NS Creative Design | Patriots collapse, lose to Colts 35-34

November 17, 2009, By Nathan Sumner

Randy Moss (81) caught 2 touchdowns Sunday night in the Patriots 35-34 loss to the Colts. (Courtesy: Darron Cummings/AP)

Indianapolis - Randy Moss (WR) had barely crossed the goal line to make it 17-7 New England over Indianapolis with 11:27 left in the first half when I called my dad. He answered the phone with a laugh.

"Did you see that?" he said. I was feeling pretty good since the Patriots looked to be in peak-form. Tom Brady (QB) threw for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns, Randy Moss caught 2 touchdowns, and Wes Welker caught 9 bass for 94 yards.

So what happened? Was it Head Coach Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th down and 2 on the New England 28-yard line and ahead 34-28 with 2 minutes left that did in the Pats? Everyone wanted to talk about it on Monday. The gamble failed and the Colts took over at the new England 29-yard line with 2:00 left. Peyton Manning's 4th touchdown pass of the game handed New England a crushing defeat.

However, think about this. You cannot turn the ball over on the road, especially when you have golden opportunities to score. The Patriots committed this sin twice on Sunday night. Tom Brady was intercepted by Colt DB Antoine Bethea in the end zone to kill a drive that could have put the Pats up 31-14. New England missed another golden opportunity for a 31-14 lead when RB Laurence Maroney fumbled into the Indianapolis end zone which was recovered by Colt LB Philip Wheeler. The 8-minute drive wasted. The final nail in the Patriot coffin occurred when they had to settle for a field goal after CB Jonathan Wilhite had set them up at the Indianapolis 31-yard line after intercepting Manning.

You cannot give up 21 points in the 4th quarter and expect to win in the NFL. In fact, Indianapolis outscored New England 21-3 in the final 12:14. So maybe Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th down was the right decision.

"We tried to win the game on that play," Belichick explained. "I thought we could make the yard. We had a good play, we completed it. I don't know how we couldn't get a yard."

The Pats still lead the AFC East by 2 games over Miami and New York with the Jets coming into Foxboro this weekend. The last big test for New England will be in week 12 when they travel to New Orleans to face the currently undefeated Saints.

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