Down but don't count them out

Yesterday couldn't have come at a better time & what better way to wrap it all up than seeing the Colts go up against New England. Sure, the Patriots may have had all the offensive firepower on hand but I felt the Colts, with a pretty impressive defense, could counter by keeping those threats in check for most of the game.

And for most of the game, the Colts did everything that I hoped they'd do to neutralize Tom Brady & company. That is, until the fourth quarter, that other 25% which mattered most.

Up to then, New England was just in a lull...then a bomb from Brady to Randy Moss shifted the momentum to the Patriots for good. Yet another bomb later on which led to the winning score by Kevin Faulk: talk about making big, championship-level plays at this juncture. The Pats made the big plays which they needed to make when the need arose, whereas Indy on the other hand didn't make the big plays which they had to make to beat NE at their own game. Sure, they were pretty awesome on defense but offensively, without complete firepower at their disposal, the Colts couldn't respond in kind on the other side of the ball. No fault of Manning's, but without a full arsenal of receivers on hand, he was short on some much-needed artillery which could have knocked New England from the ranks of the unbeatens & at the right time too.
(Though of course, you gotta love how Joseph Addai stepped his game up here.)

But don't count Indianapolis out though New England beat them. Sure, they'll be up against a Chargers squad who just got burned alive by Minnesota & a case of happy feet courtesy of Adrian Peterson; San Diego is just as angry & hoping for redemption along the same lines as the Colts after this latest debacle. Let's hope, however, that the Colts get on the rebound & take their last game as not just a lesson learned but also the impetus they need to get through the remainder of the regular season unscathed.