This game between the Indianapolis Colts (9-0) and New England Patriots (6-3) lived up to all of the hype and came down to the wire.  Who would have thought a coaching mistake from Bill Belichick would end up being the Patriots’ downfall.  Widely considered the best coach in the NFL, Belichick took a big gamble with 2:08 left when he went for it on 4th and 1 from his own 28-yard line.  The Patriots were up 34-28 and turned the ball over on downs, giving Peyton Manning a short field.  This was obviously a bad call by Belichick as Manning easily led his Colts’ to a touchdown with 13 seconds left.  The Patriots blew a 17 point lead going into the 4th quarter, the biggest 4th quarter lead that a Belichick team has ever blown.

Tom Brady and the offense had an outstanding game, but they needed one more yard to win this one.  Brady outplayed Manning through most of the game, but not by much.  Brady and Randy Moss hooked up for some big plays throughout the game, including two touchdown passes.  Brady went 29/42 for 375 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception while Moss had 9 catches for 2 touchdowns and 179 yards.  The Patriots’ defense contained the Colts running game to 91 yards, but they could have done a better job against a Colts’ team that has struggled to run the ball all season.  Manning ended up on top in the quarterback shootout, getting one more touchdown than Brady but also throwing one more pick.  He had 28/44 for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.  The Patriots defense did what they could against Manning, but Belichick put them in almost an impossible situation late in the game and it obviously cost them.

The Patriots have lost rookie WR/KR Brandon Tate for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.  He only played in 2 games in his rookie season and he didn’t catch any passes.  He did carry the ball 1 time for 11 yards and he also returned 4 kickoffs for 106 yards (26.5 avg) this year.  Tate will be replaced by 28-year old WR Sam Aiken as the #3 WR for the Patriots the rest of the way.  He has played in 8 games for the Patriots this season and he has caught 9 passes for 139 yards (15.4 avg) with 1 TD grab. 

This is the matchup of the year, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (6-2) taking on Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts (8-0).  I think this will be a Brady-Manning shootout and it should be pretty exciting to watch.  Although both defenses are solid, both Manning and Brady are great quarterbacks who perform well on the big stage so it will be hard stopping either one.  Manning has passed for over 300 yards in every game but one this season, so the Patriots secondary better be ready for a long day.  They need to be ready to adjust on the field, as Manning loves to audible at the line scrimmage.  He also has a talented Joseph Addai to hand off to, so the linebackers are going to need to help the front line shut the running game down.

The Patriots offense should be able go keep up with Manning and the Colts.  The Colts are holding teams to under 200 passing yards per game, but they have not had to play Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker yet.  I don’t see how they will keep them under 200 yards with Welker slicing through the middle of the field and Moss a deep threat on every play.  The running game should help do some damage too, as the Colts give up 108 rushing yards per game.  I am really looking forward to this game and I am expecting a high scoring close game.  Peyton Manning has been playing some of his best football all season though, so I am taking them in a very close win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 35

The Patriots held off the pesky Dolphins today in Foxboro.  Tom Brady was solid as usual as he completed 25 of 37 passes for 332 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Laurence Maroney had one of his better games in a while as he carried the ball 20 times for 82 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Randy Moss was outstanding for the Patriots today as he caught 6 passes for 147 yards (24.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Wes Welker was also pretty busy in this game with 9 catches for 84 yards (9.3 avg).  The Patriots rolled up 432 total yards of offense in this game (109 rushing, 323 passing). 

The defense had a rough time overall in this game but they did hold the Dolphins to only 17 points.  LB Jared Mayo led the way for the Patriots in this game with 12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit.  Safety Brandon McGowan also had a solid game with 11 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  OLB Tully Banta-Cain had one of his best games of the season today with 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 3 QB hits.  The Dolphins finished up with 334 total yards in this game (133 rushing, 201 passing).  The Patriots are now 6-2 on the season.

The New England Patriots never pick too high in the draft so they are looking for players who fit the roster.  Safety Patrick Chung was the highest pick the Patriots used (#34 overall, 2nd round) and he has 17 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception so far this season.  He looks like he might have the potential to start down the road so this was a good pick for the Patriots.  NT Ron Brace (2nd round, #40 overall) was supposed to give the Patriots help on the interior of the defense this season but he only has 1 tackle so far.  CB Darius Butler (2nd, #41) hasn’t played that much this season but when he does play he makes plays as he has 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and he has defensed 4 passes this year so far.  OT Sebastian Vollmer (2nd, #58 overall) was supposedly a reach by the Patriots but he has played in 7 games (2 starts) this season and he could develop into a productive starter for the Patriots down the road.  WR/KR Brandon Tate (3rd, #83) has been injured the whole season until know as he hasn’t caught a pass yet but he has returned 2 kickoffs for 44 yards (22.0 avg).  He has a huge upside and he will start being a factor in the offense soon.  LB Tyrone McKenzie (3rd, #97 overall) hurt himself in the pre-season and he is on I.R. right now.  LS Jake Ingram (6th round, #198) has stepped right in playing in all 7 games for the Patriots so far this season.  DT Myron Pryor (6th, #207 overall) has nine tackles this season, 2 tackles for a loss and he has forced 1 fumble.  Pryor looks like a better pick than Brace so far this season.  WR/KR/PR Julian Edelman (7th round, #232) has been the best rookie on the team for the Patriots this season.  He has carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards and he has caught 21 passes for 188 yards (9.0 avg).  Edelman has also returned 7 kickoffs for 157 yards (22.4 avg) and 6 punts for 63 yards (10.5 avg) so far this season.  He recently broke his arm which will keep him out of action for a while but the converted QB looks  like a keeper for the Patriots.  OG Rich Ohrnberger (4th round, #123), OT George Bussy (5th round, #170) and DT Darryl Richard (7th round, #234 overall) have not played in any games for the Patriots this season.  It looks like the Patriots have found a few keepers last April.