Review the play-by-play commentary of the AFC championship game between New England and Indianapolis, LIVE, as it happened at the RCA Dome.
Postgame A moment now to peruse your comments during those last breathless 10 minutes or so … Reader Asher sends in the gnomic message “Snaps”, but believe it or not I know what he means. Meanwhile, it sounds like some readers in Indianapolis are up for anything right now, so if you want to have a good time, catch a quick flight to Indy before they come to their senses. Congrats to them, and congrats too to the Pats and their fans, who had a great season.
That’s it from here tonight. Thanks for following along and sending in all those comments tonight. Keep looking in on the Fifth Down blog during these next two weeks, culminating of course in the unspeakable climax of the Super Bowl itself — which we’ll bring to you, LIVE, right here.
Peace — I’m out!
0:00, fourth quarter A blizzard of blue and white confetti! Cameramen flood the field! Manning and his Colts teammates look not so much triumphant as relieved. Brady, his helmet off, dejected.
It’ll be the Colts against the Bears in the Super Bowl — a Midwest extravaganza! But what a game this was!
0:16, fourth quarter Brady threw it into a crowd! There were two defenders there and only one receiver, and it was over the middle, and Brady threw it there!
Now Manning kneels down! And the Colts win!
0:24, fourth quarter First down! Brady throws! INTERCEPTED! INTERCEPTED BY JACKSON! IT’S OVER! IT’S OVER! THE COLTS WILL WIN!
0:40, fourth quarter Second down. Complete to Watson! At the 40! … And now a throw to FB Evans! Good again! To the Colts 44! Only 24 seconds left!
0:54, fourth quarter Brady from the gun! … Goes longish to the sideline … incomplete! Caldwell never turned out toward the sideline….
1:00, fourth quarter Colts lead for the first time! Now can the Pats summon the magic one more time? … Vinatieri to kick off … A high kick, taken by Hobbs — and this time they get him! He’s down at the 21!
1:00, fourth quarter Third and 2 from the Pats’ 3! One man in the backfield … Addai .. BIG HOLE! TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! Colts lead!
The convert from Vinatieri … good! Indianapolis 38, New England 34.
1:02, fourth quarter The Colts let the clock run down. Handoff to Addai, he jumps to change directions into a little hole. And he gets to the 3!
Timeout New England!
1:53, fourth quarter Ball on the Pats’ 11! First and 10 — Addai off right tackle to the 7 yard line.
2:01, fourth quarter Manning over the middle to WAyne! COMPLETE! TWO PATS MISS HIM! He goes downfield, and now he’s caught … AND THE BALL SQUIRTS UP IN THE AIR! BUT HE GRABS IT BACK! And down he goes! But Wayne actually lost possession of the ball for a moment! But before a Pat could react, he grabbed it back.
AND NOW A PENALTY! ROUGHING THE PASSER AGAINST THE PATS! On the completion to Wayne, while he was running and fumbling, Manning got hit in the helmet! Half the distance to the goal!
2:12, fourth quarter Pinpoint pass to Wayne on the out pattern. First down! … Now from the Colts’ 32 … incomplete over the middle. … Second and 10 … Manning long to FLETCHER! COMPLETE! AT THE PATS’ 40! He threw under heavy pressure and hit his man!
2:17, fourth quarter Sauerbrun’s punt is another big one, but it goes into the end zone. So the Colts will start from their own 20. The Super Bowl berth on the line! Who will play the Bears?!
2:30, fourth quarter Indy take time out! They have one left! They must get the ball back with time left! And here’s an ENORMOUS play, third and 4 …
Brady to pass over the middle … BROKEN UP BY SANDERS! He almost intercepted! It was intended for Troy Brown! But in any case, now the Pats must punt!
3:00, fourth quarter So first and 15 from their own 35. Caught by Caldwell in the flat, a pickup of 7. Second and 8 for the Pats … passed to Watson, good for only 3 yards. Third and 4!
3:20, fourth quarter Another big punt from Hunter Smith, 56 yards. But returned well by Troy Brown to the Pats own 42. … but a penalty — “too many players in the huddle”! Dumb!
3:20, fourth quarter Manning under pressure … BROKEN UP BY MICKENS! Great play to knock it away from Moorehead! So fourth down! Indy have to punt!
3:30, fourth quarter Manning underthrows his man, Clark. Second down … blitz … Manning throws off his back foot … nowhere near his man. Third and 10!
3:40, fourth quarter Unbearable anxiety! … Here’s the kickoff … all the way out of the end zone, almost on the fly! So the Colts must start from their 20….
