***OFFICIAL AFC TITLE GAME pats @ COLTS ***

[srjunkacct]

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Pats blew this game. Caldwell dropped 2 huge passes, defense couldn't come up with the big stops at the end.


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The Patriots scored a TD on the drive in which Caldwell dropped his first pass. They scored a field goal on the second non-catch's drive. Caldwell's mistakes had little impact on the score.

The Patriots' defense failed. They gave up 32 points in the second half including a 2-point conversion and a last minute TD. They allowed the Colts 32 first downs, including allowing 8/15 on third down.

This loss falls completely on the defense. It's particularly bad since the Patriots didn't turn the ball over once until the final offensive play. These were the Colts drives starting late in the 2nd quarter.

80 yards- field goal
76 yards- touchdown
76 yards- touchdown
67 yards- touchdown
-7 yards- punt
59 yards- field goal
00 yards- punt
80 yards- touchdown

When a defense allows six long drives for four touchdowns and two field goals, the loss is completely on them.

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I thought there were a few spots where the O needed to maintain possession of the ball to let the D rest and didn't. (Ellis Hobbs's long KO return excepted, obviously.) I know a lot of posters don't believe that the D tires out more easily than the O, but I'm pretty convinced it's true. I don't know if burning a timeout somewhere along the way would have helped (a risky proposition, I know).

Also, I thought the D played way too conservatively for most of the second half, allowing Indy to just take their time and pick them apart.

[jstnrgrs]

Wow, this thread has a lot of replies that I am not going to read.

This is a tough loss for me as a pats fan. It was a very close game, and the Colts just came out a little bit ahead in the end. Congrats to the Colts, I hope you win the superbowl.

[CharlieDontSurf]

I think it was more about the Colts O playing poorly and the Pats make some great stops by batting a ball down in the 1st half than the fact that the Pats D simply collapsed.

Did this pattern basically fit the Steelers game last year where they stunk in the first half then came back in the 2nd

[CharlieDontSurf]

Also the Pats do not have a gamechanger on offense besides Brady.

Neither of his backs are studs..Maroney might be in a couple of years but he is not that back right now. His TE's are decent and his WR's are average.

Within the Pats system they play well as a team but I think if BB could have had a healthy Deion Branch he would have killed to have him in a game like this.

I doubt the defense was all that worried about Caldwell/Gaffney/Brown/Watson/Graham blowing by their man and beating them deep.

[The X-Factor]

I'm going to say one nice thing about the Pats. They are the definition of team.

[MacGuyV]

Obv. the Pats D came up small. The biggest play of the game though may have been the 3rd down Bob Sanders pass breakup. With 2:30 left and 1 timeout, the game is pretty close to over with a completion there.

[Edge34]

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huge, massive, LOL @ Pats fans bitching about not winning with grace. watching you guys turn into clones of new yorkers over the last few years has been pretty entertaining.

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Just stop. If you can point to one post where I've been an obnoxious Pats fan, I'll concede. But you can't, because I'm not. Once again, you have absolutely no right to whine and complain about how others act if you are going to act THE EXACT SAME WAY.

I don't know why I'm still here. For all the non-retard Colt fans, congratulations. Your team played an awesome game and deserved to win.

For the rest of you, especially rover, edge and dmbfan, [censored] off. You are no better than the people you hate.

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I only got this far, but never once did I say anything that wasn't in at least semi-direct response to all the hate the "retarded" Pats fans post. You ignore all that since they're cheering for your team.

Hell, earlier in this thread I wished both teams luck and even said I have no problem with you specifically. Why do you take things people say to other posters as though they were calling your mother a whore?

Chill the eff out.

And ironically, by the way, you're being a gigantic douche in this thread too, which by your logic isn't any better than US, who aren't any better than YOU. Two wrongs, pot, kettle, etc.

Like I said, enjoy watching the game from home. All I did was call out some moron bitching about the calls when the officiating was as good in this game as any Pats-Colts game I've ever seen.

[CharlieDontSurf]

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Obv. the Pats D came up small. The biggest play of the game though may have been the 3rd down Bob Sanders pass breakup. With 2:30 left and 1 timeout, the game is pretty close to over with a completion there.

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Very true-that roughing penalty was a killer too

[bottomset]

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Obv. the Pats D came up small. The biggest play of the game though may have been the 3rd down Bob Sanders pass breakup. With 2:30 left and 1 timeout, the game is pretty close to over with a completion there.

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Very true-that roughing penalty was a killer too

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it would have been 1st and 10 from the 22-25 IIRC without the penalty, it wasn't like the Pats D was doing anything to stop Indy outside of the last drive

[VarlosZ]

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Did this pattern basically fit the Steelers game last year where they stunk in the first half then came back in the 2nd

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My subjective impression is that that's Peyton's MO whenever he faces a really good defense -- starts off slow, then right before or after the half he figures out the D and starts shredding them.