Fencer

1. This was a great time for the red zone defense to get healthy. If the Colts score TDs on two trips out of three instead of one out of three, the game is tied. (Yes, the Pats had good field position at the end and could have won anyway, but maybe in a tie game Manning also wouldn't have coughed up the fumble.)

2. Two games up for HFA with seven games to go. It's OK to talk a bit now about regular season records, such as 16-0 or Brady's TD count.

3. Can you easily imagine the Pats losing two games the rest of the season without one of them being to Pitt? I can't.

4. The Pats played a great team. Some vulnerabilities were exposed. This is a great time for a bye week to clean them up.

5. Look up Asante's stats. He's tied for second in the NFL in both INTs and passes defensed. And he's not a gambler who gets burned a lot, nor a lame tackler. The guy simply is playing like one of the top CBs in the game.

6. If Brady's favorite receiver is the open guy, he must think Moss is always open. That TD pass was a classic example, as the announcers pointed out

7. If he thinks that, he's pretty right. We finally saw a pass knocked away from Moss today, but how often does that happen?

8. The Colts were the defending Super Bowl champs with an awesome winning streak who nonetheless were being disrespected, at least relative to a team they had been beating fairly consistently in recent years. And they had injury problems to overcome. And they play a bend-don't-break defense. And they were playing a short-gaining offense. Sound like any team you've ever rooted for? It felt like role reversal to me.

9. Special teams were huge. There were a number of excellent returns. Punts and kicks going the other way consistently buried the Colts deep in their territory. Most important, Seymour evidently got a paw on a Vinateri FG try.

patsox23

It's nice to ensure our 21-game winning streak record will remain ours for at least a little while longer.

JoePats

I thought the biggest play of the game was the 55 yard pass to Moss but a few of the 3rd down stops by the D in the 4th were also huge.

Also the PI on Hobbs deep left with Wayne was a worse call than the one in the AFCG last year.

Wes Welker is awesome.

Rodney played a great game, esp in coverage...The announcers even noted how he sped past one of the receivers to knock a pass away on the outside...The D is so much better when he is in there.

We'll have to play better to beat them the next time.

brady199

that is until we rewrite that one as well

brady199

and something I haven't heard anyone talk about, Did anyone think Donte lost control of the ball on the way down, on that force out late in the game, I thought the colts would challenge, but to my delight they didn't.

Just wondering if anyone else saw any ball movement on that play?

Deus Irae

A few things I noticed:

1.) For all the crying about the defense, this was the lowest point total for Indianapolis all season.

2.) Despite New England focusing on stopping the pass, and tackling horrendously in the first quarter, Addai averaged less than his season average of 4.8 ypc.

3.) That speedy Indianapolis defense sure gets a lot slower as the game goes by if you can keep the game close. It should be interesting to see how fast it looks in San Diego next week.

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Absurdly Metro

I was specifically watching the replay for that and IMO the ball did not move. If anyone has video of this you can confirm that it was a bigtime (and 100%) legit catch.

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MetalBleachers

Hate to say it, but I think the Colts win next week easy. Besides the missed FG return for a TD, San Diego looked awful today. What happened to their defense? Was Boss Hogg Phillips that good of a coordinator? It seems like they looked pretty decent for a few weeks and then fell apart.

sieglo

I think San Diego is an immature team. They got caught on the road looking ahead to the Colts game. Next week they're at home. Different story...maybe.

Absurdly Metro

Are you really sold on the Chahgahs? Their three game winning streak consisted of wins over the Broncos (who got pasted 44-7 today by the Lions-LOL!), the Raidahs, and mighty Houston Texans. In my book the jury is still out on that team. With Norv as HC I'm not counting on them beating a legit contender like Indy, even in SD.

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