3:49, fourth quarter Gostkowski, from 43 yards! … IT’S GOOD! Patriots 34, Colts 31.
4:10, fourth quarter Third and 10 … draw?! To Evans! It only goes for 4 yards. So fourth down, and Gostkowski will try a field goal!
4:30, fourth quarter A Super Bowl berth on the line! Brady on first down … overthrows his man on the sideline. Second and 10 … audible … shotgun … to the flat to Graham, but Bethea makes a great play to break it up.
5:00, fourth quarter Great catch by Graham, the TE! He had to leap for it! Now the Pats have a first down on the Colts 29!
5:31, fourth quarter Well, Manning’s thumb seems to be okay. And what a game this is! … Here’s the kickoff … taken on the 5 by Hobbs … HE BURSTS THROUGH AGAIN! He gets to the Pats’ 46 — a 41-yard return. Hobbs, a special-teams hero today for New England!
5:31, fourth quarter Vinatieri will try aq 36-yarder … it’s good! He has still never missed in the RCA Dome in his life! New England 31, Indianapolis 31.
6:00, fourth quarter Rhodes up the middle for 5. … Manning to throw, incomplete on the sideline for Wayne. … How about that Dallas Clark! They got him involved, and their offence comes alive! Third and 5 now … and they run! To Rhodes off left tackle! Good for only 3. Fourth down, they must try a FG! Strange call, that last one!…
7:15, fourth quarter Wilkins returns the kickoff to the 23. And now let’s see how Manning is. He’d hit his thumb on a teammate’s helmet as he was throwin the ball on third down in hte last series. He’s out there now … audible. He throws long … wobbly … CLARK! WIDE OPEN! And he runs and jukes and twists and turns and is finally brought down at the Pats 25! A 50-yard gain!
7:20, fourth quarter So now a FG from Gostkowski to give the Pats the lead … 25 yards … it’s up … and good! New England 31, Indianapolis 28.
7:30, fourth quarter Caught over the middle by the tight end at the 10. Third and 7 … to Caldwell in the end zone, no good! too closely watched by Hayden! Coulda been interference, but no. And a good call too.
Just before that play they showed Caldwell walking around, and even through his helmet, the eyes of the young WR, who’s dropped two wide-open important passes, were as wide as dinner plates. He’s shaky out there.
8:30, fourth quarter UNBELIEVABLE! Caldwell split wide right, totally uncovered! He calls for the ball at the sanp, Brady throws it to him … AND HE DROPS IT! WIDE OPEN he was!
9:00, fourth quarter Brady hits Brown over the middle! He gets to the 6! An 8-yard gain … but a flag is down … illegal shift! The play is nullified. First and 15.
10:20, fourth quarter Great chance here for the Pats. From the Indy 43, it’s Brady. One man in the backfield … play action, thrown over the middle, complete for a first down! Caldwell! A gain of 13. From the Indy 27 now … shotgun … another nice throw to Gaffney, complete at the 14! First down!
10:20, fourth quarter On the sideline, they’re working on Manning’s thumb! On his throwing hand! He gets up and grips a ball, and he seems to be laboring a little to do so. …
10:20, fourth quarter A long punt by Smith — taken by Troy Brown on his 28, and he dashes up to his 42 before going down. But wait, a marker is down … two fouls, both against Indy. They take the facemasking penalty, do the Pats, and they get 15 yards off it, at the Colts 43!
10:40, fourth quarter Second and 10 from the 22. … Manning trips over Addai’s foot! A loss of 7! Third down … Manning goes long — too high for Wayne! So the Colts are finally halted! They’ll punt!
11:00, fourth quarter The Colts, now taking over with a shot at the lead for the first time since early in the game. Manning looks long … but the receiver Wayne had fallen. Incomplete.
11:00, fourth quarter The return is on … a HUGE boot by Sauerbrun … accepted on the 6 by Wilkins, and he darts up the middle for about 12 yards before being brought down.
11:27, fourth quarter Another injury! It’s Bob Sanders, the Colts’ inspirational CB who missed several games this year to a knee injury. But he’s up and walks off. So now the punt from Sauerbrun. …
12:00, fourth quarter Two runs for the Pats net 3 yards. Third and 7 from the 29 … Brady, a screen to Maroney, but no! It only gets 5. Fourth down! And that exhausted Pats defence will have to come on the field again!
13:10, fourth quarter The kickoff, taken 5 yards deep by Hobbs. And again he runs back well, and he manages to get it out to the 27. The same guy who brought him down at the end of the 80=yard return before, Giordano, tackles him again.
Another fun fact: three offensive linemen have scored touchdowns tonight: Mankins for the Pats, Klecko and Saturday for the Colts.
