I knew going in to the game that Indy would have to be flawless to win... so last night wasn't really a surprise. It's sort of their MO: Colts lose at NE in the playoffs. Story of that franchise.
The Colts went 13-6 this year including the playoffs. 6-0 against the weakest division in football, 2-0 against the mediocre Bengals (who were without A.J. Green), and 5-6 against the rest of the league. Indy wins against the teams they should beat and struggles mightily with above average teams. Sure, they're going to win the division, but they're never going to beat the Patriots in Foxboro in January. Never. Their only chance is to get home field advantage... and even that might not be enough until after Tom Terrific retires. Which, by the way, Tom, you're married to one of the hottest females on the planet, your combined income is around 70 million dollars a year, you have 3 Super Bowl rings, and you're probably the best QB of all-time. You already won at life. Well done, congratulations. Go the fuck away and enjoy retirement.
A few other quick points:
1. Pagano is not the coach to get this team to a SB. Might be a good motivator, but not so great with the Xs and Os. He is colossally out coached by NE every time.
2. This team will not have any success without a run game. Finding an effective back is step one. T-Rich is not the guy. Boom probably isn't the guy.
3. The O-line needs to be revamped. They can't keep #12 upright and they're not creating very many holes to run through. Teams don't have to worry about the run and go all out to stop the pass.
4. Defense...oy vey. They were destroyed last night. I don't know where to start.
I'm in the position of rooting for NE in two weeks so that's strange. Really don't care either way. Time to focus on hockey now I guess. I'm ready for my next disappointment in sports this year... should start up around spring training.