28-22 in overtime. No matter how you evaluate it, the Seahawks are a scary matchup for the Patriots. Their only real noticeable weakness is at receiver but still guys like Jermaine Kearse (who caught the game-winner) and Doug Baldwin are good enough to make a couple big plays a game.

This is a dream matchup for the NFL and football fans (yes, I'd say that even if I didn't root for the Pats): it should get a record rating as the new dynasty goes vs. the old one, Belichick vs. Carroll, Brandon Browner vs. his former team, Brady vs. Wilson, Sherman vs. Revis and leftover feelings from Seattle's win a few years back vs. New England (when Sherman popularized "U Mad Bro?}. The two weeks between Championship Weekend and the Super Bowl always feel like they last forever but for once, I won't complain about it. If ever a game deserved that ungodly amount of hype, it's this one. I expect it to be an instant classic.

PS it'll be nice that unlike three years ago vs. the Giants when Gronk's ankle was hurt that we won't have to hear about blind injury speculation regarding him. Instead it will focus on Earl Thomas (shoulder) and Sherman (elbow) who are both getting MRIs on Monday. As Belichick, now the most winningest head coach in postseason history, said in the joyous post-game: "I've only got one thing to say-we're on to Seattle."

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The Best Week of Jonas Gray's Life Continues

Can you imagine being Jonas Gray? After not being drafted and bouncing around three different NFL practice squads, he finally get his opportunity and did he ever make the most of it on Sunday Night Football as the Patriots (8-2) embarrassed the Colts (6-4) 42-20. Gray's 37 carries, 201 yards (after the stat correction) and four touchdowns (setting a franchise regular season record) resulted in him being on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated and it also earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

What can we expect from Gray in the last six regular season games and playoffs, starting with Sunday's meeting (1, Fox) vs. Lions (7-3) at Gillette Stadium? It's a cop out but who could reasonably answer that? Obviously, he won't be putting up 200-yard games every week but as long as he continues to churn out positive gains and hangs onto the ball, that's all the Pats need. With no Stevan Ridley for the rest of this campaign, Gray is the only other running back on New England's current roster that can consistently run inside between the tackles.

Ironically, the former Patriot that he most closely resembles in terms of size and running style-LeGarrette Blount-was released yesterday by the Steelers. It makes you wonder if the Pats would bring him back, remember he was on the cover of SI last winter as well after running for four touchdowns vs. Indy in the AFC Divisional game. I'm not a huge Blount fan, he is unquestionably a bozo but if Gray got hurt or struggled, Blount would be a suitable replacement plus he already knows the vaunted system.

This is all just talk radio/Twitter/interwebs fodder, for now we should enjoy this moment because who knows how much longer it will last for our guy Gray who once tried to be a stand-up comedian and even opened up for Dustin Diamond aka Screech from Saved By the Bell. Haha don't believe me? Look it up.

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What a Turnaround: Pats are the Best Team in the AFC & Maybe the NFL After Pounding Colts 42-20 on Sunday Night Football

Jonas Gray. Who knows where he'll be in a few years but for one night at least, he was the talk of the NFL after an insane performance on Sunday Night Football. In only his fourth career game, he had 38 carries for 199 yards and four touchdowns (setting a new team record) as New England (8-2 overall, 3-2 road) absolutely destroyed Indianapolis (6-4 overall, 3-2 home) 42-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Patriots' sixth win in a row put them firmly in control of the AFC (and two games ahead of the Dolphins in the AFC East) after the Broncos surprisingly fell in St. Louis 22-7 earlier today.

There are many ways to view this victory but for my (lack of) money, the real story for New England is that they can now win on the road against a good (but not great) team even when Tom Brady (19 of 30 for 257 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) is average at best. The Patriots' defense won't put up incredible numbers but the bottom line is that they are getting the job done. Andrew Luck (23 of 39 for 303 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) does everything for the Colts so when he's off, like he was tonight, they are going nowhere fast. Did I mention that Indy's defense is an utter disaster?

The first half was misleading in the sense that the Patriots dominated but yet they were only up by four points (14-10). On their opening drive (11 plays, 89 yards, 4:14), Gray finished it with a 4-yard touchdown run. Indianapolis put together a good drive but they got stopped in the red zone and had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by the incomparable Adam Vinatieri.

Both of Brady's ugly interceptions came in the first half but the Patriots still managed to go up 14-3 late in the second quarter on Gray's 2-yard touchdown run. The second pick (both by Mike Adams) happened when Brady apparently audibled on a 3rd and 1 play and was forced to throw the ball up for grabs Eli Manning-style. The Colts took advantage to cash in a 10-yard touchdown catch by Hakeem Nicks (remember him?) to cut it to 14-10.

New England had 501 total yards and 33 first downs so when they received the opening kickoff of the second half, they went right back to work. That goal-line machine Tim Wright caught a 2-yard touchdown from Brady after another long drive (8 plays, 80 yards, 3:50). Vinatieri rescued Indy on the next stalled drive with a 53-yard kick (that would have been good from 63) but Gray's 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter put the Pats up two touchdowns (28-13).

The Colts cut it to 28-20 on a clever 1-yard touchdown pass to former BC offensive lineman Anthony Costanzo. Gray answered with his last score, a 1-yard touchdown, then Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 71 yards) took time away from his unstoppable run blocking to catch a 26-yard touchdown where he basically broke Indy's will. Seriously, what an incredible catch and run complete with the dive into the end zone through two guys. If you didn't know before, now it's official: the real Gronk is back and more dangerous than ever.

It didn't help Indianapolis when Dwayne Allen or Ahmad Bradshaw went down with injuries and never returned. Only Coby Fleener (7 catches, 144 yards) really showed up for them. Reggie Wayne (5 catches, 91 yards) got most of his yardage on a one busted coverage that resulted in a 46-yard catch while T.Y. Hilton (3 catches, 24 yards) was completely shut down by a combination of Kyle Arrington and Darrelle Revis. Speaking of Revis, he helped Devin McCourty secure an interception by tipping the ball up the air. Jamie Collins (8 tackles, 5 solo, 2 tackles for loss) and Rob Ninkovich (5 tackles, 4 solo, 1 sack) were also stellar as they helped hold the Colts to 19 rushing yards on 17 carries, haha how is that possible?