13:20, fourth quarter The Pats’ defence are exhausted. Phill Simms, the CBS analyst, points out that the Patriot defenders are slow, visibly tired, hot in the hot dome. They’ve been on the field constantly, and they’re not in the best shape, being huge football players, and of course there’s been a flu bug going round the Pats locker room.
13:24, fourth quarter Rhodes against the grain … to the goal line … LOOSE BALL! FUMBLE! … AND THE COLTS RECOVER IN THE END ZONE! IT’S CENTER JEFF SATURDAY WHO RECOVERS IN THE END ZONE! Turnabout fair play — as the Pats scored earlier, so now do the Colts score! … And the convert is good, and it’s all tied up again! New England 28, Indianapolis 28.
13:30, fourth quarter Rhodes up the middle to the 5! Four yards! Second and goal from there. … Manning draws the Pats offside with his snap count! Second and goal from the 2!
15:00, fourth quarter “Create one, two, many AFC championship games!” I paraphrase Che Guevara to dramatize the notion that this game has seemed like several games. More on that in a moment … Second and 1, Colts … Rhodes gets two yards off the right and a first down.
Anyway, the Colts started by trying to get the ball to Harrison, and they were getting slaughtered by Samuel, who was all over him for NE. But then the Colts adjusted. … AND HERE HE THROWS FOR CLARK ON THE SIDELINE, COMPLETE ON THE PATS 9!
0:00, third quarter First down from the Pats 44. Rhodes, again over right tackle, and again like a hot knife through butter he slices into the Pats secondary. A 9-yard gain. And that’s the end of the third, the score New England 28, Indianapolis 21.
1:00, third quarter A lot of injuries in this game, though this is the first one that looks really bad. Utecht is being helped off.
Colts have a first down on their own 43. Manning over the middle to Rhodes, good for another 13. He’s in Pats territory.
1:00, third quarter First and 10. Rhodes gets about 6 yards. And TE Utecht goes down for Indy. I think his knee gave out. He’s down flat and in pain.
1:25, third quarter Wotta barn-burner we’ve got going now! And we’ve even got Reader Justyn in Indy following along, even though — what?! — he’s not a football fan?! Really!
The kickoff, goes to a blocker … taken by … is it Klecko? He’s upended and fumbles, but the Colts recover their own fumble.
1:25, third quarter Still waiting … I think this is going to count … now the ruling … TOUCHDOWN, PATS! The call stands!
And now the convert from Gostkowski … is good. New England 28, Indianapolis 21.
1:25, third quarter First of all, it’s a bad rule. You catch the ball and get pushed out of bounds, and it’s considered a touchdown, by rule. Bad rule. But here the question is, did Gaffney’s heels step over the end line as he started his leap to catch the ball? It’s unclear! But you know, he would’ve never come down with both feet in the end zone anyway. But because he got pushed, they’re probably going to give him the TD….
1:25, third quarter Third and goal! Brady scrambling! Scrambling! He throws to the back of the end zone … CAUGHT BY GAFFNEY! He’s knocked over the end line! The officials come together to confer … AND THEY SIGNAL TOUCHDOWN! THEY RULE HE WAS PUSHED OUT OF BOUNDS! BUt wait … CHALLENGE!
2:00, third quarter Dillon tries the left side, and he’s stuffed for a loss of 1! Second and goal form the 6! … Brady retreats … being chased … throws … DROPPED IN THE END ZONE! CALDWELL, WIDE OPEN, RIGHT IN HIS HANDS, AND HE DROPPED IT!
3:10, third quarter Maroney on first down, nothing on the left side. Second and 11 from the Indy 21. … Brady OVER THE MIDDLE TO GAFFNEY! First and goal on the 5 of Indy!
4:00, third quarter Amazing! The Colts are back on even terms! What’s wrong with the Patriots’ defence? Well, the estimable CBS analyst Solomon Wilcots, on the Pats sidelines for this game, reports that a lot of the players who have been suffering from the flu are cramping up over there, dehydrated, ill. That flu will kill you. The Canadiens had a flu bug last month, and they went from the hottest team in the NHL to a losing streak.
Now the kickoff. … Taken by Hobbs 2 yards deep, up the right side … AND THERE HE GOES! UP THE SIDELINE! A FOOTRACE! AND HE’S FINALLY PUSHED OUT OF BOUNDS ON THE COLTS 21! GIORDANO SAVED THE TD, BUT THE PATS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE!
4:00, third quarter Stacked lines. … He’s gonna throw … TACKLE ELIGIBLE TO KLECKO! HE CATCHES AND GETS IN FOR THE SCORE! THE EX-PAT LINEMAN GETS THE TD, and that’s his second TD catch of the season!
