Patriots Rally Past Colts to Stay Undefeated
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Patriots 24, Colts 20. I think it went the way most people expected it to go — a hard fought, down-to-the-wire slugfest between two evenly matched teams who shall retain their status as the NFL’s elite after this instant classic. Down by ten with 9:42 to go, did you really think Tom Brady wasn’t going to have a great chance to pull this out, even though he hadn’t managed as much offense as has become expected of the Patriots this season. And to that point had already thrown two INTs? It was what I would call “classic Tom Brady.”
Things didn’t look good from the get-go when Tom was sacked on the first play from scrimmage (and New England didn’t score on their first possession, a first this season). I laughed when NBC Sports’ Keith Olbermann later said it was the first time someone other than a supermodel had touched him this season. But he found a way to win a tight ballgame (something the Pats hadn’t experienced yet this season) and I think this win goes a long way for the Patriots’ quest to go undefeated. With those receivers and Tom Brady at the helm, they might not need much more (ie. running game and defense).
I have to give credit to the Colts, though. They were really beat up in this game and nearly pulled out a win under adverse conditions physically. Just look at their inactives … most notably WR Marvin Harrison. You don’t replace a future Hall of Famer with anyone, let alone rookie Anthony Gonzalez who finished with one catch for 13 yards. Plus LBs Tyjuan Hagler and Freddie Keiaho and OT Tony Ugoh didn’t play. These were not minor losses. Maybe the home field advantage balanced that out somewhat, but when you don’t have your best players on the field, it’s hard to gauge just how good the Colts are. I think we got a more fair assessment from the Patriots and perhaps Indy exposed a few “chinks in the armor” so to speak. The Patriots had a whopping 145 yards in penalties. Their defense is, well … somewhat mature (good and bad) — the LBs are crafty, but not fast and Rodney Harrison isn’t all he used to be as his NFL years are catching up with him. And their running game — maybe they don’t have a “between-the-tackles” back right now. Adding Corey Dillon would help. Again, though, I need to give credit to Indy. It’s hard to nitpick weaknesses when you’re playing the Colts, although Bill Belichick certainly will. The team has two weeks to prep for their next opponent (at Buffalo). What about that game as NBC’s first flex sked pick this season? The only other game I see challenging in Week 11 is Washington at Dallas.
Some interesting factoids: The loss ended the Colts’ 13-game winning streak at home ….. For New England, they’re only the 13th team to start 9-0 since 1978 ….. Randy Moss had a huge game with nine catches for 145 yards and a TD. He now has 11 touchdowns in nine games, tying the New England record for a season ….. Joseph Addai ran for 112 yards and had five catches for 114 yards to become the first player in Colts history to go into triple figures in rushing and receiving in the same game.
Tags: bill-belichick, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, NFL, tom-bradyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots
1 opinion for Patriots Rally Past Colts to Stay Undefeated
Jodie
Nov 9, 2007 at 3:21 pm
GO PATS! Ok, I just HAD to say it. It’s a great time to be a sports fan in New England!
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