New England returns to Gillette Stadium next Sunday (1, Fox) as they host the Lions (7-3, 1st in NFC North) who lost 14-6 this afternoon at Arizona. The Patriots are 6-0 at home this season and the way things are rolling, it's hard to see Detroit winning that game because they typically are mediocre outside of Ford Field.

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Patriots Run Over Colts En Route to Their 3rd Straight AFC Championship Game

(30 for 30 voice) What if I told you that the Tom Brady would go 13 of 25 for 198 yards and zero TDs but the Patriots would beat the Colts 43-22 at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Divisional Round? The seemingly impossible actually happened tonight as New England rode a team-record six rushing touchdowns (4 from LeGarrette Blount and 2 from Stevan Ridley) along with four interceptions of Andrew Luck to their third AFC Championship Game in a row and eighth in the past 13 seasons.

The Pats host the Chargers if they upset the Broncos in Denver tomorrow. If the Broncos win, New England heads to Mile High for a super hyped game between Brady and some guy named Peyton Manning. Despite the fact that Indy only trailed 29-22 heading into the fourth quarter, we never really sweated this one out since Luck had too many turnovers and more importantly, the Colts defense is atrocious (in two playoff games this season they allowed a combined 87 points).

Blount (24 carries, team-record 166 yards) showed that the last few weeks of the regular season weren't a fluke. It was also nice to see Ridley (14 carries, 52 yards) chip in. The problem with New England's passing game is that it only really has two legitimate targets: Julian Edelman (6 catches, 84 yards) and Danny Amendola (3 catches, 77 yards). Aaron Dobson (foot) missed the game and Kenbrell Thompkins only had one target and no catches (plus he might have picked up a concussion on that one play). Depending on who they play next Sunday (3, CBS), the Patriots have to find a way to squeeze more out of their receivers cause you have to figure Blount will be their main focus defensively.

On the third play of the game, Luck (20 of 41, 331 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs) threw nearly a pick-6 to Alfonzo Dennard who returned it to the 2. The next play was a two-yard TD run by Blount. He did the same thing a little more than six minutes later for a 14-0 Patriots lead. Playing from behind for the second week in a row against a smarter and better coached team was too much for Luck.

Granted, he made some sick throws like the 38-yard pass to LaVon Brazill that put the Colts on the board. Another 2-yard TD run by Blount made it 21-7 Patriots before Indy got a 36-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri and a safety on a bad snap to punter Ryan Allen (who also hurt his shoulder on the play). New England only led 21-12 at halftime.

A 21-yard field goal by Vinatieri was as close as Indianapolis would get (21-15). Ridley had a 3-yard TD run and 2-point conversion. Brazill's only other catch was a 35-yard touchdown (at least he makes them count). The fourth quarter belonged to the Pats and their offensive line. Blount ran for a 73-yard TD and Ridley capped it off with a 1-yard TD run.

Rookie linebacker Jamie Collins (6 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 tackles for loss, pass deflected, 3 quarterback hits) hadn't done anything during the regular season but in his playoff debut, the second-round pick out of Southern Mississippi was the star of New England's resilient defense. Donta' Hightower (8 tackles, 3 solo, 1 pass deflected, 1 interception) had been bashed all season for all his obvious flaws but he was great in this one. To show you how few plays that he's made in two seasons, that pick was the first of his career. Dennard wrapped it up with his second interception.

We know that the Patriots in many ways are lucky to be one of the final four teams left in the NFL but at the same time, you have to marvel at their resilience through all the major injuries. No matter if it's the Broncos or Chargers, New England will have to take its game to another level and improve in many departments. Clearly, we'd prefer San Diego to win tomorrow since that would mean the Pats only need another win at Gillette to get to the Super Bowl. However, Denver is a tougher opponent on paper (keep in mind New England already beat them this season) but there is something to be said for going into Denver and knocking them off.

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Injury Report: Divisional Round-Patriots vs. Colts

It is about that time folks. Tomorrow night (8:15, CBS) the Patriots host the Colts at Gillette Stadium with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. Today the injury reports came out and unlike the regular season, they weren't cluttered with fake injuries and jokes.

For New England, wide receiver Aaron Dobson (foot) is out. For Indianapolis, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (hamstring) is also out. The only guys that are questionable for either team are Patriots wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee/shoulder).

Dobson's injury certainly hurts the Pats but it's not something that should prevent them from beating the Colts. He missed four games during the regular season so having him out isn't a complete shock plus given that and the fact that he's a rookie, he never really seemed completely comfortable. Sigh, hopefully his sophomore campaign is much better in terms of health and production. They need someone with big play ability that can stretch the field, is he that player?

As for Heyward-Bey, he was Indy's fifth receiver so that's not a big loss. The ghost of Deion Branch should be a suitable replacement for that bum that can't catch anything, R.I.P. Al Davis!

UPDATE 1/11: Patriots inactives are Chris Barker, Dobson, D.J. Williams, Jake Bequette, Isaac Sopoaga, Justin Green and Steve Beauharnais. Colts inactives are Josh Lenz, Sheldon Price, Daniel Adongo, Khaled Holmes, Joe Reitz, Heyward-Bey and Branch.

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Things Just Got Real: Patriots Put Spikes on IR & Colts Sign Branch

After their bye week (for the fourth season in a row), the Patriots have started preparation for their game on Saturday night (8:15, CBS) vs. the Colts at Gillette Stadium. New England opened up as a 7.5-point favorite against Indianapolis and that shouldn't changed based on today's roster moves but they are certainly something to chew on as they try to reach their third straight AFC Championship Game. The Pats put linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee) on IR while the Colts signed former Patriots star and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch.