Colts go for 2! Manning to throw … a blitz! He tosses it up. BRAVE CATCH BY HARRISON! That was a hospital ball for sure, but he stuck his head in there and caught it! New England 21, Indianapolis 21.
4:10, third quarter Addai for 3 yards to the 19. Second down … Manning in the gun … to the endzone … INTERFERENCE! Hobbs faceguarded Wayne, so first and goal, Colts, on the Pats 1!
5:00, third quarter Pats are offside! And with the five yards, it’s enough for the first down. Colts on the Pats’ 22.
5:30, third quarter Harrison drops a pass over the middle. So second and 10 … Rhodes off the right side again, and again the Pats can’t tackle him! He slips through for 4 yards after being stopped on the line.
6:00, third quarter Rhodes off tackle on the right, AND HE BURSTS THROUGH! To the PATS 31, a 19-yard gain! First down!
6:50, third quarter First and 10. Manning over the middle — PERFECT TOUCH! COMPLETE TO CLARK, who catches over the shoulder at the midfield stripe!
7:00, third quarter Sauerbrun booms a 58-yard punt. And Indy will have to start from their own 26. But the Pats did nothing on that series, and here come Indy again!…
7:30, third quarter Delay to Faulk, and he singlehandedly manages to get 8 yards on that play. Great individual effort! … Third and 2 now. Very loud. Brady gets away from a big rush, throws complete to Evans, BUT A GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAY! HE’S HIT HARD BY THE MUCH SMALLER DAVID JASON, and that prevents a first down! The Pats must punt!
8:00, third quarter The Boston Patriots … I just wanted to say that once because I remember Gino Cappeletti and Houston Antwine and Babe Parilli, not to mention the AFL East playoff game in which the Boston Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 26-8. Anyway, The Patriots start from their own 18.
Brady lofts the ball out of bounds. What happened on that one?
8:00, third quarter The Colts are back! Two masterly drives in a row net them 10 points. And now let’s see how Brady and the Pats respond.
The kickoff … it’s taken by Maroney on the 6 … AND HE’S CREAMED BY DARRELL REID! A return of about 5 yards!
8:13, third quarter Third and goal … Manning up the middle … wait for it … TOUCHDOWN! They pile-drove it over! And Vinatieri’s convert is good, and Indy are back in it! New England 21, Indianapolis 13.
8:45, third quarter Here’s Addai, a rare carry. Good for 4 yards. … Second and goal from the 5 … Addai again, almost, but Sanders stands him up on the 1!
10:00, third quarter Rhodes, a flare pass, eludes a tackler, gets 4. Second and 6 … Complete over hte middle to Moorehead! First and goal on the Pats 9! Moorehead having a great game the last few minutes!
10:30, third quarter Manning over the middle, and a nice catch by Wayne! He turned around in mid-pattern and caught it over his shoulder. First down, on the Pats 21!
11:00, third quarter Rhodes up the middle for 5. … Second down from the NE 33 … Manning to pass … to Wayne over the middle, but it’s knocked out of his hands by Hobbs. Third down!
12:00, third quarter Rhodes 2 yards to the Indy 49. Second and 8 … play action, out pattern right side to Harrison, catches for a first down on the Pats 38!
13:00, third quarter From the 37, MAnning ostentatiously audibilizes … Rhodes off left tackle, big hole, good for 10 more yards! First down!
14:30, third quarter Rhodes up the middle for 2. On second down, an out patter to Harrison is just enough for the first down! No, wait … they say he’s short! The crowd boo! Third down, up the middle for a first down by Rhodes.
15:00, third quarter Pats kick off to start the second half. Taken by Wilkins two yards deep. He runs up the middle like a streak, but he’s stopped cold on a HUGE head-on hit by Izzo! So the Colts start from their 24.
More halftime Nice of Reader Patrick Schmitt to write in on behalf of Logan Mankins: “Dear Peyton, I have more touchdowns in the last two playoff games than you do.” … David in Vermont was also perplexed by the Pats’ meltdown on their last possession. It’s probably nothing, but I do admit I’ll be interested to see how Brady does if he gets heavily rushed on his first second-half posession. … And Rob H in Virginia likes this blogcast’s charm. “Charm,” Rob H? In the second half, I’m going to type Booger McFarland’s name as many times as I can. Now that’s charm.
