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Week 20 Game Recap: New England Patriots 34, Indianapolis Colts 38What you need to know
For the second consecutive week and third time in his last four playoff games, QB Tom Brady was less than stellar. He wasn’t helped any by the play of his receivers, but he also wasn’t very crisp. He threw an uncharacteristic interception as New England was driving for the potential game winning touchdown sealed the victory for the Colts. The Patriots never really looked to establish any kind of a rushing attack. New England’s runners combined for 93 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. That doesn’t sound bad until you consider that 35 of those yards came on one run by Dillon. So on the team’s other 23 carries; they gained just 58 yards, proof that they struggled mightily to establish a consistent ground attack. PK Stephen Gostkowski booted what would have been the game-winning 43 yard field goal with 3:49 left to play in the game. It turned out to be moot, because the Colts marched downfield and scored a touchdown to regain the lead, but Gostkowski’s kick should not go unnoticed. With this offense and his ability to convert clutch kicks in big spots, he is certainly a name to keep in mind for 2007 drafts.
QB Peyton Manning was finally able to get another monkey off his back. For years, it has been said that while he can win big games, he never had won the big game. After beating the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, that can no longer be said. Not only that, he outplayed Tom Brady and made all the plays to put his team into the Super Bowl. RBs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined to give New England defenders fits for much of the game. The tandem was very effective utilizing a 50/50 split of the carries, and each did his party in carrying the load (including the game winning touchdown by Addai). TE Dallas Clark took great advantage of the Patriots committing defenders to WRs Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne by streaking downfield uncovered for much of the afternoon. He finished with a career high 137 yards receiving and helped set up numerous scores for the Colts.
What you ought to know
Once again, Tom Brady threw a critical interception in his opponent’s territory as he tried driving his team for the game winning score. Only this time, the DB didn’t fumble the ball away during the runback to give him another chance. Brady’s ill-advised final pass of the game sealed the loss for New England and will keep the Patriots out of the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Brady just didn’t seem very crisp in the game, and was definitely a bit off. New England made mention this week of how much the San Diego game had taken a toll on them, and perhaps he was simply showing the effects of two emotional, cross-country flights, and the hard fought victory of a week ago. For a time in this game, it appeared as if Brady was headed to his fourth Super Bowl in six seasons. With the Patriots up 21-3 and cruising, the offense lost a bit of its urgency to keep putting points on the board. When New England went three and out on its opening drive of the second half, the momentum shift was complete. Brady was able to lead New England downfield for what could have been the game winning score. Following a three and out by the Colts, Brady and the Patriots got the ball with 3:22 remaining in the contest. However, two short passes and an incompletion later (not to mention a costly penalty for having too many men in the huddle), New England punted the ball right back. Peyton Manning then did what he hasn’t been able to do in the past, which was to lead his team downfield for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots got the ball back at their own 21 yard line with just under one minute remaining. Despite driving 34 yards in 30 seconds, Brady was unable to finish the deal as he threw the game-ending pass over the middle that was intercepted by Marlin Jackson.
Maroney struggled badly in the game, often finding defenders upon him in the backfield almost before taking the handoff from Tom Brady. The play that Maroney made the biggest impact on wasn’t actually a play he made, but rather, one he didn’t make. The rookie RB took a handoff from Brady to the right side but never actually got a handle on the football. It was dropped during the exchange, and even though the fumble is charged to Brady it was clearly Maroney’s fault. Fortunately for both Maroney and New England, G Logan Mankins swiftly dove on the loose ball in the end zone for the first score of the game.
Dillon’s game started off extremely well. He had 49 yards and a touchdown after the team’s first three possessions. Unfortunately for Dillon, the rest of the game he had minus one yard rushing and
A week after perhaps saving New England’s season with a crucial two point conversion, Faulk touched the ball just five times in this game, none of them resulting in anything near a crucial play.
Despite the fact that he was very obviously looking at the football, Reche Caldwell had a bit of a tough time hanging onto it this week. He had what was a critical dropped touchdown right in the end zone where he was wide open. It was probably the easiest catch he’ll ever have, and he let it slip right through his hands. Jabar Gaffney helped to reduce the sting of that play by scoring immediately afterward anyway, but Caldwell later added another drop, this time on a sideline pass (and again wide open). Charger fans are only left to wonder where this Caldwell was a week ago on that 49 yard pass play down the right sideline.