As primarily a run stopper, Spikes occupies a dinosaur position in the NFL that is quickly going extinct. Still, he played all 16 games this season (for the first time in his career) and totaled 48 tackles, 38 assists, one fumble recovery, one interception and eight tackles for loss. On a defense already missing Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo, Spikes brought some semblance of toughness and attitude, for that he'll be missed. Odds are he wouldn't have played a ton since the Colts mostly pass and use running back Donald Brown who can hardly be described as a punishing runner. The part that really stinks for him is that he's a free agent this offseason so this isn't the best way to cash in.

By signing Branch, the Colts resorted to some Jets type of mind games. There is little the Jets enjoy more than signing some former Patriots scrub the week before they are playing Bill Belichick and New England. Indy's fifth wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey will miss Saturday's game with a hamstring injury and apparently Branch lives in Indiana so the Colts had worked him out before. Sure sure. Whatever the case, don't count on a guy who hasn't played in an NFL game since the AFC Championship last season (with New England) to have any kind of impact.

In other moves, the Colts elevated receiver Josh Lenz from the practice squad while placing defensive end Fili Moala and cornerback Greg Toler on injured reserve. Thus far, the Pats haven't made a corresponding move with Spikes but you can bet that rookie Jamie Collins and Dane Fletcher will see way more playing time. I'm guessing they'll just make rookie linebacker Steve Beauharnais active although I think he's been a healthy scratch basically all season.

UPDATE 1/7: Patriots promoted linebacker Ja'Gared Davis from the practice squad and signed wide receiver Reggie Dunn to the practice squad.



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Blowing Out Indy Comes At A Huge Cost: Gronkowski Breaks Forearm, Expected Out 4-6 Weeks

A few measly hours, that's all the time Patriots fans got to bask in the glow of a resounding 59-24 blowout victory against the Colts this afternoon at Gillette Stadium. 59 points ties a Patriots team record set in 2009 vs. Tennessee (that crazy snow game).

Reality came calling way too soon as we all (7-3, 4-1 home) found out that Rob Gronkowski (7 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs) broke his forearm and is expected to miss somewhere in the 4-6 weeks range. The worst part (well besides the injury) is that it happened in garbage time, on the final extra point with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Rightfully, that opens up Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to a deserved cacophony of criticism asking why the best tight end in the NFL was still out there. Ugh!

Before I go to sleep depressed, let's remember that this was a very nice win. Indianapolis (6-4, 2-3 away) might have beaten up on some bad teams and taken advantage of a weak schedule but they are a good squad. Also, let's hold off the NFL Hall of Fame induction for Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck (27 of 50, 334 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs). After getting touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, Indy was outscored 52-10 the rest of the way. He looked rattled and made a couple terrible decisions/throws. What's more, he easily could have had a few more interceptions.

The Patriots scored touchdowns thanks to all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. Cornerback Aqib Talib's (7 tackles, 5 solo) debut for New England included a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown. Rookie Alfonzo Dennard (4 tackles) topped that with an 87-yard interception return for a score. Julian Edelman had the best game of anyone (and his anonymous career) since he scored on a 68-yard punt return, caught a 2-yard touchdown and also had an end around for 47 yards. Incredible.

Tom Brady (24 of 35, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) has put himself right in the thick of the MVP discussion (assuming people talk about that in mid-November) with another excellent performance. Wes Welker added seven catches for 80 yards.

Four turnovers by Indianapolis were way too much to overcome, especially since New England took care of the ball and never coughed it up. Rookie wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had six catches for 100 yards and two TDs while Reggie Wayne notched seven catches for 72 yards. Patriots icon Adam Vinatieri (47-yard field goal, 3 PATs) was repeatedly booed by the brain dead crowd at Gillette, those people can't be serious. Who does that to him?

Rob Ninkovich had a very solid game with eight tackles (four assists), a sack, two tackles for losses and two quarterback hits along with a forced fumble that he recovered. Stevan Ridley (3-yard) and Shane Vereen (4-yard) had touchdown runs in the fourth quarter when it spun way out of control for the Colts.

He didn't play today but Aaron Hernandez is expected back on Thursday night (8:30 p.m., NBC) as the Patriots visit the Jets (4-6) at MetLife Stadium. New York won 27-13 this afternoon in St. Louis and you'll remember that they choked against New England on October 21 in a game the Pats ended up winning 29-26 in overtime.

Ironically, that gift has propelled to New England to their current four-game win streak. The Jets are not a good team and they won't go to the playoffs this season but they usually play the Patriots tough and anything can happen in a short week, especially against a divisional rival and without one of your best players.

UPDATE 11/19: Deion Branch cleared waivers so he's a free agent. The Patriots signed wide receiver Kamar Aiken to the practice squad, he's previously been on the Bills and Bears after entering the NFL as a rookie free agent in 2011.

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Week 11: Patriots-Colts Injury Report

Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS) should be a fascinating game as rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the overachieving Colts (6-3) visit the underachieving Patriots (6-3) at Gillette Stadium.

Today the injury report was released and it features 16 Patriots that are questionable and two Colts that are out.

Logan Mankins (ankle/calf) is all banged up, illustrated in the fact that New England pulled out the doubtful label for the first time this season. Ron Brace (elbow), Deion Branch (hamstring), Patrick Chung (shoulder/hamstring), Dan Connolly (back), Steve Gregory (hip), Rob Gronkowski (hip), Aaron Hernandez (ankle), Dont'a Hightower (hamstring), Brandon Lloyd (knee), Nick McDonald (shoulder), Trevor Scott (hamstring), Brandon Spikes (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (back/knee), Wes Welker (ankle), Tracy White (foot) and Malcolm Williams (thigh) are all questionable.

It was reported by multiple sources that Hernandez was going to miss his fourth straight game so it is surprising to see him listed as 50/50. I tend to believe all the clued in reporters (ESPN's Adam Schefter foremost) rather than the Patriots.