Halftime Time to look in on your comments. Toni Monkovic is always diligent about addressing your questions during these games, but let me get in there now and either delight or alienate you. … Holy cow! You people have been writing in a lot. Reader Herb in Australia wants me to tell you where they are with regard to the yard lines. Fair point. I’ll try. But I draw the line at meters just in case you people following along in Europe were going to ask. … Steven, also from Down Under, writes wistfully of his first experience at a gridiron match. You know, I have no snarky riposte for that. …
0:00, second quarter Brady kneels, and that’s the half, with the score New England 21, Indianapolis 6.
0:04, second quarter Well, that was a nice drive, 80 yards, by the Colts. But no paydirt. So now they kick off, a squibber. An upback, Troy Brown, bobbles on it and falls on it for the Pats. And they’ll start from their own 20. They’ve got one play.
0:07, second quarter And it’s good. Nice hold, too, by Hunter Smith, who bobbled the snap but managed to get the ball down properly. New England 21, Indianapolis 6.
0:11, second quarter Actually, Wayne tripped over his own feet on that. The replay shows that perhaps one of his feet lightly struck Hobbs’s shin and then his own two feet collided. Anyway, doesn’t matter … Vinatieri will try a 26-yarder.
0:11, second quarter Third and goal … wish pass to Wayne in the corner of the end zone … incomplete, but Wayne was tripped by DB Hobbs! A flag. … long conference … what are the officials doing? … NO FOUL! The ref says their feet simply got entangled. So fourth down!
0:20, second quarter Second and goal form the 7. Indy have one timeout left. … Manning audiblizes … backpedals … to Clark in the end zone! INCOMPLETE! Was it broken up by DB Sanders … YES! Nice play by Sanders. Saved a TD.
0:24, second quarter First and goal on the Pats 6! … Manning in the gun! … Men in motion. Handoff to Rhodes is stuffed! Time out, Indy, with 20 seconds to go.
0:50, second quarter Second and 10, and Manning overthrows Clark. Third and 10! Big play here from the Pats 29! … A light toss to Rhodes, a hospital ball! But Rhodes hangs on and gets up, jubilant! First down! … Manning again, quick count, over the middle to Clark! Inside the 10 of the Pats! Time out, Indy!
2:00, second quarter Reader Borges disagrees with what he calls this “game thread”, namely my assessment that Brady turtled on that last sack. Yo, Borges, he wasn’t touched! All he had to do was step forward and he could’ve kept going on that play. QB’s do it all the time.
OK, first and 10 — Harrison catches on the right and gets loose for 12 yards and another first down. … Now to the left sideline, where Moorehead catches and steps out of bounds after getting 10. From the PAts 47 now … over the middle, good to Moorehead again. Quick count … caught by Clark on the 30! 13 more yards. First and 10 from the Pats 29. I can’t keep up with this! Manning for the end zone … too far! That was Moorehead, but Hobbs was with him all the way.
2:00, second quarter Two-minute warning. Hey, what’s wrong with Indy? Almost six aurters without a TD. Well, one thing is they’re not getting the ball to TE Dallas Clark. Just one throw to him, which worked for a first down. Nor are we seeing a lot of passes to Addai. Instead, Manning is forcing the ball to Harrison, who is being covered like flypaper by Samuel.
2:10, second quarter Third and 10 — Manning zips it to Reggie Wayne on a crossing pattern. Good for 18! First down at the Colts 30!
2:58, second quarter Indy start from their 12. Manning back, everyone covered, he must scramble! And as he’s being tackled he throws it away out of bounds! Second and 10 … Addai off right tackle, into a crowd of Pats! No gain!
3:30, second quarter Sauerbrun punts for NE, fair caught on the 10, though the Indy returned could’ve easily run with it, cos there was no one nearby for the Pats.
But anyhow, hard to figure Brady bailing out on that last play. It was like he lost his nerve. Not to make any grand assessments based on a single play or anything. Still …
3:50, second quarter Now third and 21 from the Indy 43 … The gun. Brady points. AND DOWN HE GOES! Brady wasn’t even really being pressured, but Brady just turtled. So now they’ll have to punt. … Invincible New England, don’t look quite so invincible after that debacle.
4:26, second quarter Complete in the flat to Watson for the first down, but penalty! … offensive pass interference against Troy Brown! So the Pats will have to do it again.
Third and 16 from the Indy 38. … The gun … Brady shouts over the crowd noise. A draw to EVans, and he gets 4 hard-fought yards. But another penalty … illegal motion against the Pats!
5:50, second quarter Brady reads the blitz and makes a jump pass, complete to Caldwell for 6! Second down, delay to Maroney, but it’s sussed and loses a yard. Third and 5 for NE from the Indy 28!
