Tom Brady throws 3 TDs as Patriots beat Colts, 34-27: 9 things to know, Well, the Patriots didn't score 60 points, and for three quarters, the Colts not only kept things close, they played well enough to win. Then one of the most inexplicable plays in the 145-year history of football happened.
With 1:14 left in the third quarter, the Colts trailed 27-21 and faced a fourth-and-3 from their own 37. Instead of punting (Pat McAfee is one of the NFL's best punters, by the way) they opted for this.Colt Anderson, who was tackled on the play, couldn't believe the ball was snapped. And neither could embattled Colts coach Chuck Pagano. The Patriots were probably shocked too, but they got over it; six plays later, Tom Brady found LeGarrette Blount for an 11-yard touchdown. The Colts, who had hung around to that point, were done for.
The Internet, meanwhile, had jokes.Good news: the Colts were in it till the end.
The bad news: that special teams play felt like losing by 40 points.
And while Irsay is within his rights to hire and fire whomever he chooses, Pagano doesn't make the personnel decisions. That job falls to general manager Ryan Grigson, the man who traded a first-round pick for Trent Richardson and signed Gosder Cherilus and LaRon Landry to multi-year deals.
2. Andrew Luck looked pretty good. The fourth-year quarterback missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, and he was listed as questionable heading into the Pats game. But after struggling through the first three weeks, Luck looked more like himself on Sunday night.
He finished 30-of-50 for 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but didn't show the arm strength we've seen previously (NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth said that backup Matt Hasselbeck had more zip on his passes during practice last week). That arm strength should return, but the bigger takeaway is that the offense looked a lot better. It's not much -- especially in a loss to a hated rival -- but it's important to remember that the Colts play in the terrible AFC South. Even in defeat, Indy remains a half-game up on Houston.
With 1:14 left in the third quarter, the Colts trailed 27-21 and faced a fourth-and-3 from their own 37. Instead of punting (Pat McAfee is one of the NFL's best punters, by the way) they opted for this.Colt Anderson, who was tackled on the play, couldn't believe the ball was snapped. And neither could embattled Colts coach Chuck Pagano. The Patriots were probably shocked too, but they got over it; six plays later, Tom Brady found LeGarrette Blount for an 11-yard touchdown. The Colts, who had hung around to that point, were done for.
The Internet, meanwhile, had jokes.Good news: the Colts were in it till the end.
The bad news: that special teams play felt like losing by 40 points.
And while Irsay is within his rights to hire and fire whomever he chooses, Pagano doesn't make the personnel decisions. That job falls to general manager Ryan Grigson, the man who traded a first-round pick for Trent Richardson and signed Gosder Cherilus and LaRon Landry to multi-year deals.
2. Andrew Luck looked pretty good. The fourth-year quarterback missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, and he was listed as questionable heading into the Pats game. But after struggling through the first three weeks, Luck looked more like himself on Sunday night.
He finished 30-of-50 for 312 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, but didn't show the arm strength we've seen previously (NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth said that backup Matt Hasselbeck had more zip on his passes during practice last week). That arm strength should return, but the bigger takeaway is that the offense looked a lot better. It's not much -- especially in a loss to a hated rival -- but it's important to remember that the Colts play in the terrible AFC South. Even in defeat, Indy remains a half-game up on Houston.
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