The Patriots (6-2) head to Indianapolis to battle the Colts (8-0) tonight on NBC's Sunday Night Football. These teams have produced the NFL's best rivalry of the past decade, with the Pats enjoying an overall upper hand in the Brady Era (7-4) but the Colts winning 4 of the last 5 meetings. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are proving once again this season why they are considered the premier players in the entire league. Both quarterbacks are among the AFC's top 3 in passing yards, TD passes and QB rating. Both also have their teams atop their respective divisions while making cases as legit MVP candidates. Whichever defense is able to force a turnover or two will likely be the one walking away with a win in this one. Since Indy is half way to joining the 2007 Patriots as the 2nd NFL team in history to enjoy a 16-0 regular season, it would be nice for New England to crush of their rivals hopes of perfection themselves. Let's go Pats!
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261 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 261 Newer› Newest»I'm going with the Pats 23-20 tonight.
3 keys for the Pats:
1. Giving Brady time.
2. Stopping Dallas Clark.
3. Turnovers/penalties can't favor Indy.
Couldn't agree more about the turnovers!
Hilarious work by Brandon McGowan in the opening introductions: "From The U...of Maine"
Wow, very quick first possession for the Colts.
Punt to Welker, Pats take over at their own 31.
Am I the only one who hasn't missed Matt Light?
Pats return the 3-and-out....not great for NE if this becomes a battle of punters.
3 and out for the Pats too. Brady looks more focused at first glance though.
Gladly eat my words...good punt from Hanson down to the Colts 10 (or so).
2 possessions in and Indy with the ball in bad field possession....good start for both D's.
Agreed, Pats weren't far from connecting there and picked up a bit of yardage...Colts had nothing going on.
Dallas Clark big pick up....and I said in the Pats Weekly Post the #1 priority for the D should be stopping him.
Big completion to Reggie Wayne.....Wilhite in the right place doing nothing....he may as well be an orange cone if he's not going to interfere with the actual throw.
p.s. - I still can't stand Wilhite.
That was a great catch by Reggie Wayne. And a darn good pass.
Really stupid Challenge by Belichick. Clearly in bounds.
Pats challenge on the completion to Reggie Wayne. Don't think they're going to win this one.
I guess the upside of the challenge is that it breaks up the flow of play for the Colts and give the Pats a chance to regroup.
This drive is the total opposite...looks WAY too easy.
I don't know why Indy even tries to run the ball.
Big third down. C'mon D!
I was thinking that too Duffmnan....slows down the Colts a bit at least.
Colts score from 15 yards out on a screen pass to Addadi. That just looked too easy.
Screen to Addai for a TD...that looked WAY too easy.
90 yards on 8 plays.
7-0 Colts with 8:19 left in the 1st.
Except they scored a Touchdown. And we may need it later.
To say nothing of the display of no confidence at such an early point in the game.
Patriots offense needs to step up here. It's seems too early to sound the alarm, but I think the need to come back and score here or this could be a long game.
Tully Banta-Cain is flat on his back after a 29-yard kickoff return by Matthew Slater. I didn't catch how it happened though.
Hope Banta-Cain is okay. We're going to need him.
I never get tired of seeing Kevin Faulk.
Two good runs by Kevin Faulk and it brings up third and short.
Brady picks up the first down on a QB keeper. Interesting to see Faulk in non-third down situations.
Great pass! That's what I'm talking about
Wow! Big connection from Brady to Moss. Pass was right on the money.
HUGE pick up....nice!
Maroney now in there and picks up the TD! Way to respond! And the Colts fans boo the Pats. I love it!
Touchdown by Maroney. Looked very strong that drive.
Equally strong as Indy had on theirs.
Now it's up to our D... C'Mon!
Nice answer by the Pats!
Maroney may never by Adrian Peterson, but he's certainly been much more productive lately.
7-7 with 4:47 left in the 1st.
Nice kickoff by Ghostkowski for the touchback.
Good containment by Bodden on that run by Brown.
Addai went back to the locker room. Indy would have missed him, though they said he is back on the sidelines already...
3rd and 7 time for a stop!
Nice, Colts have to punt.
I wouldn't mind seeing Addadi back out there with a bad hand. Make it awfully hard to hold onto the ball.
I'd like us to get a return specialist next year....Welker is not bad, but not much chance of breaking one and we can't afford for him to get hurt returning punts.
Banta-Cain has a rib injury. His return is listed as questionable
True. Bethel Johnson proved valuable to us a ways back. Seems like a light year ago.
Faulk is just SO GOOD!
Fantastic run by Faulk! Rolled off contact at the line and picked up some big yardage.
GREAT RUN KEVIN FAULK!!!!
He must be fired up after Tebow tied his career SEC record for TDs this weekend.
Crappy play call there. Looks like a 3rd and 9.
Phew. Brady connect with Moss for 20 yards.
Moss is really looking food tonight. Really effective.
What the hell was that?
*good*
Great throw, great catch, 1st down!