6:00, second quarter Third and 8 … Brady in the gun … Lotsa time. OVER THE MIDDLE COMPLETE IN A CROWD! To Watson, good for a first down at the Colts 33!
7:33, second quarter Pitch to Maroney, and he’s upended for a loss of 3 by Sanders! Second and 13 From their own 49 now … Brady over the middle for a 5-yard gain to Morris.
7:44, second quarter Manning on third down, under pressure, throws from the goal line … long to Harrison! Samuel goes up, so does Harrison … AND HARRISON CAN’T QUITE PULL IT DOWN! So close, but it bounces off his helmet. Woulda been a 50-yard gain at least.
So now Indy must punt … and they do, and it’s returned about 7 yards to the Colts 47. That’s where the Pats will start.
9:00, second quarter Manning DROPPED FOR A LOSS! On the 5-yard line. By LB Rosevelt Colvin, an Indy native! Third and 22! You know, the Pats have as many people from Indianapolis in their lineup as the Colts do!
And now a delay of game call against Indy, and it’s third and 24 from the 2 1/2! And the boos come cascading down from what most people think are the polite Indianans.
9:34, second quarter That’ll go down as a 39-yard touchdown for Samuel on that interception return. Asante Samuel is, no doubt in my mind, the star of this game so far.
And we are told that that’s Samuel’s third postseason TD off an interception, which ties the NFL record set by Willie Brown, the great CB of the Raiders of yore, if memory serves. If it doesn’t serve, write in and tell me.
The kickoff is returned to the 17 by Terence Wilkins. And that’s where MAnning will start. Manning’s signal calls reverberate through the silent dome. And now he’s chased from the pocket, scrambles, and slides to safety at the line of scrimmage.
9:40, second quarter Anyway, Colts start from their 28. Dom Rhodes gets 3. Second and 7 … Manning from the gun … INTERCEPTED! INTERCEPTED BY SAMUEL! AND HE’S GONNA WALK IN UNMOLESTED FOR THE TD! ASANTE SAMUEL DOES IT AGAIN — he’s all over Harrison today, and this time Manning forced it to the flat, to his undoing. The convert is good, and it’s New England 21, Indianapolis 3.
10:00, second quarter Well, what did I say, eh? Troy Brown! Well, Dillon too. Anyway, The Pats are in the driving seat, and now they kick off. Wilkins returns to the 25 … LOOSE BALL! The officials do nothing, say nothing … I guess he was down!
10:30 second quarter Handoff to Dillon off left tackle, he dekes left, then dekes right, leaves two Colts sprawling, and he’s in untouched for the TD! TOUCHDOWN, NEW ENGLAND! The convert is good, and it’s New England 14, Indianapolis 3.
12:00, second quarter Here it is! Brady over the middle to Troy Brown! A crossing pattern, and off he goes! The oldster Brown rambles for 27 yards before being pulled down from behind! First and goal, NE, on the Indy 7!
13:00, second quarter From the 35, the Pats are gonna go for it rather than try a 53-yard FG by Gostkowski! But the play clock runs down before Brady can get a snap, so he calls time out! Big play coming up!
13:00, second quarter Sorry, I’ve been misspelling Maroney’s name. No disrespect intended. Two incompletions follow, and it’s third and 10 for NE from the Indy 38 … Screen! And Faulk is creamed! By Brock! A huge collision. Fourth and 6.
13:30, second quarter Actually Evans rumbled for 10. So from the Pats 49, Maroney, up the middle for 5 and into Indy territory. … Second and 5 … delay to Maroney … trapped behind the line but he skips away and runs wide for a first down! He eluded Marlon Jackson.
15:00, second quarter It’ll be third and 1 from the Pats 37. … QB keeper Brady, very close … just enough. First down! … Backs in the I … play action. Brady scrambles and throws to FB Heath Evans, and he rumbles for 9.
0:40, first quarter Now we hear that the Colts CB Nick Harper is out with an ankle injury. The Pats start their drive with a Dillon run off tackle for 2 and a completion on the left to TE Watson for 7. And the first quarter ends with the score Pats 7, Colts 3.
0:49, first quarter Colts start from their massed kickoff formation. Taken a yard deep by Hobbs, and he’s brought down at the 28 of the Patsies. That’s where they’ll start!
1:00, first quarter Vinatieri in to kick for Indy. He’s never missed at the RCA Dome, where he’s something like 27 for 27 in his career. This is a 42-yarder, up and … good! But only just! It barely went inside the right upright, but no matter. New England 7, Indianapolis 3.
1:10, first quarter Delay to Addai — and he skips through tacklers! He eludes several before being brought down at last on the 25. Nice play! But they’ll have to try a FG.