For the Colts, rookie tight end Coby Fleener (Luck's teammate at Stanford) is out with a knee injury while former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis (reluctant star of Hard Knocks this summer) will miss this key AFC battle due to a shoulder injury.

With the late kickoff on Sunday afternoon, we probably won't know until an hour or two before who else will miss this game. Keep in mind, some names often pop up on Saturday nights so I'll have the latest information when I hear it.

It was a rough day to be a bank account in Foxborough as Spikes ($25,000), Jerod Mayo ($10,000) and Alfonzo Dennard ($7875) were all fined for unnecessary roughness (Spikes) or late hits (Mayo and Dennard) against the Bills last Sunday.

UPDATE 11/17: The Patriots made a flurry of moves today as they released Branch for the second time this season and also wide receiver Jarred Fayson off the practice squad. They activated cornerback Aqib Talib and wide receiver Greg Salas (from the practice squad).

UPDATE 11/18: Hernandez, Mankins, Chung, Connolly, Daniel Fells, Jake Bequette and Justin Francis are all inactive for New England.

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Thank Tom Brady, The 2012 Patriots Bye Week Is Finally Over!

I don't know about you but as a serious creature of habit, I found myself basically lost yesterday afternoon. With no Patriots game to look forward to, watch and write about, I spaced out while watching other NFL games. Don't get me wrong, the NFL is by far the best professional sports league in the U.S. but it's a big difference when your team is not playing. All I cared about yesterday was fantasy points and that's no way to live.

Thankfully, we can quickly put that all behind us. On Sunday (1 p.m., CBS), the Bills (3-5)-who lost 21-9 in Houston yesterday afternoon-visit Gillette Stadium to take on the Patriots (5-3). When we last saw them in Week 4, New England went to Buffalo and embarrassed the Bills 52-28. The Pats opened up as an 11-point favorite and despite playing down to competition for most of this season, they pretty much always beat the Bills (usually in blowout fashion) and leave them in the cellar of the AFC East.

My two nuggets of Patriots related information for today: 1) former legendary running back Kevin Faulk will be honored at halftime of Sunday's game. Hopefully the bozos at CBS give us a taste of it. Look for a similar ceremony for former offensive tackle Matt Light later in this season. 2) The Patriots-Colts (5-3) game in Week 11 (the following week) on Sunday, November 18 was flexed by the NFL from a 1 p.m. kickoff to 4:25 p.m. That move was made since rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and Indianapolis are already way better than anyone could have expected. Who knew Colts-Patriots games could be relevant again so soon?

UPDATE 11/6: Former Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris was added to New England's practice squad.

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Whatever Happened To Joseph Addai? Oh, Now He's On The Patriots

I wasn't happy when I read a few weeks ago that the Patriots were kicking the tires on veteran running backs Tim Hightower, Joseph Addai and Ryan Grant. I felt like they were three players that were either over the hill (Addai) or not that good to begin with (Hightower).

You can imagine my reaction this afternoon when I found out that New England was going to sign Addai, the one I would least prefer out of the three worn out running backs all past their prime. There is no use getting too worked up about it since whatever they pay him, it won't be much and who knows if he'll even make the team out of training camp?

Addai just represents a reliable (work with me) backup for youngsters Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen, who need to take the next step in their development this season without BenJarvus Green-Ellis (now on the Bengals) to lean on.

Proving how short the shelf-life is on No. 1 running backs in the NFL, Addai was drafted 30th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. You'll remember that the Patriots selected Laurence Maroney with the 21st pick that year. How'd that turn out?

Coming out of LSU, Addai was a very solid player for the Indianapolis Colts his rookie season and the next year. Both times he went over 1000 yards rushing and 325+ yards receiving. In his six seasons with the Colts, he put up 4453 rushing yards, 39 rushing touchdowns, 1448 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2007 and was a key member of the Super Bowl champions team in his rookie year that beat the Bears and in 2009 when they lost to the Saints in the Super Bowl.

Injuries have taken their toll though as he's only played 16 games in one season (his rookie year). He combined for only 20 games in the last two seasons with the Colts due to a hamstring injury and nerve injury to his shoulder. It's easy to forget since Indy was so bad last year but he actually played in 12 games. His modest numbers were 118 carries, 433 yards rushing, one rushing touchdown; 15 catches, 93 receiving yards.

If Addai makes the team and stays healthy (two huge ifs), he will be counted on mostly for blitz pickups, catching the ball, goal-line situations and maybe third-downs. Maybe Bill Belichick can squeeze something out of Addai but I know I'm not counting on it.

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Hated Villain Adam Vinatieri Returns to Foxborough, Gets Booed. Wait What?

There are plenty of things to talk about after the Patriots defeated Dan Orlovsky's Colts yesterday, but the one thing that is going to stay with me for a while is the home crowd's treatment of one of the greatest players to ever don a Patriots uniform, Indy kicker Adam Vinatieri.

In the first quarter of a meaningless game, Vinatieri was lustily booed when attempting a field goal. Needless to say, I was angry, embarrassed, but not at all surprised. Gillette Stadium has sucked for the last few seasons, as the expectations for the Patriots has risen. We have all heard the stories.

Overpriced parking, endless traffic, silence when the Patriots are on defense, being told to sit down, the lack of fights, walking past a Victoria's Secret to get into the stadium. We can go on and on about all the reasons why this stadium blows. But yesterday takes the cake.

Booing Vinatieri for going to the Colts is beyond asinine, classless and unbelievably out of touch. The guy was a Patriot from the start and gave everything to this franchise, including several of the most clutch kicks in NFL history (not to mention three Super Bowls). Maybe it was the mix of the fans in the stands yesterday, as it was clearly one of those games where season ticket-holders sell their tickets. That doesn't excuse the behavior however.

The natural comparison to make is when Johnny Damon was booed at Fenway during his first game as a Yankee. While similar in nature, Vinatieri was clearly more of a true Patriot than Damon was a true Red Sox. What could you be mad about? The fact that he left for a monster pay raise or the fact that Vinatieri went to the Colts?

