subject: Nfl- Colts Maintain Perfect Record This Season After Beating Patriots [print this page] After a tough game that left them down by 17 points, the Indianapolis Colts seized the moment and beat the New England Patriots this Sunday 35-34. New England gave the win to the Colts at the end of the fourth quarter with a bizarre decision by Coach Belichick not to kick. With two minutes left, an interception and a fumble in the rival's end zone in the fourth quarter, Indianapolis earned the win and kept its unbeatable record this season, now at 9-0. It was a brilliant night for Tom Brady and an irregular night for Peyton Manning. In the end, though, Manning was the savior passer for the Colts.
In one of the most anticipated duels Colts came with an 8-0 record while the Patriots were coming from 6-2. The Patriots clearly controlled the first half. Brady came to rest with 241 yards and two touchdown passes while Moss has accumulated 144 yards and one arrival to the end zone. With those numbers, the Patriots staked out their territory to build a lead of 24-14 at the end of the first half, leaving behind a somewhat confused Colts.
Returning from the break, there was little variation from the first half. Indianapolis' offense had trouble raising good plays while New England dominated. However two turnovers, an intercepted pass to Brady, and a fumble from Maroney put the Colts on the scoreboard.
There was no scoring in the third quarter, but New England forged ahead 31-14 with a second touchdown pass to Moss. The Colts responded with seven points, courtesy of Pierre Garcon. Finally came the controversial ending of the game which allowed the Colts to remain undefeated.
A field goal in the final stretch in the fourth quarter gave the Patriots a lead of 13 points. And with 3:32 to play, it seemed New England had the game wrapped up tight. Nevertheless, the Colts scored with one carry of four yards by Joseph Addai, cutting the score to 34-28 and raising the tension for everyone in the stadium. However, the Colts needed the ball back to have a chance, and to everyone's surprise, their opportunity arose.
The Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, considered one of the "geniuses" of all NFL coaches, determined to go for a fourth down with two to advance when the Patriots were in their 28-yard line with 2:08 minutes remaining. Brady tried a pass to the receiver Kevin Faulk, which was short one yard. That allowed Manning to lead the attack of the Colts and with only 13 seconds left, Manning sent a scoring pass from one yard to Reggie Wayne, giving the Colts the electrifying 35-34 victory.
At the end of the game, Colts defender Robert Mathis said that they didn't steal the game to the Patriots; they worked until the end to win. "We didn't steal (anything). We went out there and played 60 minutes just like they played 60 minutes and we (were) fortunate enough to have one more point than they did. We earned it,"stated Mathis.
This is one of the more exciting of the Colts' victories during their run of 18 consecutive wins in the regular season. They are now tied for the second most consecutive wins in the NFL history, an honor which is currently held by the Patriots.
With the win the Colts remain leaders in the South Division of the AFC. The Patriots still linger in first place of the East Division of the AFC with a 6-3 record.
