Deep in the back of any New England Patriots fan’s mind headed into the AFC Championship, was the feeling that the Pats should probably blow out the Colts. Not many had the confidence to come out and say it, or perhaps we were just too superstitious, but given the results of the last three matchups, it seemed clear the Pats should roll.
And that’s just what New England did, rolling over the Colts just as they had the previous three times, and they’re now headed to their sixth Super Bowl in the last 14 seasons.
It’s obvious what Bill Belichick thinks of the Colts – that the simple key was running all over them and the Pats had no problem doing it once again, racking up 177 rushing yards.
The Colts had one touchdown drive, aided by two penalties and a spectacular catch by T.Y. Hilton, but otherwise, they were completely shut down.
Some crazy good Pats stats:
- Offense 12-for-18 on third down.
- Defense 3-for-11 on third down.
- Offense 6-for-7 in the red zone.
As we talked about this week, it had been a while since New England came out with an “A” performance in the AFC championship, well this was the one we’ve been waiting for since 2004.
Given the nature of the game, it’s hard not to go total lovefest on every player and coach. Is there really anything to criticize coming out of this one?
Yeah, another bad Tom Brady interception that led to a significant momentum shift. But outside of that the team played inspired football from start to finish. It was an impressive culmination to watch. Hopefully they have one more game like this in them, but it certainly won’t be easy.
So now the Pats are on to the Super Bowl and there will be plenty to breakdown on this great matchup in the next two weeks. For now, it’s time to celebrate the Pats are once again headed to the big one.
