In January, LeGarrette Blount scored four touchdowns as the New England Patriots ran all over the Colts in their Divisional Round playoff win. On Sunday, Jonas Gray scored four touchdowns as the New England Patriots ran all over the Colts in a prime time matchup for first place in the AFC. The biggest difference between these two games was not the man carrying the football, however. For me, the clear point of distinction was that the Patriots’ lead never truly felt safe last winter. On Sunday night, it seemed as if the game was never in doubt.
The 2013 Patriots were stuck together with duct tape and chewing gum. There was little reason to think that they would be able to keep the powerful Indy offense in check. And with Andrew Luck having just completed a miraculous second half comeback against Kansas City the week prior, the Patriots lead always felt tenuous. Much to their credit, the Patriots did what they needed to do and managed to turn Luck into a turnover machine and kill the clock with Blount’s powerful ground game.
The Patriots won that contest handily, just like they did on Sunday. But even with the similar theme of a pounding running game and eerily similar 43-22 and 42-20 final scores, the feel of those two wins couldn’t have been more different. The Patriots simply dominated the Colts two evenings ago. The offensive line opened up huge holes for Jonas Gray to bound through. Jonas Gray, in turn, opened up some huge opportunities for Brady in the passing game. The Patriots defense completely neutralized the Indianapolis rushing attack, and while Andrew Luck managed to make a handful of big passing plays, he was largely unable to string together enough to put meaningful points on the board. It was a complete shellacking from all angles. Strangely enough, the victory was punctuated by the fact that Tom Brady had a subpar game and made some awful mistakes. He threw two picks to Andrew Luck’s one, with his second INT resulting in seven free points for Indy to end the half and keep the game at a respectable 14-10 margin. When Brady has an off night, the Patriots lose the turnover battle, and they still win by 22 points, that’s a statement.
The Patriots have now defeated the current leaders of the other three divisions by a combined score of 70 points. As bad as they looked in Kansas City in Week 4, they now look equally as good. This Patriots squad is as complete of a team as I have ever seen in all my years of following them. They have an explosive passing game and ground game. The defense is stout on all three levels. Special teams consistently gets the job done. The only thing stopping them at this point is injury or themselves.
What a difference from the last time they played the Colts.
Risers:
Jonas Gray (RB) – 201 yards. 4 TD’s. One great night to have your break-out party on national television.
Kyle Arrington (CB) – Arrington did a bang-up job containing T.Y. Hilton. Andrew Luck and the Colts struggled mightily to get their drives going as a result.
Offensive Line – I can’t say enough about their blocking, both for Brady and for Gray. It’s hard to believe this unit was the main source of disarray seven weeks ago.
Rob Gronkowski (TE) – He didn’t fill up the stat sheet as much as in prior games, but made his toughness felt throughout the night against the Indy defense.
Donta’ Hightower/Jamie Collins (LB) – These backers were flying all over the field, making big plays in both the run defense and passing game.
Fallers:
Tom Brady (QB) – I think Brady would agree with this designation. Two interceptions just isn’t up to his normal standard.
Brian Tyms (WR) – Dropped Brady’s first pass of the evening and was his target on the first interception.
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