7-7 after the 1st.
So far this game has lived up to the hype. Amazing that they almost always seem to.
7-7 after the 1st.
So far this game has lived up to the hype. Amazing that they almost always seem to.
Nice First Quarter. Our Defense is going to win or lose this game for us.
Who is Issiah Stanbach?
I feel like Ben Watson should be much more useful than he is on these red zone situations.
Crap! 7 would have been nice, but at least we have the lead.
Kaczur got used by Mathis there.
FG Gotti and it's 10-7 Pats.
I would agree DK. The Colts were totally focused on shutting down Welker and Moss there so it should have created an opportunity for Watson. I thought they should have put Baker in the game also.
I agree. Tight Ends are one of the most useful positions in the Red Zone.
(or in Vrabel's case, Linebackers playing Tight End)
Nearly picked off.... Darn
Bodden was so close to picking that one off. Colt have to punt though.
At least they are forced to Punt. Again.
DK I was thinking about to comment about a return specialist after watching Welker out there on the punt return. Wasn't that was Slater was be when he was drafted in the fifth round a couple of years ago?
Wow! Brady and Moss are in synch tonight. Hugh score!
Let's go special teams and defense. Keep up the pressure!!
My computer is faster than my TV...I knew that was a TD before they ran the play.
Sick work though!
17-7 Pats with 11:18 to go in the 2nd.
You are right about Slater D-Man...I believe injuries more than anything else have prevented him from filling that role. He's on the roster though, so perhaps they give him another shot next season but draft somebody to challenge him.
Seemed like Manning gave up on that a bit too quick considering there was no pressure on him. Weird move.
Brown looks better to me than Addai for the Colts.
3rd and 6. It would be huge if we could get a stop here.
Nice! Big sack by Mayo!
Mayo's celebration was so horrible it was funny.
Good stuff!
If I'm not mistaken that is his 1st career sack.
Ohhh, Welker was so close to break that one.
I was pretty sure that was Mayo's first career sack. No wonder he didn't know what to do afterwards. Hopefully, it will lead to many more.
I think blogger Sean is at the game tonight.
Wow! A nice easy lob pass to Watson for 36 yards. Keep it going!!
Great play but Watson needs to just run there...he looked like he was just waiting to get tackled.
Good stuff though.
Seriously, why run?
And Chris Baker registers his first catch of the night for a first down.
Bob Sanders = Most Overrated Player in the NFL by far!
I hate the announcers making excuses for the Colts. Pats are missing some key pieces too!
C'mon put this in the end zone! Yes! Touchdown, Edelman!!!
Edelman for a TD!!!
Love having him back!
Pats offense looks absolutely awesome. Borderline embarrassing Indy at this point.
24-7 with 7:19 to go in the 2nd.
Gotta be impressed with Gostkowski's kickoffs. Another touchback.
C'mon D, stay ready.
Good pressure and good coverage on second down.
McGowan whiffed on Wayne. I thought he was going to break him in half.
Let's stay aggressive on D!
Home town call on the pass interference. Maybe not. . .
C'mon, defense. Wake the heck up!
Unbelievably obvious call on Bodden.
Who the hell is Chad Simpson? He can fly.
Belichick is going to kill Burgess for that one...that was one of the subtle things that made Vrabel so good...he always kept containment.
I think he just got the wind knocked out of him.
Is Shawn Springs playing?
Damn, it's now 24-14 after Manning connects with Wayne in the end zone for a TD. Hopefully we can get that back before halftime. Then we get the ball to start the second half.
Wilhite got absolutely turned by the Wayne fake there......nice move, bad D.
24-14 Pats with 4:17 left in 2nd.
Are you asking because of Wilhite's coverage or because you haven't heard Spring's name?
There's Slater....
Odd first play. Everyone on both sides seemed unsure of what was going on.
Second down was no bargain either. C'mon let's convert this!
Yikes, what an awful series.
Good punt by Hanson and good coverage by Slater to force the fair catch.
Brown should not have gotten 5 yards there. They've got to close on him.
Ninkovich down. This isn't good.
Why are Colts fans booing. What a bunch of jags.
Let's go D!
Nice! Patriots will get the ball back with just under three minutes left in the half.
Wow, offsides on the WR is inexcusable. Good break for Pats.
Good pressure by Burgess there.
Another good series from the Pats.
Would be nice if we can extend the lead here.
2 minute warning, 1 & 10 at their own 36...
Colts fans thought Ninkovich was faking it. Can't blame them after that Willie McGinest play.
At least they waited until he got up and looked fine before they booed.
That looks more like the Hanson we're used to...great 1st 2 punts though.
The less they are able to run the better for them (same goes for Pats).
Lucky drop for Pats....should have had that for sure. Not great coverage by Butler.
Ha! Colts have to punt it back with 37 seconds left.
Send everyone and go for the block!!!
Gotta be happy with a 10 point halftime lead, but the Patriots missed some opportunities at the end of the half to extend their lead.