After two extremely productive games, Gaffney was noticeably quiet in the game’s first half. He didn’t record his first reception of the game until 3:05 remained in the third quarter. But he soon followed that up with a spectacular touchdown grab along the back line of the end zone. The play was challenged by the Colts, but replays clearly showed that Gaffney somehow maintained his balance just along the back line of the end zone and managed to hold onto the football despite a big hit as he was landing. Caldwell also seemed to have drawn a pass interference penalty on CB Kelvin Hayden in the end zone, but curiously no flag was thrown. This, despite the appearance that Hayden basically shoved Caldwell on multiple occasions during the play. The Patriots had to settle for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal instead.
Brown was mostly quiet in this game, as Brady really spread the ball around evenly. No receiver was thrown to more than nine times, nor did any of them top 49 yards receiving.
Watson led all Patriots in both receptions and receiving yardage, which just goes to show how no single player really stood out for them offensively. Aside from a 19 yard reception on the game’s final drive, none of his plays really stood out much.
Graham made a fantastic leaping grab of a 25 yard pass down the seam late in the fourth quarter to help set up Stephen Gostkowski’s 43 yard field goal, but Graham didn’t have a reception before or after that point.
Gostkowski has filled in for the departed Adam Vinatieri remarkably well, and has given hope that the transition will be a smooth one. After connecting on the eventual game winning field goal against the Chargers a week ago, Gostkowski lined up and booted in what could have been the game winner against the Colts (this time from 43 yards away). He had also earlier connected from 28, and calmly and coolly booted in two very high-pressure kicks in a huge spot in a tough environment. He may not have Vinatieri’s resume just yet, but he has certainly shown signs that he can be a top kicker in the NFL under even the most difficult duress.
New England had a very tough time stopping the duo of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, which combined for 125 yards and the game winning touchdown amongst its 28 carries. QB Peyton Manning also got in on the act with a QB sneak for a touchdown of his own from a yard out. The early-game injury to DL Richard Seymour likely played a large part in New England’s inability to slow the Indianapolis attack, which several times ripped off big gains at opportune times throughout the second half. By the fourth quarter, the New England defense appeared to be very worn down and tired. Players were leaving with cramping issues, which was exacerbated by the hot conditions inside the dome. That was never more evident than on the game winning touchdown drive. After Manning picked them apart to move the ball 69 yards in about half a minute, Addai took the next three handoffs for positive gains. He capped it with an easy three yard touchdown run off the right side, a play that it appeared New England was looking for a pass. Despite all of the negative, New England’s run defense nearly came up with a play that would’ve possibly saved the day for them. Early in the fourth quarter, Rhodes took a handoff off the left side from the one yard line. He was hit at the goal line and fumbled the ball away. But, much like New England’s first score of the game, Indianapolis was able to recover the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. That play tied the game back up at 28-28, but if it had gone the other way it could’ve been a real momentum-killer.
The scheme that has worked so well in stifling Peyton Manning over the years just didn’t work in this one. Manning lit up New England to the tune of 349 yards en route to the largest comeback win in championship game history. New England led 21-3 in the first half and 21-6 at halftime, but in the second half the pass defense largely fell apart. Manning completed 14-23 for 225 yards and his line touchdown in the second half, and New England never came close to an interception. They did nearly force a turnover on a Reggie Wayne reception late in the fourth quarter that likely would’ve changed the outcome for good, but he was able to recover his own fumble in mid-air and save himself from being a goat. The one time the Patriots did create a turnover was on a terrific play by CB Asante Samuel. He jumped the route on a pass to Marvin Harrison in the second quarter and returned it the other way for a 39 yard touchdown. The score was Samuel’s second of the postseason and the third of his playoff career, tying him with Willie Brown for the all-time record. Early on, it looked as if this would be more of the same of Manning versus the New England defense. On the first possession of the game for the Colts, RB Joseph Addai streaked down the right sideline for what could have been a big game, but he couldn’t stretch enough to get to the football. As the half wore on, Manning had less and less time to make his decisions and was being harassed by the New England defensive front. Marvin Harrison dropped what would have been a very long reception when he allowed it to go off his shoulder. Dallas Clark nearly hauled in a touchdown in the end zone, but had the ball knocked away at the last moment. Reggie Wayne appeared to have drawn a pass interference penalty in the back corner of the end zone, but there was no call. In essence, it was everything New England could’ve hoped for. But in the second half, Manning started off like he was possessed. The Patriots looked surprisingly lethargic for having just come back out of the tunnel, and they never really recovered defensively. The Colts scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half, while TE Dallas Clark had his a field day with the linebackers running free down the seam for the entire game.