2:00, first quarter Second and 20 … flare pass to Addai, and he’s brought down on a nice one-on-one tackle by Samuel. Gain of only about 3. Third down!
2:10, first quarter Play action … Manning goes long for Wayne! In the end zone! AND GREAT PLAY BY HOBBS TO BREAK IT UP! A diving save to stop a TD!
2:30, first quarter First and 10 from the NE 26. Off right tackle to Addai. Good gain … but a holding penalty against RT Ryan Diem. So first and 20.
3:30, first quarter Third and inches! … Addai off right tackle, met by four Pats. Very close again! Another measurement? … First down, literally by two inches!
4:00, first quarter Off left tackle to Addai, but Seymour gets him by the ankles. He’s back in the game. A pickup of 3. … Second down, a pass to the right is caught, can’t see by whom, but it’s very close to the first down. They’ve gotta measure.
4:49, first quarter Third and 6 — Manning’s pass — great catch by Dallas Clark, the TE! First down at the Pats 36.
5:00, first quarter Manning looks long for Harrison … to the end zone … perfect throw … but Samuels breaks it up! Samuels was with Harrison step for step — great play!
6:23, first quarter Another throw to Harrison on the right, but Samuels breaks it up for NE. The announcers tell us that Richard Seymour is still on the sideline, getting his ankle tapede. He might be back for the Pats … Second down, flanker screen to Reggie Wayne! Nice flotilla of blockers in front, and he gains 13 yards and a first down. From the 47, Manning s screen to Addai, but it’s sussed out and goes for 4.
7:18, first quarter Play action, and Manning hits Harrison coming back along the right sideline for 8 yards. … Second down, one man in the backfield, Addai — and he breaks two tackles to gain another 8. First down!
7:20, first quarter Mankins, a first-round draft choice. Wide pick. And now the kickoff must be down in the end zone, so the shellshocked Colts take over at their 20.
7:25, first quarter Handoff to Moroney … FUMBLE! IT’S LOOSE! THE COLTS HAVE IT … NO THEY DON’T! IT SQUIBS INTO THE END ZONE, WHERE IT’S RECOVERED BY THE PATS! LOGAN MANKINS, THE GUARD! TOUCHDOWN, NEW ENGLAND!
Unbelievable! The Colts had the ball on the 2, but somehow it squirted through all those Colts players! And into the end zone, where Mankins dove on it! The officials were so astonished it took them 15 seconds to finally signal touchdown! … The convert is good, and it’s New England 7, Indianapolis 0.
7:40, first quarter Moroney up the middle for 9! Quick count, and Brady plunges on the QB keeper, but it’s not enough. Third and inches from the 4!
9:00, first quarter Short by literally an inch! And the Pats are gonna go for it!
Huge hole! Dillon sprints through! He’s off to the races! Finally driven out of bounds by Bethea after a gain of 35 yards! First down Pats at the Colts 13!
10:20, first quarter It was a Colt player who was down, Brackett. Freeney is back in. Anyway, a draw by Faulk goes for 2. Third and 8 … Draw! To Faulk! He picks his way through a minefield of tacklers and gets close to the first down! They’re gonna have to measure.
10:30, first quarter A draw to Moroney, stuffed for no gain by the man fated to go through life with the name Booger McFarland. … But two Colts have been hurt in the last two plays. DE Dwight Freeney limped off last play, and now someone is down. Can’t tell who yet. But anyway, Booger McFarland. Real name, Anthony, and I see that the CBS announcer judiciously referred to him as that, but look at the Colts press guide … “answers to the childhood nickname, Booger”.
11:00, first quarter Our ref today is Bill Carollo. Where’s our pal Refchat, who always writes in to tell us how these officiating crews call games? Come on, Refchat, give it up!
New England begin from their 25. A short pass to the flat to Caldwell, who eludes a defender and runs up the sideline for 18 yards! First down Patsies!
11:00, first quarter It’s against Indy, so they’ll have to punt again. Illegal motion was the call. Hunter Smith will boot it again for the Colts. … nice toward the sideline, fair caught by Faulk at the Pats 25. That’s where they’ll start.
11:30, first quarter Third and 3 from the 35 … shotgun. Manning overthrows his man Addai streaking down the sideline! Addai leaps and almost catches it, but not quite. The Colts will have to punt! … taken on the 11 and returned about three yards by Hagler. But a penalty …
12:10, first quarter The Colts start with a sweep left to Addai, good for 6. But now Richard Seymour, the Pats DE, is hurt. He’s limping off with an ankle injury. Ooh — on the replay you can see that he turned his ankle as he helped out on the tackle.
