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| Stevan Ridley was not left to dry despite Blount's big day. The third-year back out of LSU carried 14 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns in the win. |
Cory Puffett
New England took an early lead on a 2-yard LeGarrette Blount
touchdown run following Andrew Luck’s first interception of the game. Indy had
the Patriots right where they wanted them, ahead.
That plan, not that it really was the plan, backfired. The
Colts finish the season 0-4 in games following victories where they came back
from deficits of ten or more points.
The rain had mostly stopped in Foxboro, but the Patriots
emphasized the run on Saturday evening. Tom Brady didn’t have a particularly
good game as far as his completion percentage, but he overcame a stretch of six
straight completions and had a solid performance in support of his backs.
LeGarrette Blount was the main beneficiary of the Patriots’
game plan. He carried 24 times for 166 yards and four touchdowns. As a team,
New England scored six rushing touchdowns on 46 carries for 234 yards.
Julian Edelman, the third player in Patriots history to
catch 100 passes in a single season, continued in his role as Brady’s favorite
target sans Gronk. He caught six balls for 84 yards on nine targets.
Not that the Patriots needed much help with the way their
run game was working, but they got a good bit of help from their defense. Even
though they got burned on a handful of plays, including two deep touchdown
passes to LaVon Brazill, they also forced four interceptions in the game.
The Patriots won their third straight home divisional game
after losing in 2010 to the New York Jets. Before that they hadn’t lost in the
divisional playoffs at home since 1978.
Now New England awaits the conclusion of Sunday’s late game.
If the Chargers can pull off a sixth straight win by knocking off the top seed
in the AFC, the Patriots will host them in the AFC Championship. If the Broncos
end the Chargers’ run, the Patriots will travel to Denver for next week’s
conference title game.
Final Score:
Indianapolis Colts – 22
New England Patriots – 43
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