It was truly a tale of two halves for Peyton Manning. After struggling throughout the first half (and some might say his entire career in big spots), Manning came up larger than he ever has before in leading his team to victory in the second half. In the early part of the game, HC Bill Belichik’s magic touch appeared to be at work once again. Manning was harassed and hurried, and not terribly crisp. While the Colts were taking some shots downfield, they were just a hair away from converting on all of them. The lowest point for Indianapolis and Manning was on a pass midway through the second quarter that was intended for Marvin Harrison. The Colts had just fallen behind 14-3 when CB Asante Samuel jumped in front of the Harrison pass and intercepted it. Thirty-nine yards later he had a touchdown and New England had a seemingly insurmountable lead. Yet despite falling behind 21-3 and facing a halftime deficit of 21-6, the Colts never backed down. Even late in the game when the Colts fell behind again and Manning had to make plays to win, he was able to exorcize his past playoff demons and rise to the occasion against the Patriots. Right out of the locker room after halftime, things appeared different. Manning led the Colts to touchdowns on each of the first three second half possessions, including a QB sneak by Manning and another score on a screen pass to Dan Klecko. There was even a dramatic late game injury thrown in for good measure. On a pass attempt to Reggie Wayne, Manning’s thumb appeared to strike Tarik Glenn’s helmet. After the series, he was seen on the sideline clutching his thumb and wincing. At one point, he motioned to backup QB Jim Sorgi and was seen telling him to be ready. Yet Manning never left the game because of the injury, and actually looked stronger afterwards. His passes were timely and crisp, he found players all over the field, and was given the opportunity he’s been hoping for with 2:17 on the clock and the ball at his own 20. Manning swiftly led a seven play drive (on which he was 3-4 for 57 yards) that took a little over a minute, culminating in the game-winning touchdown run by rookie Joseph Addai.
While Addai will get the credit, and rightfully so, for scoring the game winning touchdown, it was the running of Rhodes that really got the Indianapolis ground game on track. During the third quarter, Rhodes got his opportunity to run with the football, and well, he ran with it. He was finding big holes and running very determined. After several runs, he appeared highly energized and attempting to rile up teammates and fans. Yet he very nearly gave the game away on an early fourth quarter run. Taking the ball from the one yard line, Rhodes attempted to score but instead fumbled the football. Fortunately for him, C Jeff Saturday was on the spot and pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Addai was having a nondescript game until the final minute of play, when his number was called on three successive plays from inside the red zone. Addai’s third run of the series resulted in a touchdown run off the right side, setting off a wild scene at the RCA Dome. The score gave Indianapolis a 38-34 lead, a lead they would not relinquish. Up until that point, his biggest contribution was failing to come up with a deep out and up down the right sideline from Manning. The pass was probably a tad overthrown, but Addai got his hands on it and certainly could have made the play. Aside from that, he was stuffed at the goal line by James Sanders early in the third quarter but this time Manning picked him up by taking the score in from a yard out on the next play.