Either way, for a town that prides itself on its passion and knowledge of their sports, yesterday was a black eye on the Patriots fan base. This wasn't Dennis Wideman coming back to the Garden. This was a future NFL Hall of Famer who had as big a role as anyone in building this dynasty.

And Patriot Place, Pink Hat Patriots fans, Davio's and Toby Keith's bar wouldn't be there without Vinatieri, if that changes your mind at all you assholes.

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We All Witnessed The Most Misleading One-Score Game In NFL History Today

Since simply watching today's Patriots-Colts game was the NFL equivalent of staring into the sun for almost three hours, I'll keep this briefer than usual.

We knew this wouldn't be a game and despite the final score: Patriots 31, Colts 24 at Gillette Stadium, don't think for a second that the outcome was ever in doubt.

New England (9-3) built up a 31-3 lead in the third quarter and then they shifted to cruise control in the fourth as Indianapolis (0-12) pretended to care.

The Pats picked up their fourth straight win thanks to Tom Brady (29 of 38, 289 yards, 2 TD, O INT) and Rob Gronkowski (5 catches, 64 yards, 2 TDs; 1 rush, 2 yards, 1 TD).

It might be December but this game had preseason written all over it. Don't believe me, well explain how Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky (30 of 37, 353 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) piled up the yardage? This is the same former UConn star (haha) who has yet to win an NFL game.

Also, after Vince Wilfork (10 tackles, 5 solo, sack) who had his best statistical performance of the season, the Patriots next three highest tacklers were Nate Jones (9 total), Matthew Slater (7 total, 6 solo, forced fumble) and Niko Koutouvides (7 total, 3 solo). Those three bums actually started today, at safety, safety and linebacker respectively. Oh and something named Nick McDonald (moved up from the practice squad on Saturday) became the fourth player to start at center this season for the Pats. Fake life indeed.

Basically all that mattered for New England was that nobody important got hurt. Well mission accomplished even though Brady and Co. were out there until the last series of the game after the Pats recovered an onside kick to end it.

Wes Welker (11 catches, 110 yards) had a big game as apparently the Colts have yet to figure out that he's the key to New England's offense. Pierre Garcon (9 catches, 150 yards, 2 TDs) made the four people that stuck with him in Fantasy Football happy as he racked up two garbage time touchdowns.

I'll quickly run through the highlights since after writing this, I will undergo a "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" type procedure to rid this mindless contest out of my memory bank.

CBS sent one of its better announcing duos in Marv Albert and Rich Gannon to this drivel so you know they had to do the old sell job as the Pats got off to a slow start and only led 3-0 (Stephen Gostkowski hit a 39-yard kick) after the first quarter.

We were treated to some wonderful Orlovsky anecdotes: multiple references to him being from beautiful Shelton, CT and the fact that all his friends are Patriots fans (lol). Oh and his wife is expecting triplets, how fascinating.

As soon as Marv made a not so subtle reference to the 20-point spread, Bill Belichick's spider sense went into full gear and the Patriots woke up. Former Patriots legend Adam Vinatieri tied it with a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter after the Colts failed to score a TD with first and goal from the 1. Shoot me now.

The worst part of the entire day was that so called Patriots fans booed Vinatieri. I wouldn't have believed it but I heard it with my own ears. Just a pathetic and completely misplaced reaction by a bunch of Pats pink hats. I give up.

Gronk caught his first TD of the game in the second quarter, making it 10-3 Patriots. It was an 11-yard catch from Brady. BenJarvus Green-Ellis added a 1-yard run with 13 seconds left in the half, the first time in NFL history a 14-point lead (in the second quarter) automatically signaled defeat.

Gronk added a 21-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter and at first, it appeared that he broke the NFL tight end record for touchdowns in a season with a two-yard catch later in the third. Unfortunately, since it was a lateral it went down as a rush. No biggie, I'm sure he'll get No. 14 next week (this was his fifth consecutive game with a TD). He broke Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis' record and frankly, he could come close to 20 which is absurd in his second pro season.

Another UConn product, Donald Brown, got the Colts' ill-fated comeback started with a 10-yard touchdown run. Garcon went to work with a 33-yard touchdown and a 12-yard touchdown. Too bad, it didn't mean one thing (other than killing gamblers hopes).

The only other notable play from the game was a nice diving interception by Jerod Mayo. It was the first of his career believe it or not, a sign that he might finally be healthy from that pesky knee injury that has slowed his development.

New England faces another tomato can next week as they travel to Washington (4-8) on Sunday to take on the Redskins, who lost 34-19 to the Jets today. It's clear that other than at the Broncos in two weeks the Patriots won't be pushed during the rest of the regular season. Unless you consider the typical good effort but poor result that will inevitably happen to Miami on Christmas Eve when they visit Foxborough.

The next two games are New England's final two road games of the regular season (last two are at home) and possibly the rest of the year if they secure the top spot in the AFC. Expect the game with the Broncos to be flexed tomorrow to a Sunday Night game (for now it's 4:15 p.m.). The world needs Brady vs. Tim Tebow in primetime.

New England is still tied with Houston, Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the top spot in the AFC but the Pats currently own the tiebreaker (7-2 vs. AFC opponents).

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I Know The Colts Are A Joke, Therefore I'm Saving Up All My Best Material For Sunday

Listen, I'm on the joke. I can't sit here and pretend that the Indianapolis Colts (0-11) are anything close to a threat to anyone in the NFL, let alone our New England Patriots (8-3).

Still, as far as I know, their game on Sunday at Gillette Stadium hasn't been called off although I wouldn't put it past Colts GM Bill Polian to pull a stunt like that.

Other than the time that it is going on, there is no reason to think or worry about this one. With that said, your dutiful blogger will run through all the injuries for both teams heading into the weekend's meeting in a formerly great rivalry.

