For the third consecutive divisional playoff round in a row (dating back to 2011), the Patriots scored more than 40 points, and advanced full steam ahead to the AFC Championship game. The young and talented Indianapolis Colts, behind the immensely capable Andrew Luck, were simply out-thought and and out-hit, as New England came away from rainy Foxborough with a 43-22 win.
Full highlights from the game here.
The obvious takeaway from the extremely physical game was the Patriots' inspired running attack. LeGarrette Blount, for the second game in a row, was a focal point in the offense, and combined with Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen for 235 rushing yards. Blount notched four touchdowns, with Ridley adding two of his own.
Tom Brady, so often on the forefront of New England's postseason aerial assault, was largely grounded on a night when the elements (steady rain and wind) as well as the Colts defense (26th in the league against the run) dictated a change in strategy.
Defensively, the Patriots played remarkably well considering their injuries, and forced Luck into four pivotal interceptions. These turnovers, combined with the punishing effectiveness of the Patriots running game, ensured that New England and company will be making their eighth trip to the AFC Championship game in the Brady/Belichick era.
Numbers worth knowing
- The last time that the Patriots had more rushing yards than passing yards in a playoff game was another divisional round game, also against the Colts in January 2005, when they won 20-3 and "clock-killin' Corey Dillon" rushed for 144 yards on 23 carries.
- LeGarrette Blount tied Curtis Martin's Patriots single-game rushing record with 166 yards. He broke the record for rushing touchdowns in a game, with four. The Patriots as a team also broke the record for rushing scores in a single game, with six.
- Interestingly, the Colts committed 14 giveaways during their entire 2013 regular season. In only two playoff games, they turned it over eight times (all of them but one were Luck interceptions).
- The Patriots made 11 third down conversions against Indianapolis on Saturday night. It's actually a greater total of third down conversions than the offense posted in the ENTIRE month of October (nine).
The best running game in team history
Forget Corey Dillon or Antowain Smith. Forget Curtis Martin. Forget Jim Nance or even Sam Cunningham.
This is the best running team in Patriots history, at least in the last month. They've smashed record after record (yards, touchdowns, everything), and completely reinvented their offense following the offseason losses and in-season injuries.
It speaks to the strength and depth on the offensive line, who dominated the line of scrimmage and cleared wide open corridors to the end zone (like the Blount touchdown shown above).
Last time the Patriots won a game with 30+ points and 0 passing TDs: 9/30/2001 vs Indy. Tom Brady's first career start.
— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) January 12, 2014
That the Patriots are recreating things not done since Tom Brady's first season as a starting quarterback is telling. The model for championships (defense and an efficient offense) appears to be returning. Instead of setting records through the air, they're doing so on the ground.
The most important result from the running the ball well (other than the obvious consequence of scoring) is that it allows the defense to stay fresh for longer, and to avoid precious turnovers.
And in case you had any questions about if the running success is a gimmick. It appears simplicity (and toughness) is the preferred method:
Some interesting thoughts from Bill Belichick's postgame press conference regarding run game preparation: pic.twitter.com/YKrHb33VLF
— Oliver Thomas (@OliverBThomas) January 12, 2014
Jamie Collins comes alive
Rookie linebacker Jamie Collins, who was drafted in the second round before the season, had his best day as a professional against Indianapolis. It's been a theme all year (and generally is for every Super Bowl contender), but a lot was asked of the rookie.
His was assigned to cover the second best receiver in the Colts offense, tight end Colby Fleener. He did this exceptionally well:
He was also asked to rush the passer at different points, and answered by getting a sack:
He stopped the run, like any linebacker must:
And just when it seemed like he could do nothing else to top it off, Collins added a clutch interception:
The bottom line is that Collins is a quality player, and is proving to be a steal, even from the second round.
Hilariously, a look back on his draft grades (less than a year old) reveal some supposed "weaknesses" that don't seem like they should be attached to the all-action linebacker. According NFL.com, Collins:"Lacks sand in his pants" (What the hell is that even supposed mean?)"Motor runs cold, doesn't pursue plays well.""Loses track of his position in zone coverage."
In other words, it seems that either the scouts were very wrong, or Collins has just improved immensely. Yet another example of the NFL draft being an inexact science. Here's the full scouting report, for your amusement.
Colts flaws fully exposed in loss
It often happens, but when a team loses in the playoffs, their flaws are fully exposed for all to see. Such was the case with Indianapolis. Even though they were able to paper-over the cracks in last week's miraculous comeback, Luck and his promising team could not replicate that model in New England.
The Colts' running game is indicative of their poor front office management. The early-season loss of starting running back Vick Ballard was supposed to be off-set by the team trading their 2014 first round pick for Trent Richardson.
However Richardson never panned out as a starting back for the Colts, averaging a meagre 2.9 yards-per-carry in an Indianapolis jersey. Against the weakened Patriots defense, without the services of run-stoppers like Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and now Brandon Spikes, were seemingly ripe for some gashing runs.
Yet the Colts never ran the ball on consecutive plays (not counting a third quarter Luck scramble) until the first play of the fourth quarter. And by that point, it was arguably too late to be running heavily, since the Colts were losing.
Their defense, strung together with random free agents and cast-offs, could not stop the run when it mattered, and was bullied by the Patriots.
Even at a coaching level, Chuck Pagano decided to punt the ball with a little more than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter on 4th an 1 at his own 29 (admittedly a safe choice). Still, when trailing 43-22, and with the season on the line, why not give your all-world franchise quarterback a chance to go win it?
Unsung hero of the night
Clearly, it has to be Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who filled in admirably for injured punter Ryan Allen.
The place-kicker had to fill in after Allen went down to a shoulder injury following this debacle in the first half:
It was up to Gostkowski to make plays in the punting game. He responded with an absolute gem of a punt (56 yards), and finished with five punts for 209 yards. A fine display, and the epitome of "next man up" for the Belichick and New England to relish.
Images via Matt Slocum/AP Photo & Michael Dwyer/AP Photo
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