Wayne will get a chance to live another game, but he very nearly made the mistake of his life on the eventual game winning drive. After snagging a 14 yard slant over the middle from Manning, Wayne tried to spin out of a tackle and ended up fumbling the ball. Luckily for him, it popped straight up in the air and he was able to regain possession before any Patriots’ players. As it turned out, the Patriots were whistled for roughing the passer on the play anyway, but for a moment Wayne was nearly the goat of the game. For most of the game prior to that, Ellis Hobbs did a very good job in coverage on Wayne. He had trouble getting separation, and when he did Hobbs showed surprisingly quick closing speed to get to the ball. On one such play early on, Wayne was targeted on a 30 yard bomb in the end zone. He had beaten Hobbs to the spot, but much like he was able to do a week ago, Hobbs closed well on the play and was able to tip it away at the last second before Wayne could catch it. Wayne also undid a potential touchdown all by himself late in the first half. On a fade pattern to the corner on third down, Wayne tangled his feet up and simply tripped. He argued for a pass interference call, but none came. Then midway through the third quarter, Wayne DID draw a pass interference call in the end zone, only this time it actually appeared he wasn’t even touched on the play. The call proved to be costly, as the Colts scored a touchdown on the very next play.
For the most part, Harrison had an unusually quiet game. Until the fourth quarter, his biggest contribution was being unable to snag a bomb from Peyton Manning midway through the second quarter that could have gone for a huge gain. The ball was at a weird angle and actually hit Harrison’s back shoulder, but it’s also a catch we’ve seen him make on many occasions. He more than made up for that miss by hauling in an impossible two point conversion reception to tie the game at 21 late in the third quarter. Just prior to that grab, he had briefly left the game holding his hand. You’ll remember that he injured his finger several times late in the regular season, and this appeared to be a recurrence of that injury. But one would never know it by the way he was able to make that catch along the sideline of the end zone to tie things up.
Clark was the big target downfield for the Colts, often leading to big plays and wide open patterns. Clark was the recipient of linebacker coverage for much of the game, because the outside receivers (Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison) were drawing much of the attention from nearly every defensive back on New England. The result was a career day for Clark, in which he established a new high with 137 receiving yards. He made a great grab on the sideline to pick up 23 yards down to the nine yard line to help set up the fumble recovery touchdown by Jeff Saturday. And he later hauled in a 52 yard bomb down the seam that included some nifty moves after the catch to avoid the defenders and pick up about 10-15 extra yards after the catch. Clark did a fantastic job of not only getting open, but also holding onto the football once it went his way. The only time he failed to bring down a catchable pass was late in the first half in the end zone. But it took an excellent defensive play by James Sanders to get a hand in and knock the ball away.
Vinatieri, who has never missed a field goal try in the RCA Dome, connected on three more field goals, including one from 36 yards out that tied the game late in the fourth quarter. His heroics weren’t needed to win this one, however, as the Colts managed to seal the deal with a touchdown in the final minute of the game.
The Colts were certainly aided by the fact that New England almost abandoned the running game, for the second week in a row. Indianapolis had a tough time early on with Corey Dillon, allowing a 35 yard scamper on a fourth and one carry. And later, they allowed a seven yard touchdown run, also to Dillon. But aside from those two plays, they really did an outstanding job of stuffing the New England rushing attack. S Bob Sanders is apparently that much of a factor, as he once again played a key role with five tackles in the game. After the Dillon touchdown, there wasn’t another run made of any significance by a New England runner in the game.
The Colts struggled a bit in the early going. They committed the cardinal sin of blitzing Tom Brady on a fourth down play early in the game, and he quickly proceeded to beat them with a 27 yard pass to WR Troy Brown. Yet when the Colts didn’t blitz Brady, he had loads of time to throw and was able to sit back and pick them apart at will. The key was that as the game wore on, the Indianapolis defensive front got pressure on Brady without much help from the linebackers or defensive backs. This was critical to stopping the New England passing game, or at least slowing it. DE Dwight Freeney didn’t record a sack and made just one tackle, but he was actually able to get to Brady on a couple of occasions to hurry his throws. He also briefly left the game with an undisclosed injury, but returned soon afterwards. Another player who left with an injury of more significance is S Bob Sanders. Sanders missed much of the regular season with a knee injury, and it didn’t look promising when he left after banging his left knee on the turf midway through the fourth quarter. However, Sanders was able to return to action later in the quarter and very nearly made an interception of Tom Brady (but dropped it). Fortunately for the Colts, Marlin Jackson had better hands (at least on this day) and came up with the game-clinching interception on the final pass of the game by Brady. The pick sealed the victory for Indianapolis
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