Indianapolis vs. New England Playoff Takeaways

Game Footage

> It was nice of Tom Brady to throw a red zone pick in the first half, just to keep suspense in this one for more than a few minutes

> Andrew Luck's ability to throw a tight spiral on his picks shows his innate talent

> Bill Belichick had the Patriots score to go up 17 points before a massive weather system moved in, because he's a coaching genius

> One of these years, the Colts promise to get a defense that can stop the running game in the playoffs

> Josh Cribbs picked a bad time to channel his inner Brown

> Adam Vinateri missed a long figgie to prove he's still, at heart, a Patriot

> LeGarrette Blount was dominant and will go to the Super Bowl as the starting running back, which is just what should happen when you quit on your team a month before the playoffs

> It's almost as if Indy was a paper tiger team that won a terrible division, then beat a team that never wins in the playoffs, only to get de-pantsed on the road against a vastly superior team

> Tom Brady took a dangerous hit throwing deep with a 38-point lead and six minutes left, but avoided Poetic Justice by remaining healthy

> If you watched all for quarters of this game, you are either a masochist or a Patriot fan, and the latter group is also the former, since Phil Simms provided commentary on this game

> Considering how dog-awful this year has been, having a blowout in the AFC Championship Game just seems correct, really