Thus Spake P. Rogue.

[ddoss]

It was some kind of game, but, alas, it was not to be. The Colts defense played amazingly well. They held that Patriots offense to just twenty-four points. The entire game they played with a staggering amount of speed and intensity. Well, almost the entire game. The last ten minutes the Patriots managed to put together two major scoring drives to come back from ten points down. The Patriots defense had been fairly solid for the game, except for defensing Joseph Addai. He was a one man show for the Colts. The Patriots though made some major plays late in the game when it mattered the most, forcing a couple of fumbles by Manning. I had a sinking feeling early in the game, when the Colts put together two nice drives that were stymied and led to one missed field goal and one made field goal. Also I felt there were some major questionable calls that went against the Patriots. I'd hate to see the Colts win based on bad officiating. But they made the Patriots work harder than they have all season, and there is little doubt they are the best two teams in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how the Colts play next week. I can't wait for Marvin Harrison to be back, too. They really needed him last night. He makes some clutch plays when they need them the most. His backup even injured his thumb on the first play of the game. It explains why the Colts passing game never seem to develop except for the singular effort of Addai. Patriots safety Rodney Harrison also did a good job keeping old reliable Dallas Clark in check.

What I did take away from the game is that I feel as good as I have all season about the Colts' chances at repeating in the Superbowl. The game could easily have went either way, and the Colts are a tough, determined team. I trust they will learn from the errors late in the game. I hope they get a chance to play again in the playoff, whether in Indianapolis or in Foxboro.