Pats top Colts behind two fourth quarter TDs

Tom Brady recovered from a rocky start to throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to help his New England Patriots rally back from a 10-point deficit for a 24-20 over the Indianapolis Colts in a game that some viewed as one of the best matchups in decades.

The Colts had multiple opportunities in this game, but failed to score a touchdown in two of their three trips to the red-zone. They drove 52 yards down the field on their first drive of the game, but Adam Vinatieri missed a 50-yard field goal. The Patriots then went three-and-out, and Indianapolis marched 88 yards back down the field on seven plays only to come away with three points on a 21-yard field goal by Vinatieri.

New England then got into a rhythm offensively on their next set of downs. Laurence Maroney pounded the Colts' defense with short but effective bursts up the middle, and Brady capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown toss to Randy Moss, giving the Patriots a 7-3 lead.

Indianapolis was once again able to get into the red-zone on their next possession, but, for the second time, was not able to get the ball into the end-zone and had to settle for three more points on a 25-yard boot by Vinatieri. It was only a few minutes later that Brady committed his first error of the game, and one of only a handful this season.

After moving the ball to the Colts' 38-yard line, a Brady throw intended for Donte Stallworth was intercepted at the two-yard line by Antoine Bethea, shifting the momentum toward Indianapolis' side as the first half winded down.

The Colts tried to play it conservatiely with under two minutes remaining until halftime, but were able to make a big play anyway. Peyton Manning threw a short screen pass to halfback Joseph Addai who then proceeded to take it 73 yards for a score, giving Indianapolis a 13-7 advantage at intermission.

After New England went three-and-out to start out the second half, Manning was intercepted by Rodney Harrison on the Colts' first possession of the third quarter. However, the Patriots could not do anything with the football and, after going backward 10 yards, were forced to punt.

The lack of offense continued on Indianapolis' next drive, as they ran Addai four times and then punted. New England then took the ball 75 yards down the field for a 34-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to cut the deficit to three, 13-10. It appeared that the momentum was starting to swing toward the Patriots' side, as they again forced the Colts to punt on their next possession. However, Brady threw another interception on their ensuing drive, as Gary Brackett tipped it several times in the air before coming down with it and returning it 28 yards to the New England 47.

With good field position to work with, Indianapolis went back five yards on their first two plays, thanks to a sack by Mike Vrabel and a negative rush by Addai. That quickly changed after a 17-yard pass from Manning to tight end Dallas Clark on third-and-15, and after a few carries for short yardage by Addai, Manning pushed into the end-zone with a one-yard sneak to give the Colts a 20-10 lead with 14:04 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots then began their fourth quarter rally, with Brady throwing passes of 15 and 55 yards to Moss and finishing the drive off with a three-yard toss to Wes Welker, making the score 20-17. Indianapolis then committed two penalties on their next possession, and Manning was then sacked to end the drive. He fumbled, but recovered.

Brady and New England then took over at their own 49-yard line with 3:58 to play. It took only three plays for the Patriots to get the ball in the end-zone, highlighted by a 33-yard pass to Stallworth which got them to the Colts' 13. Brady capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown throw to Kevin Faulk, handing New England their first lead since the second quarter, 24-20.

Indianapolis would have one more chance with just over three minutes to play, but on third-and-nine, Jarvis Green sacked Manning and jarred the ball loose, and Rosevelt Colvin proceeded to pick up the football and put the game away.

The Colts had won their last three meetings with the Patriots coming into this game, including the playoffs. With the win, New England kept their undefeated streak going and improved to 9-0 while Indianapolis fell to 7-1.