On Sunday Night Football, the New England Patriots stomped the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 42-20 in Indianapolis. Rookie running back Jonas Gray scored 4 touchdowns and rushed for 199 yards, to give the Patriots firm control of the top seed in the AFC, with an 8-2 record.
New England quarterback Tom Brady didn’t even have a particularly good night, finishing at 19 of 30 passing, for 257 yards, with 2 touchdowns, but also 2 interceptions. The big difference in the game was on the ground. The Patriots outrushed the Colts by a staggering 244 yards to 19. Andrew Luck did throw for 303 yards for the Colts, along with 2 touchdowns.
But when you rush for 19 yards on 17 carries, you better be gaining some yards in the air. The Colts are now 6-4, and lead the AFC South by a game over the Houston Texans. Indianapolis can’t go very far in the playoffs as a one-dimensional team.
Remember after the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 41-14, many so-called experts were predicting the end of Tom Brady and the Bill Belichick era at New England? What a bunch of dopes. Since then, they have won all 6 games, including back-to-back demolishments of top AFC rivals, the Denver Broncos and the Colts.
With tight end Rob Gronkowski back at full strength, and a defense that seems to be getting better every game, the Patriots are definitely the team to beat to get to the Super Bowl from the AFC. All challengers will have to go to New England and beat the Patriots there, unless something drastically changes in the next 6 weeks.
Gray had not scored a touchdown in his rookie year, until his 4 scores on Sunday night. If the Patriots can continue to run the ball that successfully, beating them in the cold weather in January, with Brady at the controls, would be nearly impossible.
The Broncos were looking like they would return to the Super Bowl, after losing last year, but after consecutive losses, including a 22-7 defeat at the hands of the 4-6 St. Louis Rams, the Patriots have a game led over them for the top seed, and the tie-breaker, because of beating them the week before.
Will the Brady-Belichick regime, who was dead and buried by many, return to the Super Bowl for the 6th time in February? It’s looking more and more like that will happen each week. Since the New York Giants, who beat them twice in previous Super Bowls, won’t be in the playoffs, then Patriots’ chances look good for a 4th championship, but we have a long way to go still.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