Excellent 1st haf.....
24-14 Pats at halftime.
New England receives 2nd half.
Not a good start to the 2nd half...
Ugh! Brady throws a pick in the end zone to kill the opening drive of the second half.
Addai is back...hopefully they do us a favor and try to run.
It was a good start, but a bad play.
Colt convert, but someone on the Patriots tackled trying to get to Manning. No call.
Bodden with the pick, but there's a flag.
Wow, what a terrible throw by Manning. Don't normally see him mis-throw that poorly.
Who was the unsportsmanlike on and why?
Did you see what warranted the unsportsman like conduct penality?
Penality was on Bodden, but not sure why.
I gotta disagree with you DK that Addai is a bad player. Maybe with an injury, but not otherwise. The announcers and the media jocked Edgerrin James so hard, but if you remember the year the Colts got over the hump, beat us, and won the Super Bowl it was when Addai started. Brown is certainly not better.
Faulk is an animal. Pick up the first down on a second and three.
I thought Moss dropped that....nice work.
Passing game looks great tonight.
Not saying Addai is a bad player...I just don't thing the Colts rushing attack amounts to much and I'm much more frightened when they pass.
In that case, that is very true.
Baker making his second catch of the night, both for first downs.
Faulk does everything.
Ohh, would have loved to see Faulk get in the end zone there. He deserved it after this series.
This one might be worth the Challenge.
F**KIN' Maroney!
Dammit Maroney!
Maroney supposedly fumbled in the End Zone, but it looked like he was down before he even got in. Couldn't tell from the tv/press box angle.
I must say, Maroney certainly was fighting for the extra yards at least, but holding on to the ball is priority #1 there.
I stand corrected, he clearly fumbled.
New angle showed it all.
Right. Huge difference between 31 - 14, or even 27 - 14, and the Colts having a chance to make it 24 - 21 if they fully convert this drive.
Good D, they'll have to Punt.
Welker BEASTING on the Return! Nice work!
Way to close out the 3rd and head into the 4th!
Shouldn't there be a penality on the Colts for tripping or leg whipping Welker on the return? Good return through. Though he was going all the way.
Maybe Welker isn't so bad after all.
Thought you'd come around DK.
This movie "The Blind Side" has me sick of it before it's even come out.
TD Moss!
Great conversion. That's all I can say.
Must say, that was a pretty obvious draw. I told The Mrs who seemed unimpressed.
If Moss keeps this kind of play consistent no one will be able to beat us this year.
Randy Moss is DOMINANT tonight. He looks so good out there.
Why do the Colts have some sort of dumb blue monster as their mascot?
Why do the Colts have some sort of dumb blue monster as their mascot?
Geez, Luke don't jinx it.
Why do the Colts have some sort of dumb blue monster as their mascot?
Isn't it a horse?
Why do the Colts have some sort of dumb blue monster as their mascot?
I agree with your initial assessment DK that Welker may not be the best option at the punt return. Currently, with our roster he is, but he isn't worth the injury risk... and there are other guys that can break the big one. (Especially when blocking is that good)
Why do the Colts have some sort of dumb blue monster as their mascot?
D-Mann, that's a big "if" - but point well taken. I'm a big believer in avoiding jinxes.
Moss had 4 catches for 144 yards just a few minutes into the 2nd Quarter...
C'mon defense, games not over yet.
Crap. TD Colts. Game not over.
Shoot! Didn't take long to the Colts to score.
Vollmer did a nice job getting out to block on that WR screen to Welker.
Seriously, let's not run....sorry to sound like a broken record, but what's the f'n point?
Stephen Neal is hurt again???
You gotta work the clock and keep the defense honest. You can't totally abandon the run.
Glad Brady's making it look just as easy as Manning often does.
Is the running game just supposed to burn some time off the clock? I can't see what else the point would be...certainly not yardage.
Good head's up by Koppen to hop on that fumble (assuming it would have been one).
Bad Timing DK. Strip, but GREAT recovery! Wish all lineman gave that kind of effort (and execution) on a loose ball.
DUCK!
Oh, got tipped...that makes more sense.
Kaczur is getting man handled by Mathis.
Here is where we really need Hanson to come through...pin them!
I think I'd rather see LeVoir at right tackle than Kaczur.
Running is also good at the end of the season. Don't want Brady to get burnt out. Also, when the weather turns, you can't rely fully on the pass.
Balance (at least somewhat) is important.
Big pick by Wilhite. Awesome!
Nice pick by your boy, DK. First truly terrible pass of the night by Manning.
I think the Patriots problem in the running game is the predictability of it. They run of first down and pass on second and third. They need to mix it up.
The pass that Bodden picked off was sort of a duck also.
Phew! I thought that had a chance to get picked off.
Brady almost gave that one away. Luckily it did make it out of bounds like he intended.
FG by Gotti good. Nice lead.
34 - 21 Pats.
200?
4:07 to go...
Is Viniteri still on the IR?
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