A Little Luck Leads to a Big Win Over Indianapolis
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Posted Under: 2000 Patriots Season
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FOXBORO, MA — With a little luck, sometimes things go your way and that was just the case on Sunday when New England defeated the Indianapolis Colts 24-16.
The victory was the second-straight for the Patriots after their 0-4 start, and it was a win that included both a hail-mary, as well as a fake field goal, both being plays that usually don’t have much success. On Sunday, things went their way, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick couldn’t have been happier for his football team.
“I am happy for our football team,” said Belichick following the game. “I really am. I am happy, these guys deserve it. They work hard, and they prepare hard.”
“We still have a long way to go here, but we are starting to do some things better than we have been doing them in the past and that has been real encouraging the last couple of weeks.”
New England actually found themselves down 10-3 with :10 seconds remaining in the first half after Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 33-yard field goal. But on the ensuing kick-off, Tony Simmons picked up the ball and returned it 39 yards getting the Patriots close enough to attempt a Hail Mary play before the half came to a close. Second-year quarterback Michael Bishop came into the game to attempt the long throw and threw it high and deep to the corner of the endzone, where by some miracle Tony Simmons outleaped two Colts defenders to come down with the football. The stadium erupted and New England went into the locker room knotted 10-10 at the half.
“That’s a play that is a little bit a flip of the coin,” said Belichick of the Hail Mary. “But fortunately somebody was smiling on us today and we were able to come up with a big one. That was a big swing right there at the end of the half.”
Indeed it was, and the Patriots defense managed to keep the Colts out of the endzone for the entire second half, allowing only two field goals. Meanwhile quarterback Drew Bledsoe had another productive day, finishing 15-of-23 for 142 yards passing and throwing two second half touchdowns in their win over Indianapolis.
“It’s a very big win,” said Bledsoe after the game. “When you’re 1-4, they’re all big, but to play a good team like the Colts and beat them, and beat them somewhat convincingly, it is a big win.”
“This win is huge for us, because we haven’t won at home yet this year and that’s disheartening, you have got to be able to win your home games in this league if you want to be competitive at all.”
Bledsoe made his share of plays from the start of the game. After being sacked on the first snap of the game, the Patriots found themselves with a 3rd-and-11 situation. With his receivers covered and the pocket beginning to collapse, Bledsoe stepped up and ran the ball up the middle of the field and dove forward for a first down. He was hit hard by two Colts defenders while he was in the air, but undaunted the drive continued and New England was able to get on the board with a 21-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. For the second straight week the Patriots took the early lead and put pressure on their opponent.
The Colts got on the board early in the second quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison after taking the ball 60 yards on 7 plays to give Indianapolis a 7-3 lead. On their next possession they took the ball 77-yards on 14 plays and held the ball for over six minutes before the Patriots finally came up big and held them to a field goal. The ensuing kick-off lead to the Hail Mary pass from Bishop to Simmons, and New England found themselves tied 10-10 at the half.
“I started playing football in the seventh grade, I’ve never completed a ‘Hail Mary’ in my life,” said Bledsoe. “I’ve thrown probably 10 interceptions and I’ve never completed a ‘Hail Mary’. So, Mike’s one-for-one, that’s great, he can have that job.”
The Colts opened the second half with a grueling 22-play, 65-yard drive in which they held the ball for over 10-minutes, wearing the Patriots defense down. But after making it all the way to the New England 5-yard line, Colts receiver Marvin Harrison was called for an offensive pass interference penalty, setting up a 2nd-and-15 at the Patriots 15-yard line. The Patriots’ defense then forced two incompletions by Manning and the Colts were held to a field goal.
New England took the lead on their next possession on an 11-play, 77-yard drive which resulted in a touchdown pass to Eric Bjornson, giving the Patriots a 17-13 edge with 14:56 remaining in the game. The Colts appeared to be rattled and confused, and despite all the time Manning spent in between drives looking at photos of all the different fronts, he seemed unable to figure out the different looks Belichick was throwing at him.
On the next possession Manning was picked off by Ty Law, giving the Patriots the ball at their own 39-yard line. Bledsoe hit Terry Glenn for passes of 14, 16, and 9 yards which helped set up a 1st-and-10 at the Colts 30. But following a short loss by runningback Kevin Faulk and an incompletion, New England lined up for a field goal attempt which would have given them a seven point lead over the Colts. But after getting out onto the field quickly and lining up before the Colts were ready, Lee Johnson stood up after catching the snap and threw to a wide open Eric Bjornson who had remained uncovered on the play. Bjornson picked up the first down and gave the Patriots the ball at the Colts 4-yard line. On the next play Bledsoe found Terry Glenn in the back of the endzone for a touchdown, and New England found themselves with a commanding 24-13 lead.
Indianapolis would add a field goal late in the game, but that was as close as they’d get. Following the game Bledsoe said he expected to win Sunday’s game, but now he and Patriots will need to prove they can do it again when they face the Colts in just two weeks.
“Coming into the game to be quite honest with you, I expected to win, I really did,” said Bledsoe. “They are a good team and I knew we’d have to play very good ball in order to beat them, but I didn’t feel like that was unrealistic at all for us.”
“Now we have to prove it again in two weeks, and I’m sure they’re looking forward to the rematch. I didn’t feel like it was a mismatch coming in, I felt like we could play with them and we could beat them. We just had to make the plays to score touchdowns when we had the opportunity, and fortunately we did that enough times to win the game.”
New England will face the Jets next Sunday in Foxboro.
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