Patriots stave off winless Colts
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. (AP)
Rob Gronkowski scored three more touchdowns. Chances are the New England Patriots are thinking more about the three touchdowns they
allowed in the fourth quarter.
Against the winless Colts, no less.
The Patriots needed Deion Branch to recover an onside kick in the final
minute to hold off Indianapolis 31-24 on Sunday. Trailing 31-3, the
Colts rallied with a touchdown run by Donald Brown and two scoring
passes from Dan Orlovsky to Pierre Garcon, the last with 36 seconds to
go.
Tom Brady took a knee on the final play to complete the victory.
''We played good for 45 minutes and then didn't do anything
offensively,'' Brady said. ''So we'll hear about that.''
The Patriots (9-3) have won four straight and are tied for the AFC's
best record. Indianapolis (0-12) must beat Baltimore, Tennessee,
Houston or Jacksonville to avoid becoming the second NFL team to go
0-16.
''People can say what they want to say about not playing hard, but I
think that (comeback) pretty much shut that up right there,'' Colts
tight end Jacob Tamme said.
With two touchdowns passing, both to Gronkowski, Brady overtook Johnny
Unitas and tied Warren Moon for sixth place in NFL history with 291
during the regular season. Brady was 29 of 38 for 293 yards.
Gronkowski has 13 touchdown catches, tying San Diego's Antonio Gates in
2004 and San Francisco's Vernon Davis in 2009 for most by a tight end
in a regular season. He originally was given another touchdown catch,
but that was changed to a lateral on which he ran 2 yards for the 31-3
lead.
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TE Rob Gronkowski scores vs Colts 12/04/11 (Elsa/Getty Images) |
Thinking he had set the record, Gronkowski held onto the ball as a
souvenir instead of spiking it as he usually does. He even accepted
congratulations from his teammates.
''I wasn't thinking about whether it was a pass or a lateral,''
Gronkowski said. ''I'll take the rushing touchdown. It's the first of
my whole career.''
The Patriots entered the game as three-touchdown favorites with the
teams, from different divisions, meeting for the ninth straight season.
''Guys played well and did some things well,'' Colts coach Jim Caldwell
said, ''but, still, we're measured by wins.''
Caldwell gave Orlovsky his first start of the season in place of the
ineffective Curtis Painter. Orlovsky, a member of the winless Detroit Lions team in 2008, completed 30 of 37 for 353 yards, two touchdowns
and one interception.
''We felt confident going into the game that if we stayed patient we
could move the ball,'' Orlovsky said. ''We fell short. I wish we had
more time on the clock.''
Watching from the sideline was Peyton Manning, whose preseason neck
surgery forced Caldwell to go with backups.
''We almost had a big win today. It would have been huge for us,''
Manning said.
The Colts tied the score 3-3 on Adam Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal
early in the second quarter. And the Patriots punted on their next
series.
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Tom Brady celebrates with coach Bill Belichick after a
touchdown by BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the first half against
the Indianapolis Colts Dec. 4, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) |
Then Brady got the offense rolling as New England scored touchdowns on
its next four possessions, taking a 31-3 lead late in the third
quarter. Wes Welker caught 11 passes for 114 yards, increasing his
NFL-leading total to 93 receptions.
The Colts had a new defensive coordinator, linebackers coach Mike Murphy, after Larry Coyer was fired Tuesday.
The Patriots rarely lose in December, no matter their opponent. They're
38-5 in that month starting in 2001, tops in the NFL. And they're 19-1
at home in December, with wins in their last 18 games, since Gillette
Stadium opened in December 2002.
Trailing 3-0, Orlovsky led a 19-play drive lasting 10:19. The Colts had
first-and-goal at the 1, but a run for no gain, an incompletion, a
false-start penalty and a sack forced them to settle for Vinatieri's
field goal.
New England took command by scoring twice in the last three minutes of
the first half on Brady's 11-yard pass to Gronkowski and BenJarvus
Green-Ellis' 1-yard run for a 17-3 lead.
The Patriots got the ball to start the third quarter and Brady passed
on each of the seven plays, completing all of them to drive 77 yards,
ending with a 21-yard touchdown to Gronkowski. After a fumble recovery,
Gronkowski scored again when he went in motion, took a toss from Brady
and ran untouched into the right side of the end zone.
''He is a tough kid and he knows how to run the routes,'' Colts
defensive back Jerraud Powers said. ''It also helps when you have one
of the greatest quarterbacks.''
Gronkowski finished with five catches for 64 yards after entering the
game tied for sixth in the NFL with 60 receptions.
The Colts scored in the fourth quarter on Donald Brown's 5-yard run and
Orlovsky's passes of 33 and 12 yards to Garcon.
''If we don't play four quarters, we're not going to end up in the
situation we want to be in,'' Welker said.
The Patriots want to win the Super Bowl. The Colts have a more modest
goal - winning just one game.
''I thought Dan was patient,'' Manning said. ''I really thought he did
a good job. He gave us a chance there at the end.''
And Orlovsky gave Patriots coach Bill Belichick something to harp on
when he meets with his players.
''We've obviously got to do a better job of finishing the game,''
Belichick said. ''That was disappointing, but we'll work on that.''
Notes: Brady has thrown for 30 touchdowns, becoming the sixth player in
NFL history to do that at least three times. ... The Colts outgained
the Patriots 437 yards to 366. ... The Patriots clinched a winning
record for the 11th straight season.
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