Patriots secondary shuts down Colts passing attack en route to AFC Championship
Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images |
By the numbers:
Andrew Luck - 11/32 for 113 yards, 2 INT's and 0 touchdowns.
T.Y. Hilton - 1 catch for 36 yards
Colby Fleener - 3 catches for 30 yards
Dwayne Allen - 4 catches for 30 yards
All others - 4 receptions for 30 yards
Yeah, the Colts passing game that was so explosive (ranked #1 in the regular season) couldn't even manage 150 yards against the Pats. Yes, some of it had to do with Colts receivers not making plays for Luck, but most of it had to do with the Patriots being air-tight on the key guys. The Patriots secondary did not allow any big plays, save Hilton's 36 yard reception early in the game. And yes, the weather could've been a factor, and probably was to some extent with the drops, but it's up to the Colts to adjust to that. They didn't, while the Patriots clearly knew how to handle it. But, again, most of the credit has to go to the Patriots secondary because they came in with a plan - they weren't going to let Andrew Luck beat them with his arm. They were great in coverage and challenged the Colts to run it on them, but the Colts didn't do that particularly well either (83 yards total, 1 TD).
Credit the Patriots defense for having a great game plan and executing it well, which is what you have to do in the playoffs. Onto Seattle, as Coach Belichick said.