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No team has played
better over the last 3 1/2 months than the New England Patriots. No player has
been better over the last two weeks than Peyton Manning.
The Patriots can reach their second Super Bowl in three years, but will have
to find a way to stop Manning and the torrid Indianapolis Colts' offense when
the teams meet in the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium.
New England has rebounded from a 2-2 start by winning 13 in a row. The Super Bowl XXXVI champions have a chance to join the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of 1972 as the only teams in league history to win 14 straight games in a single season.
The Patriots have been dominant defensively at home, where at times this season it has seemed nearly impossible to score against them. But they haven't seen an offense at Foxboro like the one Manning is directing in the postseason.
The co-MVP has been nearly perfect in earning the first two playoff victories of his career. Manning is 44-of-56 for 681 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. His 156.9 passer rating is the highest ever in the first two games of a single postseason. Tickets
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Manning has led the Colts to nearly 40 points per game in their two victories.
In a 41-10 rout of Denver in the wild-card round and last week's 38-31 victory
over Kansas City, Indianapolis scored 10 touchdowns in a span of 17 possessions,
including six on its first seven drives against the Chiefs.
The Colts have not had to punt in the playoffs.
``It's not trickery,'' Manning said. ``We're not running flea-flickers. We're not running reverses. We're just running the same plays we've run all season. Hopefully we can keep it up this week.''
The Chiefs defense was one of the worst in football, so Manning won't find things nearly as easy Sunday. Then again, few opponents have found things easy in Foxboro.
New England allowed an NFL record-low 68 points and recorded three shutouts at home this season. The Patriots surrendered just 5.1 points per game in their last seven home games.
``We're at our best at home,'' Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. ``But it still comes down to how you play the game on that home field.''
Tom Brady tends to play mistake-free football at Foxboro, having thrown 282 passes at home this season without an interception. He avoided having a pass intercepted for the fifth straight game last week as New England moved within a win of the Super Bowl by beating the Tennessee Titans 17-14.
Brady struggled after a strong first quarter, completing 21-of-41 for 201 yards, but did improve to 4-0 in the postseason. He has a career 26-4 record after Nov. 1, including the playoffs.
The Patriots' home-field advantage will now be tested by the NFL's best road team. Indianapolis is a league-best 8-1 away from home this season.
``They don't worry about going on the road,'' coach Tony Dungy said of his Colts. ``They don't look at it as a big obstacle.''
Manning and the Colts have already proven they can move the ball against the Patriots, though they lost the game. New England had a 31-10 lead in the third quarter of a Week 13 game at Indianapolis, but Manning led the Colts to three touchdowns in a six-minute span to tie the game early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots went back ahead, but Manning put the Colts in position for the winning score by moving them to the New England 2. However, Edgerrin James was stopped three times from there, including getting tackled for a loss by Willie McGinest with 14 seconds left as New England held on for a 38-34 victory.
``I don't see how it could be any closer than what it was,'' New England coach Bill Belichick said. ``It wouldn't surprise me if that's what happens this time.''
It was one of Manning's better performances against New England. The Patriots have 14 interceptions in nine games against Manning and are 4-0 against him in Foxboro. Ty Law has four of those interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.
Belichick's defense will now try to beat one of the league's MVPs for the second straight week. New England sacked Steve McNair three times and intercepted one of his passes in last Saturday's win over the Titans.
The Patriots have won 11 of the last 13 meetings, including six straight at home. New England is 4-1 against Indianapolis under Belichick and has scored 38 or more points in the last three meetings.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Colts - AFC South champions; beat Denver Broncos 41-10, wild-card round; beat Kansas City Chiefs 38-31, divisional round. Patriots - AFC East champions; first-round bye; beat Tennessee Titans 17-14, divisional round.
COLTS LEADERS: Offense - Manning, 4,267 passing yards and 29 passing TDs; James, 1,259 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs; Marvin Harrison, 1,272 receiving yards, 94 receptions and 10 receiving TDs. Defense - Dwight Freeney, 11 sacks; Nick Harper, 4 interceptions.
PATRIOTS LEADERS: Offense - Brady, 3,620 passing yards and 23 passing TDs; Antowain Smith, 642 rushing yards; Mike Cloud, 5 rushing TDs; Deion Branch, 57 receptions and 803 receiving yards; David Givens, 6 receiving TDs. Defense - Vrabel, 9 1/2 sacks; Tyrone Poole and Law, 6 interceptions.
COLTS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 105.9 ypg (19th in NFL); Passing Offense - 261.2 ypg (1st); Total Offense - 367.1 ypg (3rd). Rushing Defense - 123.8 ypg (20th); Passing Defense - 175.6 ypg (5th); Total Defense - 299.3 ypg (11th).
PATRIOTS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 100.4 ypg (27th); Passing Offense - 228.2 ypg (8th); Total Offense - 314.9 ypg (17th). Rushing Defense - 89.6 ypg (4th); Passing Defense - 217.8 ypg (16th); Total Defense - 291.6 ypg (7th).
LAST MEETING: Nov. 30; Patriots, 38-34. At Indianapolis, Manning threw four TD passes, but the Patriots got two scoring passes from Brady and 192 yards on kick returns from Bethel Johnson, including a 92-yard touchdown.
STREAKS AND NOTES: Colts - RB James has rushed for 704 yards in seven career games against New England. ... WR Brandon Stokley has eight catches for 201 yards (25.1 avg.) and a team-high three touchdowns in the playoffs. ... CB David Macklin has two interceptions in the postseason. Patriots - New England has won five straight playoff games at home since a loss to the Houston Oilers on Dec. 31, 1978. ... New England has outscored its opponents 125-36 in its last seven games at Gillette Stadium. ... The Patriots held opposing quarterbacks to a 56.2 passer rating this season. ... RB Smith has 10 TDs in 10 career games against the Colts.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Colts - 8-1 on the road; Patriots - 9-0 at home.
INJURIES: Colts - OUT: TE Dallas Clark (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: S Idrees Bashir (shoulder). PROBABLE: S Cory Bird (leg/shoulder); S Mike Doss (ankle); CB Harper (low back); CB Walt Harris (knee); WR Harrison (chest); DE Robert Mathis (groin); G Tupe Peko (shoulder); TE Marcus Pollard (ankle); CB Donald Strickland (knee/shoulder). Patriots - DOUBTFUL: C Damien Woody (knee).