INDIANAPOLIS -- Another week, another gut-wrenching,
mind-bending, tied-to-the-track-with-the-train-bearing-down win over an
upper-crusty AFC opponent.
After yesterday's throbbing, 38-34, Patriots win over the Colts, the
overarching question that remains is this: How many layers of skin do
the Patriots have on their teeth, anyway?
The latest survival may have been the most stirring. Nose tackle Ted
Washington slowed down Colts running back Edgerrin James and linebacker
Willie McGinest finished him on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1 with
11 seconds remaining to cap a memorable goal-line stand and give the
Patriots an amazing road win over the Colts in a showdown of 9-2 teams.
"It would be easy for us to say, 'We're the best in the world,' " joked
tight end Christian Fauria. "But what we're good at is realizing we have
four games left and nothing's been clinched, nothing's happened, and why
get totally excited about something that hasn't happened yet?"
Now that New England's vanquished the AFC elite (in order: Tennessee,
Miami, Denver, Indianapolis), they finds themselves winners of eight
straight games and are a franchise-best 10-2 at this point in the
season. Of the last 38
teams to finish a season with 10 wins, 36 have made the playoffs.
And now, with three of their final four games at home and only a road
trip to New York remaining this month, the Patriots are in prime
position for a first-round playoff bye. If 11-1 Kansas City stumbles,
New England could wind up with home field advantage in the AFC. That's
no small detail since -- if they keep winning -- they could possibly
play five of their last six games at Gillette Stadium through the AFC
Championship and only have a 45-minute flight for their only road game.
"That's the luckiest team in America," said an AFC personnel man after
the game.
Perhaps they are. But it's better to be lucky than good and better still
to be both, which the Patriots again proved to be yesterday.
Lucky doesn't allow you to stop an offensive as explosive as the Colts'
the way the Patriots did in the final three minutes. In that span,
Indianapolis ran 12 plays inside the Patriots' 30. They ran nine plays
from inside the 12. The Colts managed just three points.
"This is as crazy as it gets," said Fauria. "A goal-line stand. We were
lucky? If they had scored, would they have been lucky to score? That was
just awesome."
The Patriots had their collective foot placed squarely on the back of
the Colts' neck early in the third quarter when Mike Cloud popped
through from the 1 to make it 31-10 Patriots.
Then, predictably, the Colts began edging back. They turned an ugly Tom
Brady interception into a touchdown with 1:25 left in the third as
Peyton Manning found Reggie Wayne in the left corner of the end zone
from 13 yards out. Brady, who was ludicrously on target in the first
half , then threw another silly pick on third-and-7 from the Pats' 21.
Manning (29 for 48 for 278 yards and four touchdowns) then hit Marvin
Harrison with a 26-yard dart to make it 31-24 with 20 seconds left in
the third.
The Patriots went three-and-out and the Colts were in business again
with Manning in a groove. He hit Harrison for 14, Troy Walters for 15,
Walters for another 12 on third-and-9, then got a pass interference call
on rookie Eugene Wilson to move the ball to the Pats' 7. Three plays
later, Manning hit Walters over Wilson to tie the game.
Patriots rookie Bethel Johnson helped douse the rising flames by
returning the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the Colts' 31. Brady (26 for
35 for 236 yards, 2 TDs and 2 picks) hit David Givens for 15 yards, then
used brilliant play-action on a third-and-7 from the Colts' 13 to hit
Deion Branch for the go-ahead touchdown, 38-31.
Even though they led, the Patriots looked vulnerable on defense for the
first time since September. The Colts added to that vibe in the game's
final eight minutes. They moved to the New England 44 before being
forced to punt with 4:42 left, then almost immediately forced a Kevin
Faulk fumble at the Patriots' 11. Great red-zone defense forced three
incompletions and the Colts opted to kick a field goal.
The Patriots took over at their 28 with 3:23 left and followed with
three plays that undoubtedly caused TV remotes to be thrown all over New
England. An incompletion to Branch, a screen that turned out to be a
lateral that fortunately rolled out of bounds, then another
incompletion, allowing exactly 11 seconds to elapse.
Punter Ken Walter, who's been on the endangered species list for weeks,
followed with a not-so-booming 18-yard punt and the Colts were in
business at the Pats's 48 with 2:57 left.
A 13-yard pass to Wayne got them to the Pats' 30. Dominick Rhodes then
ran for 9 yards and Manning hit Harrison for 9 more. James then burst up
the middle for 7 yards to put the ball at the Pats' 2 with :40 seconds
left. James ran for a yard before being stopped by Tedy Bruschi and Mike
Vrabel. James tried again and was stopped by Bruschi and Rodney
Harrison. Corner Tyrone Poole sealed off Aaron Morehead on a fade
pattern on third-and-goal, and the pass fell incomplete.
It all came down to one play. On the fourth-down snap, Richard Seymour
and Washington burrowed underneath while McGinest came around to wrap up
James and end the game.
It was a truly outstanding game between two of the best teams in the
NFL, pitting arguably the best defense against quite likely the best
offense.
"You have to give them credit for keeping us out," said Colts head coach
Tony Dungy. "We ran the plays that we run down there. They executed a
little better than we did."
"They just closed the hole," said James. "I gave it everything and tried
to punch it in there, but it just didn't get done."
The Patriots jumped on top, 17-0, in the first half. After Dwight
Freeney sacked Brady and forced the Pats to settle for an Adam Vinatieri
field goal on their first drive, the Pats paid extra attention to the
Colts' defensive end. On their next drive, set up by a Vrabel strip-sack
of Manning, the Pats went 36 yards, with Cloud taking it in from 1 yard
out. New England made it 17-0 on a beautifully thrown 31-yard touchdown
pass from Brady to Dedric Ward.
The Colts got within 10 points before halftime on a Vandejagt field goal
and a touchdown pass to an uncovered Marcus Pollard, but Bethel Johnson
took the ensuing kickoff 92 electrifying yards to make it 24-10 at the
break.
Next up is Miami, and already the page is being turned.
Said Fauria: "I'll be excited and happy until we get on the plane, but
we don't have time to really savor it because Miami's coming to us next
week and they're just as good."