Patriots
Tackle Sebastian Vollmer (back/foot) is out, the sixth game of the season that he'll miss. Rookie Nate Solder is expected to take his place.
Linebacker Brandon Spikes (knee) is doubtful.
Safety Patrick Chung (foot), center Dan Connolly (groin), wide receiver/defensive back Julian Edelman (back), linebacker Dane Fletcher (thumb), linebacker Gary Guyton (shoulder), safety James Ihedigbo (shoulder), cornerback Devin McCourty (shoulder), cornerback Antwaun Molden (concussion), wide receiver Taylor Price (hamstring), wide receiver Matthew Slater (shoulder), running back Shane Vereen (hamstring), offensive lineman Ryan Wendell (calf) and running back Danny Woodhead (abdomen) are all questionable.

Colts
Quarterback Peyton Manning (neck) and tight end Dallas Clark (fibula) are both out but you already knew that.
Running back Joseph Addai (hamstring), guard Ryan Diem (knee), tight end Brody Eldridge (hand), wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (groin), fullback Ryan Mahaffey (concussion), defensive tackle Drake Nevis (back), guard Joe Reitz (knee) and center Jeff Saturday (knee) are all questionable.

Also today, Solder was fined $7500 for a clipping play during win over the Eagles last Sunday. He did it in the third quarter on a 1-yard run by Woodhead. He was penalized for striking an opponent from behind and below the waist.

I'll let you know any other breaking news before this glorified scrimmage/preseason game in December takes place.

UPDATE 12/3: Ian Rapoport from the Boston Herald and ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss both said today that practice squad guard/center Nick McDonald will be activated tomorrow with Wendell and Connolly's uncertain status.

Now the Boston Globe's Greg Bedard (currently my favorite Patriots reporter) is saying that Price has been waived to make room for McDonald. If this is true, Price can take the title of the Michael Bishop of Patriots wide receivers.

UPDATE 12/4: The Patriots inactives are Vollmer, Spikes, Ryan Mallett, Vereen, Connolly, Fletcher and Chung.

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The Albert Haynesworth Era Comes To A Predictable End In New England

I won't lie to myself or you the reader and say that I thought Albert Haynesworth was suddenly a changed person when he put on a Patriots uniform in August.

What mattered most to all of us was the assumption that he could regain some of his dominant form from years gone by. After a puzzling preseason and lackluster eight games, it was time for the Pats to say goodbye to a guy who clearly doesn't give a shit about anything. Today, they released him.

New England was basically Haynesworth's last chance to show the NFL that he had something to offer and he wasn't done. I'd be shocked if another team picks him up at this point. He had a measly three tackles (2 solos, 1 assist) in six games, no sacks, no pressures and no other discernible stat. He might have occupied multiple blockers but who could tell?

Too many times, like on Sunday vs the Giants, he was sitting his fat ass on the bench while the Pats defense continued to live up to its billing as the worst in the NFL. New England head coach Bill Belichick was desperate for playmakers on defense when he surprised everybody by signing Haynesworth over the summer.

For short money, he wasn't much of a risk since if he screwed up or became a problem in the locker room, see you later. Well here we are. As far as I know, he wasn't a cancer (like in earlier times in his career in Tennessee and Washington); he just can't offer anything even to a team as lacking in depth as this one.

The only difference between Haynesworth and Chad Johnson (I'm not calling him Ochocinco until he does something), is that the Pats gave Albert the most basic contract whereas with Johnson, they committed $6 million. For that reason alone, Johnson likely won't find himself unemployed this season even though his play on the field completely warrants it. He's Belichick's boy, that he coveted for years, and Bill is left to hope that Johnson gets it at some point before this season runs out.

In other Pats related news from today (who knew a Tuesday could be so busy?), Dan Gronkowski was released while wide receiver Tiquan Underwood was signed. Underwood, a Rutgers grad, was on the Pats for a few days in the preseason. Who could forget his legendary flat top?

In addition, offensive lineman Thomas Welch was released from the practice squad which means that Ray Ventrone will probably return for the ten millionth time this fall.

Lastly, the Patriots-Colts game in Week 13 (Sunday, Dec. 4 at Gillette) has been flexed out by NBC. It was scheduled to be their Sunday Night Football contest but it has rightly been placed at 1 p.m. This is a no brainer since Indy has already been in a couple primetime games this season. I think America is still recovering from all the vomiting due to those one-sided affairs. For New England, it will serve as their first 1 p.m. start since Week 3 (at Buffalo), believe it or not. Likewise, with the way the Patriots have been playing lately, they're similarly not as deserving of the spotlight.

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Brady wins this round in Patriots-Colts epic rivalry

Nothing will ever change fourth and two gate, Bill Belichick's worst playcall of his life last season that helped speed up the Patriots' chokejob to the Colts.

Indy came into Gillette Stadium yesterday afternoon having won five of their last six against New England. It was a far cry from Tom Brady's first six games against Peyton Manning (6-0).

That is only the tip of the iceberg why New England's nail-biting 31-28 win meant so much for this season and James Sanders' clutch pick could be a hallmark moment of a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations (yes I said it).

Recent history has shown that the winner of this game - the best rivalry in the NFL at the moment - goes farther in the playoffs so it was nice to see the Pats (8-2) come out on the right side of a chokejob by Manning (3 INTs).

It never should have been that close since just like last year, New England was up 17 points in the fourth quarter (31-14) but the offense couldn't close on a terrible Colts (6-4) defense.

Brady (19 for 25, 186 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT) and the offense were clicking in the first half. Manning (38 for 52, 396 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs) began the game with a overthrow that was picked off by Mr. Big Bang Clock himself Brandon Meriweather and returned 39 yards.

Brady made quick work of the short field and found Wes Welker (5 catches, 58 yards) with a picture perfect 22-yard touchdown pass.

Aaron Hernandez made it 14-0 early in the second quarter but any thoughts of a Pats blowout were ignorant given the opponent and how last year not to mention the 2006 AFC Championship game played out.

