Upon plunking down on my couch last Sunday to watch the Colts/Patriots matchup, I had expected to write a column extolling the virtues of the winner (New England, in this case, as I predicted) as a clear Super Bowl favorite, possible undefeated season candidate and all-around team for the ages. And while the Patriots may very well be all of those things, they walked away from their 24-20 victory in Indianapolis looking far from invulnerable. Even on a day when the Pats racked up a franchise record in penalty yards (146), suffered through two Tom Brady interceptions, gave up 100 yards rushing AND receiving to running back Joseph Addai and still found a way to win, they haven’t convinced me that their trip to the Super Bowl in February is going to be a cakewalk, or even that they’ll get there at all.
Of course, they’re the odds-on favorite now, and they should be. At 9-0, they do have an excellent chance to go undefeated, with serious challenges remaining against the Steelers and New York Giants and little else in the way of roadblocks on their schedule. They also came back from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit in a way that few teams could, with a dynamic offense that shook off a game-long malaise to move the ball almost at will. Randy Moss set the franchise record for touchdown catches in a season with almost half the year still to go, and Brady, despite his mistakes, looked untouchable when he had to be, calmly taking his team down the field for the go-ahead score.
But here’s the thing: the Patriots didn’t win that game. The Colts lost it.
Up 20-10 in the fourth quarter, a team like the Colts shouldn’t be blowing the lead. That’s a given. But when and if these two team meet again in the postseason (and barring some unforeseen circumstances, that’s where we’re headed), we’re going to see a very different game. Because the Patriots, while clearly the best team in the NFL, are not perfect. And the Colts, more than anyone else in the league, are a team built to expose New England’s flaws.
Reduced by injuries to relying on fourth-string wideout Aaron Moorehead and missing starting left tackle Tony Ugoh, the Colts were not at their physical peak. Neither were the Patriots, to be fair, but the Colts with Marvin Harrison (who missed this game, his third straight, with a knee injury) are a much different offensive team than the one the Patriots saw last Sunday. Harrison gives Peyton Manning a security blanket, a sure set of hands all over the field. Particularly on Manning’s two fourth quarter fumbles, it was clear that the loss of Harrison affected his decision-making with defensive pressure closing in.
New England’s running game also leaves something to be desired, particularly with the Patriots missing battering ram running back Sammy Morris with a chest injury. Starter Laurence Maroney rushed for 59 yards on 15 carries against the Colts but lacks the power to sustain a late-game, clock-killing drive. Maroney is more of a shifty tailback than a power rusher, a distinction that’s usually critical come playoff time. And on defense, the Colts have the kind of defensive line (quick and smart) that can best pressure Brady, as evidenced by his two interceptions (doubling his season total) and two sacks. Defensive ends Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney gave Brady problems for most of the game before he was able to buy enough time in the shotgun to complete his passes downfield.
So while it’s true that the Patriots have a chance to do something truly special this year, it would be premature to anoint them kings now. Though they have the inside track to the Super Bowl, there’s still a lot of football left to play.
Now a quick look at the some other headlines just past the halfway point of the season.
Adrian Peterson is the real deal. In what is almost certainly the understatement of the year, running back Peterson cemented his status as Rookie of the Year and threw his name into the running for MVP honors with a record-setting 296-yard day against the Chargers, who came into the game with the seventh-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. The Chargers were no match for Peterson, who overpowered and ran past defenders throughout the game, including two gorgeous 46 and 64-yard touchdown runs. At this point, he and Chargers back LaDanian Tomlinson are running neck-and-neck for the title of best in the game, and with 1,036 yards through eight games, he has a chance to challenge Eric Dickerson’s rookie record of 1,808, and maybe even Dickerson’s all-time record of 2,105, set in 1984. Either way, the Vikings, who took Peterson with the seventh pick, look like they grabbed a perennial All-Pro on draft day.
Taking a step backward. With Peterson gouging the Chargers, San Diego is back to square one, sitting at .500 (4-4) with the Indianapolis Colts coming in this weekend. Just one week ago, the Chargers were riding a three-game win streak and looked poised to start running away with the AFC West. But the same things that plagued them during a 1-3 start this season came back against the Vikings – inconsistent quarterback play (Philip Rivers was only 19-of-42 for 197 yards), lackluster defense and an inability to stop the rush. For a team that was considered by many to be a preseason Super Bowl favorite, the Chargers are now on the outside of the playoff picture, tied for first but giving away a tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. They’ve got a difficult schedule the rest of the way as well, and face the very real prospect of missing the playoffs. For a team as talented as San Diego, that’s a major disappointment.
Lion-hearted. And say hello to the new-look Detroit Lions, who are 6-2, a game behind Green Bay for first place in the NFC North. They’re easily the biggest surprise in the league this season, mainly due to their defensive intensity and renewed focus on offense. Quarterback Jon Kitna has been a steady and efficient leader for the offense, avoiding mistakes and keeping his team in most of the games they’ve played (two bad losses notwithstanding). My only concern for the Lions is that their second-half schedule has only two teams currently under .500 (Arizona this week and Minnesota in Week 13) and they play division leader Green Bay twice. But if Detroit can split those games and keep playing well, and if Green Bay falters, the Lions could find themselves in unfamiliar territory – the playoffs, for the first time since 1999.