[Editor’s note: Former Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist looks at the Sunday night matchup between the Pats and the Colts.] Sunday’s night game between New England and Indianapolis did resemble two veteran fighters pitted in a made for TV rematch, with the Patriots and the Colts both slugging it out to prove they still deserved consideration for the AFC’s title belt. At the half it was 7-6, after 3 it was 15-12. When the final bell rang and sixty minutes had expired, the Colts came away with a hard fought 18-15 victory and renewed life in the chase for a playoff birth. It was evenly matched bout, both teams showing signs of the scars that had plagued their game over the course of the first half of the season, but both also playing up to the standards they had set as champions in the past. It was a close scorecard; first downs, 3rd down conversions, total yards & final points.In the end the Colts would convert on more scoring chances than the Pats and New England would turn the ball over twice. Each team had only 7 possession apiece, so maximizing every opportunity was paramount towards ending up on top. Studying the Colts you could see that they were struggling to produce on 1st downs and this in turn was placing heavy pressure on 2nd & 3rd. The lack of a consistent rushing attack was reducing the usually potent play action game of QB Peyton Manning to a mere façade. Manning was forcing the ball too much and needed an outlet to set up the pass. KEY #1 was establishing the run on first. Offensive coordinator Tom Moore must have agreed. In the first quarter the Colts ran on 5 of 8 1st downs (5, 3, 3 & 3 yards). The second quarter saw 1 of 6 runs on 1st, but 4 came on a two minute drive to end the half. Indy came out of intermission with 3 of 4 runs and closed the game 4 of 5. The result was a little less pressure on 2nd, with no sacks and only 2 hurries. In all Indy ran 13 of 23 times on first down and Manning went 8 of 12 when passing on the ensuing 2nd down. I put the onus for success on OC Jeff Saturday and rookie OG Mike Pollak being able to control their side of the LOS, as the Colts tend to work up the middle and right when running inside. Ten of thirteen runs on first down went middle/right, though with only 47 total yards it’s hard to say Indy established the run. I’ll preface my evaluation of KEY #2 with the fact that Indy’s DC Marlin Jackson had yet to be placed on IR when the report was written. That said, I felt it imperative that the Colts find a way to limit the damage done by New England’s “big play” threat Randy Moss. I’ve seen opponents “man up” Moss with their best defender and leave Welker to the #2 DC, but it appeared that Indy was content to double up Moss with good “over the top” support from their safeties and box him out of the “big play”. Moss finished the night with 6 receptions for 65 yards, 10.8 average and a long of 20 ( but that came on the last play of the game). His first catch (and target) came at 14:22 of the 3rd quarter and he really played a small factor in the Patriots offense. QB Matt Cassel would turn to the team’s leading receiver Welker for 7 receptions, but only 37 yards. It was shut down evening for the Colt secondary. I thought KEY #3 for the Patriots would be the poise of Cassel facing a hostile Lucas Oil Stadium crowd and the resulting pressure of the Colt front four. Cassel would need to elude the initial onslaught of emotion that comes with “Football Night in America” and a usual raucous Indy faithful. The Pats went 3 & out to start the game, then Cassel settled down the offense and engineered two 13-play drives. But both stalled out inside the Colts’ 20 yard line and New England would settle for FG’s. Cassel went 8 of 9 in the first half, converting 50% (3 of 6) on 3rd downs. The matchup of DE Dwight Freeney on LOT Matt Light never materialized, nor did the overall pressure on Cassel. Indy never sacked the Pats’ quarterback, though they did generate 4 QB hurries (all in the 2nd half). It wasn’t the pressure but rather the inefficiency in scoring in the red zone that stopped Cassel and his offense. (WR Jabar Gaffney’s wide open miss didn’t help much either.) Indy’s TE Dallas Clark has played a big role in picking up the slack of a somewhat struggling WR corps. Clark was 3rd in receptions going into the game (27 for 328). Clark presents somewhat of a dilemma for defensive coordinators in his ability to move around and create mismatches in the passing game. I felt KEY #4 would be the Patriots’ ability (or not) to corral Clark with their safeties, especially given the absence of Rodney Harrison. With the emphasis on establishing the run, it would be critical for Brandon Merriweather and James Sanders to not overplay the LOS and let Clark slip behind coverage. On the night Clark would play a pivotal part in the Colts attack. On the initial play from scrimmage he caught an 8 yard out that would set the tone for first down. During their second drive, Clark pulled in a 17-yard reception on 2nd & 10 to bring the Colts to mid field. The drive ended with Indy’s first TD. To start the 3rd quarter Clark hauled in an 18-yard pass to start their second scoring drive. Then in the 4th he caught a 20-yard throw from Manning that got the Colts out of their end of the field and eventually led to a FG. The Colts TE finished with 4 receptions for 63 yards, but three played key components in leading to all 18 points. The final KEY (#5) would be the battle of the punters in a tight game. Indy’s Hunter Smith had been masterful in pinning opponents inside the 20 and had netted almost 40 yards per kick. The Patriots’ Chris Hanson was a bit behind the numbers of Smith for the season, but was certainly capable of “flipping the field”. As it stood, Hanson did just that on his lone punt for the game. Off an initial 3 & out, Hanson punted from the Patriot 29 and sailed one 64 yards to the Indy 7 (returned for 2). The Colts would start their second drive from their own 9 yard line. Smith did his part after Indy’s first possession. He flipped the field from the 32 to the New England 12 with a 56 yarder (returned for 9). The Pats would go 3 & out. Smith later hit a 58 yarder to the NE 7 that was returned 15 yards. His final punt went 49 yards & into the end zone, but he fielded a low snap and got the punt off with just 29 seconds remaining to preserve the win.
TED SUNDQUIST’S WEEK NINE GAME REVIEWS: PATRIOTS AT COLTS
Published November 4, 2008 11:25 AM
