Late touchdown keeps Colts perfect
By Bryan Ault, November 16, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS—With two minutes to play and a six-point lead, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick put his faith in his team – and perhaps his season on the line – and decided to go for a fourth-down conversion deep in their own territory.
And when the Patriots failed to convert, the Indianapolis Colts, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, drove down the field to score with 13 seconds left in the game, giving the Colts a 35-34 victory, and keeping the Colts undefeated.
“It’s a huge win,” Manning said. “We just weathered the storm. We knew it would be a 60-minute game. It was certainly as much adversity as we’ve seen all year.”
In one of the most anticipated games of the season, both offenses were held to a three-and-out on their first drives. On its second drive of the game, the Colts took a 7-0 lead off Manning’s 15-yard completion to running back Joseph Addai.
The Patriots responded with 24 unanswered points: A one-yard touchdown run by running back Laurence Maroney, a field goal by Steve Gostkowski, a 63-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Randy Moss and a nine-yard touchdown catch by rookie receiver Julian Edelman.
“They came out hot,” Manning said. “Not much surprises me with New England. It took us a little while to catch our rhythm. We struggled on third down.”
Facing a 17-point deficit, Manning and the offense came to life at the end of the first half. Back-to-back first downs and a 19-yard pass interference penalty gave the Colts the ball at the 36-yard line. Three plays later, Manning connected with wide receiver Reggie Wayne for a 20-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-14.
After a scoreless third quarter, the dramatic fourth quarter began with Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady’s touchdown pass to Moss that re-extended the lead to 31-14. Manning and the Colts responded with a quick five-play drive that netted a touchdown off a 29-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Pierre Garcon.
After a stalled drive and a Manning interception, the Patriots scored their final points of the game with a 36-yard field goal by Gostkowski.
With 4:14 to play and down by two possessions, the Colts capped off an eight-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Addai. The lead closed to 34-28.
The Patriots began their final drive at the 20-yard line. Running back Kevin Faulk ran for no gain on first down. Brady threw to receiver Wes Welker for eight yards. Brady could not complete another pass to Welker on third down. On fourth down, Brady’s pass to Faulk gained one yard when he needed two.
“I think they [go for fourth-down conversions] typically against a lot of teams, sometimes back in their own territory,” Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said. “[The Patriots] are an aggressive team and have confidence in what they’re doing.”
Manning and the Colts offense came back on the field with two minutes to play. The game-winning drive began with a 14-yard completion to Wayne. A 13-yard run by Addai took the offense to the goal line. Manning connected with Wayne on a one-yard touchdown to end the game.
“Close games in this league are close games,” Caldwell said. “We fought. We hung in there and we executed when it counted.”
The Colts will try to move to 10-0 Sunday when they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens.
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