COLTS REMAIN UNDFEATED AS LATE COMEBACK STUNS PATRIOTS

Even in an era of 24/7 sports coverage, it’s very rare that a single play in an NFL game takes on a life of it’s on to be debated and second guessed for days.  Such was the case in Sunday night’s battle between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.  Bill Belichick opted to ‘go for it’ on 4th down rather than punt deep in Patriots territory with plenty of time remaining for the Colts to rally.  By now everyone knows how it turned out—the Colts’ defense held and Peyton Manning completed a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with :13 seconds left to complete a 17 point comeback as Indianapolis remained undefeated with an improbable 35-34 win.  Indy now stands at 9-0 while New England dropped to 6-3.

With the exception of moneyline players, most NFL football betting enthusiasts were spared the drama of the last second victory.  That aspect of the game wasn’t really in doubt by that point, as the Patriots took the cover as +3 road underdogs.  Indianapolis dropped their third straight decision to the NFL pointspread and now have a 5-4 ATS mark.  The Patriots are also 5-4 against the money.  The 69 points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48’.  Both teams have gone OVER in four of their nine games this season.

After the game, most of the conversation centered on Belichick’s 4th down play calling.  He explained his decision thusly:

"We tried to win the game on that play. 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."

He did praise the Colts for cashing in on their opportunity:

"Give the Colts credit. That's why the Colts are the Colts. They're a good football team. That's about as close as it gets."

New England quarterback Tom Brady gave his thoughts:

"That fourth-down play, that's one of your best plays, and you go to one of your best guys. We've got our offense on the field. We have over 450 yards of offense at the time. We've got a lot of great players on our offense. They stopped us."

He then added:

"It's a bummer.”

Always the classy competitor, the Colts’ Peyton Manning didn’t second guess Belichick’s decision in his postgame comments:

"When you see them going for it on fourth down, you get a little nervous, but our defense blitzed them, pressured them and got the stop. It certainly changed our philosophy. In practice, we're going 60 or 70 yards. So we figure we're going to have to go five, six, seven plays. In the huddle, I said, 'Obviously, we need a touchdown, but let's not be in a hurry.'"

The Colts will play their next two games on the road, starting with a Sunday contest against Baltimore.  Indianapolis is a -1 road favorite with the total set at 44.  They’ll then play at Houston before returning home the following Sunday to take on the Tennessee Titans.  The Patriots will try to get back on the winning track as they host the New York Jets.  New England is a -10’ home favorite with the total set at 45.  They’ll be back in action on Monday, November 30 on the road against the New Orleans Saints before another away game at Miami the following Sunday.