by Andy Dunn
Staff Writer

Every time the Patriots and the Colts meet you can be sure of one thing and one thing only-it’s going to be a good game.

In front of an electric 68,756 fans at Gillete Stadium, the Patriots won their annual feud with the Indianapolis Colts by a mere three points. The annual game between the two football teams is the most hyped game every season for the Patriots as it helps shape up the ever-changing playoff picture in the NFL.

It seems the two teams are perfect to be rivals of each other, with two equal top-tier quarterbacks, a powerful passing game, and successful Super Bowl-caliber squads. In the last 10 games between the two teams, the Patriots have won five and the Colts have won five, proving to always be a close match-up that goes down to the last minute.

This Sunday proved to be no different from the last 5 meetings between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, with the game being decided by a touchdown or less for the 6th consecutive time between the two teams.

The Patriots had a distinct advantage coming into the game this week. The Colts were incredibly banged up with 13 players on the injury report Wednesday including three wide-receivers and two running backs along with defensive leaders Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, and Gary Brackett.

The Pats jumped out to a ferocious start on defense by quickly intercepting Colts MVP QB Peyton Manning, which set up a two minute Patriots drive resulting in a Wes Welker 22-yard touchdown catch.

In addition to that electrifying first Patriots drive, the Pats scored on their next two drives and had a comfortable 21-7 lead with 3:34 left in the first half. But no lead is safe when playing the Colts. Manning efficiently passed 69 yards in 3:30 resulting in a 11-yard Reggie Wayne touchdown, making the score at halftime 21-14.

Danny Woodhead TD Run

After exchanging punts to begin the second half, RB Danny Woodhead scored on a weaving 36-yard burst, showing amazing elusiveness and quickness to evade multiple defenders and make the score 28-14.

Feeling the necessity to respond, Manning threw a pressured interception, picked off by rookie CB Devin McCourty which set up an easy field-goal to make the score 31-14 and seemingly out of reach.

But Manning isn’t a 4-time NFL MVP for nothing. Showing off his legendary arm, he drove 73 yards for a touchdown at the beginning of the 4th-quarter in an incredibly efficient 2 minute drive. After a Patriots three-and-out, Manning returned to business, on another two-minute drive resulting in six points, flipping the momentum around to the Colts side in a suddenly close 31-28 game with 7 minutes left to play.

After another disappointing brief drive for the Patriots, the ball was in Peyton Manning’s court starting at the Indy 26-yard line. Manning made quick work of the Patriots on this huge drive, mixing in run plays like a pro and keeping the Patriots off balance. On a critical 3rd down and 6, Manning made a clutch pass to Wayne for 15 yards putting the Colts in position to tie the game with a chip-shot field goal.

Now focused on going for the win, Manning went for it all on the next play and under-threw WR Pierre Garcon on a deep route, with a beautiful fingertip interception by Patriots safety James Sanders, sealing the Patriots win.

“It came right down to the wire. They’re an outstanding football team,” Head Coach Bill Belichick said. “They really do a good job, got to give them a lot of credit, but you know, our guys just made a few more plays than they did today, really happy to get the win.

It was a day of history as well. Belichick won his 171st game, pushing him past Hall-of-Famer Paul Brown and tying him for 11th on the list alongside Joe Gibbs. QB Tom Brady also made NFL history during the game, winning his 25th consecutive home game which ties him for Dan Marino’s record of consecutive home wins.

The Patriots team this year has a certain vibe to it that can only be described as hopeful. They weren’t a Super Bowl favorite in the pre-season and were neglected by most teams as a true contender for the title this year. Good. The Patriots like it better flying under the radar anyway, just like they did in 2001.

The team itself has changed a lot during this season. New players have emerged into “stars” for the team, even though they are far from household names while some of their household names have departed from the team simultaneously. In the most controversial trade of the season for the Patriots, and arguably the league, the Pats gave up Randy Moss for a third-round pick. Moss proved to be an incredibly troublesome talent on their roster and Belichick sent a firm message to the team that no one player is above the team.

The team has taken notice and is back to its roots. No more glamored quests for going 19-0 that end in failure; this year the team has a simple mission: the Super Bowl, and whoever gives them the best shot at winning will play. In Moss’ absence, newly-acquired Deion Branch, Brandon Tate, and rookie tight-ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have had major roles in the passing game.

Just like the Moss trade, Belichick trading 1st-round bust Laurence Maroney to the Denver Broncos for practically nothing has opened up unlikely chances for running backs “The Law Firm” Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.

The Patriots defense is the youngest Belichick has ever coached, with the average age being 25.5 years old. This is truly a double-edged sword to the Pats-on the positive side they are incredibly active on defense and aggressive, but on the downside are extremely inexperienced and undisciplined but this Sunday it worked out in the Patriots favor by intercepting Manning three times and abolishing Indy’s ground game for most of the game.

At an impressive 8-2 record the Patriots are tied with division rivals the New York Jets for the division lead and will be facing the Jets a mere 2 weeks after the Thanksgiving Day Game against the Detroit Lions. The schedule to the end-of-the-year is far from easy with games against the Jets, Packers, and a surprising Chicago Bears team that is 7-3 and shut out the Dolphins 16-0 last Thursday night, but the Patriots have to stay focused on the immediate future, where in a mere 3 days it will be game-day again in a possible trap game against the Lions.

Belichick says, “We’ve got a quick turn turnaround here, so we can’t stay on this one very long, but we’ll enjoy it here for a couple hours.”

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