Second and 4 … one man in the backfield … Addai stopped at the line on a run off tackle.
13:00, first quarter OG Logan Mankins made a great block on that run. Now first down, and a dropped screen by Faulk. Second and 10, another draw, to Dillon, but only 2 yards. Third and 10, and Brady underthrows his man! So fourth down. … High punt from Sauerbrun, returned nicely by Chapman ot the 29. First down, Colts!
14:00, first quarter Third and 7 … shotgun … draw to Faulk, right up the middle, good for 8 and a first down, Pats!
14:49, first quarter First play, Brady rolls out and underthrows his man. Second down, Dillon up the middle for 3 yards.
More pregame fooferaw It seems to have taken them several minutes to clear all the soldiers off the field and fold up that flag, and finally the Colts are being introduced to the crowd.
Now the coin toss. Won by … well, CBS have cut back to Phil Simms giving pregame analysis. And now a commercial. Aaargh!
Back to live action! The tension! It turns out that the Colts will kick off, the ex-Pat Adam Vinatieri. Taken on the 6 by Hobbs, and he’s brought down by a wave of Colts at the 23.
First down!
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Prelude to kickoff The Colts are in blue shirts and white pants. The Pats are in white shirts and blue pants.
But first, “to honor America”, singer Yolanda Adams will sing the Star-Spangled Banner. She makes a false start — “O say” — gives a sheepish shrug, then starts over.
A massive flag covers the field, almost as wide as the field itself and about 60 yards long. It’s held by various Green Berets, Marines, sailors, police officers, etc. Yolanda gets to the end of the martial ballad, inserts the requisite Gospel melismas, and that’s over with.
The Pats are shown ambling down the corridor from their dressing room to the field. They do not look particularly anxious … or eager, either.
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Fun Facts to Know and Tell: It’s a shame that the Super Bowl won’t be Patriots-Saints. I say that for only one reason: there are a whole bunch of Pats players from Louisiana. A whole lot, like, more than half a dozen. Funny thing is, there is only one New England player who’s actually from New England. Count ’em, one: S Tebucky Jones, who’s from New Britain, Ct., halfway between Boston and New York City. Not that the Colts are any better — they’ve got only one guy from Indiana: rookie WR John Standeford, from Monrovia, just outside Indy. In fact, the Colts have more Buffalonians on their team than Hoosiers (2), and more Canadians (2 again). Mind you, this kind of thing isn’t really unusual for most NFL teams, but with clubs able to carry, what? like 65 guys on their payrolls, you’d figure they’d do a better job of putting hometown players on the roster.
OK, any comments, queries, spelling corrections? Send ’em in, and if you can remember, say where you’re writing from. And please, no comments about today’s Arsenal-Man United match.
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Hello gridiron fans, wherever you may be reading this. In about three and a half hours, we’re going to find out who will face the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, the Pats or the Colts. Indianapolis are 3-point favorites, simply because they’re playing at home — but that’s important, because both times these two teams met in recent playoffs the Pats won, both times in New England and both times in the cold.
My advice for following the game tonight. Besides “dress comfortably”? Well, if you’ve been following football in even the slightest way this past week you’ve heard these tropes several times: Peyton Manning, the record-breaking QB who chokes in the postseason, vs. Tom Brady, the handsome playoff hero who knows how to win. Or, likeable Coach Tony Dungy vs. socially crippled genius Coach Bill Belichick. Or simply, the Colts, intimidated by history, vs. the Pats, regally confident champions.
But I say the key men in this game will be two receivers. For the Pats, their 14-year veteran WR Troy Brown, who bedeviled the Colts in those two playoff victories and who saved the Pats last week by stripping an intercepted ball from San Diego DB Marlon McCree with six minutes left. (Look out, though — Brown has the flu.) For the Colts, it’ll be TE Dallas Clark. When he missed much of the second-half of the season with an injury, the Colts lost game after game. When he came back for the playoffs, Manning went to him repeatedly, and Indy won. This is a big deal, because Manning and Marvin Harrison, always such a fearsome tandem in the regular season, have always been terrible in the playoffs.
The injury report for New England: Only one player listed as “doubtful”: SS Rodney Harrison (knee). Three are “questionable”: WR Troy Brown (flu), OT Ryan O’Callaghan (flu) and DE Mike Wright (flu). The injury report for Indianapolis: No one is listed as “doubtful” (that sounds pretty dubious to me), but “questionable” are OT Ryan Diem (shoulder), CB Nicholas Harper (ankle), LB Cato June (concussion), G Ryan Lilja (knee), WR Ricky Proehl (hamstring) and FS Bob Sanders (knee).
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