Monday Re-Watch - Colts

The musket fire plentiful in this 59 point performance.

Every Monday, win lose or draw, I go back and take a second look at the game. I do my best to separate the passion and emotion of Sunday from the retrospect of Monday. I am going to keep this one short and sweet because the heaping praise could overflow my server space. Seriously, The Patriots only punted twice, and one of those happened with :40 left in the game after a Ryan Mallett clock-killing session.

The Patriots finished an amazing 8 of 12 on 3rd downs, but The Colts outgained us by 2 yards. Likewise, Andrew Luck topped Brady's 331 by 3 yards. However, Brady posted a near-perfect game with a Total QBR of 93.9 and a rating of 127.2 compared to Luck's 3 interception and 1 fumble performance (47.2 QBR and 63.3 rating).

 The Offense was deadly efficient, and that forced Andrew Luck to press too hard. The Defense did what it does, and forced turnovers. Brady's numbers probably would have looked even better if Talib and Dennard had not finished the scores by themselves. However, the real story of this game was Julian Edelman, who posted 222 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs.

Edelman ignited the scoreboard to tie the game at 14-14. The Patriots Offense had stalled in Colt territory before Gostkowski missed a FG. The Patriots Defense did well to force a 3-and-out with The Colts up by 7. Hightower and Wilfork recorded passes defended to force the punt, and Edelman did the rest. The Colts committed a penalty on the punt, and were forced to re-kick. The second punt was not as deep, and Edelman made them pay with an electric return.

The other story is of course Aqib Talib. Talib actually got beat on two big passes on The Colts second scoring drive, but he had good position on both plays. The first was a nice back-shoulder throw by Luck, and the other was a TD pass that just zipped by the outstretched arm of Talib. I couldn't find fault with his coverage, but it was a rough start for the new guy. Nevertheless, he has a short memory and a fast set of legs. The pass rush by Wilfork influenced Luck's throw, and Talib was there to reap the rewards. He also showed great patience on the return, letting his blocks develop. Maybe we'll see him returning kickoffs instead of McCourty.

Once Edelman and Talib had their TDs, The Patriots were up 21-14. They didn't relinquish the lead, but the game was close at halftime (24-17). The Patriots showed no mercy in the second half, and Luck continued to force his throws. We saw The Patriots blitz a lot more that I've seen this year, and Luck really felt the heat. He showed great arm strength under pressure, but his decision making needs a bit of time to develop. Still, he's got all the tools and I respect (and even fear) his abilities.

One more note, if Dwight Freeney manages to get a strip-sack on Brady (he was very close) that would have totally changed the game. Instead, Brady completed the pass and finished the drive. Turnovers really swung the tide of the game, and I am very thankful that some close calls went in our favor.

Now for how we did on The Keys to Victory:

1. Force Luck To Be Unlucky - Well, we definitely did this. Luck was responsible for all 4 of The Colts turnovers. While other Colts fumbles were luckily recovered by the guys in white, Luck's turnovers really hurt. 2 of his INTs went for TDs, and Gronkowski scored a TD on the very next play after Ninkovich forced and recovered Luck's fumble.

2. Double Reggie Wayne - Reggie Wayne was certainly not "shut-down" with 7 catches and 72 yards, but none of that looks real good when you consider that Luck targeted him 18 times. 18 targets! whoa! I'll take 7/18 to the NFL's leading receiver any day of the week.

3. Don't Drop It - We didn't do too great with this one, but the drops didn't come in critical moments. Welker, Edelman, and Lloyd had what I would consider dropped passes, but each time The Patriots Offense was able to overcome the lost play.

4. Ridley/Woodhead Break Off Chunks - This was a mild disaster that will go completely overlooked in a 59 point rout. Ridley had 28 yards on 13 carries, and Woodhead didn't even get an opportunity. Shane Vereen showed some decent work, but he wasn't even the leading rusher. Julian Edelman's 47 yard end-around eclipsed all other Patriots rushers. I really thought The Colts would be more susceptible to the run, but The Pats chose to exploit Freeney and Mathis with quick screens rather than sweep plays.

5. 60 Minutes - What did I say, when I ask for it they deliver. The Patriots score a TD in all 4 quarters, and they tied a franchise record 59 points. Likewise, this was a complete performance by all three phases of the team. Great win, but there's no time to enjoy it with The Jets on the horizon for Thursday night.

I tried not to say much about Gronk, but jeeze we are going to miss this guy. He caught all 7 passes thrown his way, and he's got 10 TDs on the year. He's just irreplaceable. Still, I have no problem with him being out there in the final minutes (only on the special teams). We would really be mad if it was Mesko or Gostkowski that took a shot because the wrong blockers were on the field. Haters, get over it. He'll be back in due time.