I hate to use injuries as an excuse (and it was tough this season with the Red Sox) and football is a brutal game but I will admit that the Colts have about as many important players out as I can ever remember. It's basically Peyton, Reggie Wayne (8 catches, 107 yards) and a bunch of scrubs.

One of those bums - Gijon Robinson - pulled in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Manning to cut it to 14-7 in the second quarter. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (21 carries, 96 yards) answered with a 5-yard touchdown run, his fifth straight game with a TD.

Wayne kept it close as he reeled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Peyton with four seconds left in the first half, making it 21-14 Patriots.

The only score of the third quarter was an electrifying 33-yard run by Danny Woodhead where he left multiple Colts defenders with broken ankles. Almost as bonerific as that was the fact that on the ensuing kickoff, Woodhead raced down the field and made the tackle. You know you'll be buying a pink Woodhead jersey this Christmas for your wife, girlfriend or favorite stripper/hooker.

Shayne Graham's 25-yard field goal, after Julian Edelman couldn't snag a fastball from Brady on the goalline, gave New England its final points at 31-14.

From there, Manning went into Madden rookie level mode. Blair White (5 catches for 42 yards), who was subbing in for Austin Collie (5 catches, 60 catches) when he picked up another concussion, had a 5-yard touchdown catch then an absurd 18-yard touchdown catch that left it at 31-28 New England with a lifetime (4:46 left) remaining in regulation.

New England's offense picked up one first down before punting back to the Colts. Peyton got greedy though at the end as he had gotten Indy well into field goal territory but he rushed to the line and threw a terrible pass that wasn't close to any receiver.

Devin McCourty had the other interception in the third quarter and he added six tackles (five solo). Jerod Mayo had 15 tackles (11 solo) and Gary Guyton posted nine tackles (six solo).

It's a very short week for New England as they go to Detroit for the 12:30 p.m. Thanksgiving day game vs. the Lions. I mean where would you rather be on Thanksgiving?

The stinker against the Browns a few weeks back should safeguard against any letdown on Thursday. The Patriots are tied atop the AFC East with the Jets, who picked up their third straight lucky win, and they both possess the best record in the AFC and tied with the NFC's best (Atlanta Falcons).

Who to blame: the refs, Belichick, Laurence Maroney? Answer: all of the above.

What the fuck happened last night in Indy?

The Patriots choked away two 17-point leads and lost 35-34 at Lucas Oil Stadium after two dubious calls went to the Colts (9-0) and oh by the way New England genius head coach Bill Belichick went for it on fourth-and-two from their own 28.

It is a shame that a great performance by the Patriots (6-3) for 58 minutes will mostly be remembered by the slobbering masses for the weak pass interference call on Darius Butler, the terrible spot on Kevin Faulk's fourth down catch and Belichick's ridiculous roll of the dice.

A win would have put the Patriots in the mix for the possible top seed in the AFC but now, they're relegated to fighting for the second or third spot in the AFC. We can all agree that the division is wrapped up now (I'll print the worthless AFC East champions shirts) after the Jets lost yesterday to the Jaguars, Buffalo got blown out by the Titans and the Dolphins squeaked by the Bucs.

The Patriots did whatever they want on offense as Tom Brady (375 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception), Randy Moss (9 catches, 179 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Wes Welker (9 catches, 94 yards) abused Indy's injury-depleted defense.

Joseph Addai gave the Colts an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter with a 15-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass. From there, the Pats rolled off 24 straight points.

Laurence Maroney tied it with a one-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter. A Stephen Gostkowski 31-yard field goal, a 63-yard bomb to Moss and a 9-yard catch by Julian Edelman put New England up 24-7 with 7:19 left in the second quarter.

Predictably, Peyton Manning (327 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) and Reggie Wayne (10 catches, 126 yards, 2 touchdowns) took just over three minutes to make it 24-14 as Manning found Wayne for a 20-yard touchdown catch.

Neither team scored in the third quarter and Randy Moss extended to lead to 31-14 early in the fourth quarter after a quick 5-yard out.

The Patriots defense which played well in spurts, seemed to struggle most when they had a lead of more than one score.

Playing passively against Manning never works. Pierre Garcon caught a 29-yard pass as the Colts cut it to 31-21.

Maroney did his best to give it away as he fumbled a sure touchdown into the end zone which the Colts recovered.

When Gostkowski hit a 36-yard field goal with 4:12 left, the game looked all but over at 34-21 Patriots.

Once again, the prevent defense collapsed in a heartbeat for the Patriots as Indianapolis marched down the field and got a gift pass interference call. Addai ran it in from 4 yards out with 2:23 left.

Belichick wasted not one but two timeouts on their last real drive which of course came back to haunt them. When their third down play didn't work (an out to Welker, really?), nobody could believe it as the offense stayed on the field and went for it on fourth down.

Faulk (79 yards rushing) caught it at the 30-yard line (which should have been a first down) but two Colts defenders tackled him backwards. Apparently forward progress is a forgotten concept as the closest ref signalled Faulk was juggling (he did at first but then it was secure). They had no challenges left so they couldn't review the play.

One last time, Manning and Indy put the ball in the end zone as he threw a 1-yard touchdown to Wayne.

Yikes. After listening to pregame hype of this game all week, now I have to listen to all the second-guessing of everything in the game this week.

The Jets come to Gillette on Sunday and hopefully the Patriots can put this horrorshow behind them as fast as possible.

Mental mistakes by players and coaches cost Patriots a win

With the Indianapolis Colts fighting for their playoff lives (in Week 9), the New England Patriots let them off the hook and let Indy walk away with an 18-15 win last night at Lucas Oil Field.

Down by three (18-15) and driving late in the fourth quarter, the Pats (5-3) made a costly mistake. Tight end David Thomas committed a stupid personal foul penalty which moved his team back 15 yards (and out of field goal range). After failing to make any headway on third down, New England made a curious move by going for it on fourth-and-16. The Colts (4-4) blitzed, hit quarterback Matt Cassel (25 of 34, 204 yards; 20 yards rushing), who threw up a duck that was intercepted.

The Patriots got the ball back with 20 seconds left but with no timeouts and deep in their own territory, the win was virtually impossible. The fact that the Pats didn't have any timeouts remaining was another fatal error. In the third quarter, Bill Belichick had challenged that the Colts had 12 men on defense. It failed and the Pats lost a key timeout.

While we're on the subject of plays that would have changed the game in New England's favor, receiver Jabar Gaffney was wide open and would have had a sure touchdown in the third quarter but he dropped the ball.

It was that kind of night for New England. This is the type of game that we've grown accustomed to seeing them win over the last seven years but not anymore. Not with so many injuries to our running backs (LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris were both out again) and our secondary.

Peyton Manning (21 of 29, 254 yards, 2 touchdowns) wasn't as great as his numbers would make you believe. Maybe, I'm just jealous because I know anybody could tear apart the Patriots' cornerbacks.

Anthony Gonzalez (4 catches, 55 yards) began the scoring with a 12-yard TD catch in the first quarter.

Two Stephen Gostowski field goals (29 yards and 35 yards) in the second quarter cut the Colts' lead to 7-6. Clearly, the Patriots wanted to play keepaway from the Colts offense. This made for a fast-moving game, that was dominated by long drives for both sides.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (15 carries, 57 yards; 1 catch, 8 yards) scored from six yards out, to put New England up 12-7 in the third. Kevin Faulk (10 carries for 60 yards; 5 catches, 38 yards) tried to run the two-point conversion in but he was stuffed right before crossing the goalline.

Gonzalez caught the other TD pass from Manning, this one from nine yards away to put Indy up 13-12. The Colts went for two and were successful as Reggie Wayne (5 catches, 65 yards) caught the ball between two defenders and held on despite a big hit by Pats cornerback/safety Brandon Meriweather.

Gostowski added another 25-yard kick to tie it at 15 early in the fourth but the Pats could have had more. They had fourth-and-short inside the Colts 10-yard line when Cassel snuck for the first down. Unfortunately, Belichick had called timeout before the play started.

In a game so influenced by kickers, good ol' Adam Vinatieri somehow hit a kick from 52-yards to give the Colts the lead for good. Mr. Clutch has never been known for his big leg but it figures that he would step as usual.

Randy Moss had six catches for 65 yards and Wes Welker had seven catches for 37 yards.

The Patriots will have to turn the page quickly as they have three supremely important AFC East games coming up in a row. If New England could have pulled out a win last night, they would have held a one-game lead on the Bills (5-3) and Jets (5-3). As it stands now, the Patriots, Jets and Bills are in a three-way tie. The Bills come to Gillette Stadium next Sunday afternoon (in a game I will be attending) and then the Jets come to town on the following Thursday night.

The division is much improved as even the Dolphins (4-4) are playing consistent ball. It would have been beautiful to put Peyton and the Colts out of the playoffs last night but failure to execute killed the Patriots.

We salute you our Patriots overlords

After dispatching of the Colts 24-20, the Patriots (9-0) are the best team in the league, period end of story. The script can certainly change as the season and postseason goes on but without overstating a game in Week 9, this win was huge. Indianapolis (7-1) is clearly the second best team in the league as they had the New England on the ropes for much of the game but failed to deliver the knockout blow.

The offensive explosion that most talking heads predicted never really materialized. The Colts had a field goal in the first quarter and the Patriots were held scoreless for the first time in a first quarter this season. The Colts (particularly Robert Mathis) had relentless pressure on Brady and as a result, the Pats couldn't sustain any long drives. Joseph Addai was also killing the Pats, more on that in a moment.

New England finally got near the goal-line and Brady threw a jump ball to Moss for a TD. Indy got another field goal but the game looked to be headed to the locker room with the Patriots up 7-6. However, Addai took an innocent dump off pass and went 73 yards for a score. The Patriots tackling on the play was abysmal.

New England hit a field goal in the third accounting for the only scoring. The fourth quarter fittingly is when all the action took place. Manning scored on a QB sneak and the Colts went up 20-10 with 9:42 left. Brady and the offense couldn't move the ball all game so hopes of an undefeated season were fading fast. If this was the Patriots team of last year they would have lost. Same with the year before that. Different story this year though as the talent shines through at the most opportune times. First Brady hit Moss with the now obligatory bomb (55 yards) to get it down near the Colts end-zone. Welker hauled in a nifty 3-yard pass to bring it within three.

Then the Patriots defense went to work as they forced Indy to punt it. New England promptly marched down the field and Brady hit Faulk with a 13-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots were up 24-20 with 3:15 left but there seemed to be too much time for Manning and Co. However, Peyton simply couldn't deliver as he was sacked by Ty Warren and fumbled it into the arms of Rosevelt Colvin. With one more first down, the game was over. What a comeback.

Numerous guys stepped up when it mattered most for New England. Rodney Harrison had an interception of Manning. Stallworth had a 32-yard catch along the sideline. Brady shook off two picks and finished with the three TD's and 255 yards (after entering the fourth with under 100). And Moss solidified his position as the most dangerous wide receiver in football. If the Patriots want to go to him, he will almost always catch it. It's unbelievable.

It was a gut check win. The Colts were playing without Marvin Harrison and they missed him dearly, no question about it. New England finally woke up in the fourth quarter and they now have the fire power to make a quick comeback (even against a very good defense, at home). This win will most likely mean even more down the road when it comes to home-field in the playoffs. You'd have to like the Patriots chances in Gillette after they snapped the Colts three-game win streak over the Pats.

The bye week couldn't come at a better time as New England will get to relax and gear up for what should be an awesome stretch run. They'll next play a week from Sunday night at Buffalo. Moreover, the questions will only increase as to whether the Patriots could go 16-0, 19-0?