Bill Belichick's team went into Indy on Sunday night and took care of business in a 34-27 win over the Colts.
It was another solid, all-around effort from the Patriots as the team dispatched a game Indy squad led by a returning Andrew Luck. New England remained perfect on the season, improving to 5-0, while Chuck Pagano's curious Colts fell to 3-3 for the year.
The Boston Globe breaks down the Patriots offensive approach in Indy, which differed from the team's recent run of 40-carry rushing attacks in blowouts off the Colts. While New England won the game, the Globe says Tom Brady sounded disappointed in the same way many fans probably were after the win which was anything but the blowout many hoped for.
The Globe looks at the biggest play of the game for the Colts, an ill-advised, ill-conceived, poorly-executed fake punt. The Globe's notebook notes the injury to Marcus Cannon.
The Boston Herald says that fearing the Patriots has cost Pagano his mind, which might actually explain the horrible fake punt. The Herald *says that while New England didn't embarrass the Colts, they did that to themselves. *Herald columnist Steve Buckley says the Colts can only blame themselves for the loss, while Ron Borges says Brady played it cool in the victory. The Herald notebook also looks at the Cannon injury, while the paper addresses Julian Edelman’s own finger ailment.
The Herald also has the best and the worst from the Patriots win.
The *Providence Journal *says Pagano should kick himself after the flawed fake punt. The *ProJo *says it was another “banner day” for the mismatched Colts against the Patriots, while Brady says that everyone “could have done a better job” against Indy.
Broncos legend and now executive leader John Elway has some level-headed thoughts on Deflategate on MMQB.com, as well as this gem of a quote on Brady: “The last thing you want to do is poke the bear. The bear got poked, and this is what happened.”
ESPNBoston.com says that Jerod Mayo’s changing role was notable in the win over the Colts. The site also notes that a subdued Patriots team was already turning its sights to the Jets in the postgame locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium. You won't see many more impressive athletic plays that Jamie Collins’ PAT block against Indy. ESPNBoston.com offers its ups and downs for the Patriots personnel in the win.
WEEI.com has Tim Hasselbeck – brother of Colts backup QB Matt and son of former Patriots TE Don – saying that Belichick is the best coach in the NFL and “it’s not even close.” Columnist John Tomase says the Patriots got revenge but not vengeance. WEEI.com also notes that Brady seemed “underwhelmed” by the win, while Edelman takes full blame for his quarterback’s first interception of the season.
CSNNE.com says the Patriots aren’t invincible at this point, but their success seems ineveitable. CSNNE.com's Phil Perry passes along Edelman saying “shame on them” for the Colts fake punt snafu.
NFL.com says the failed fake punt has turned up the temperature of the hot seat that Pagano is on in Indy. The coach did take full responsibility for the seemingly idiotic play. NFL.com collected the five hottest Twitter-based takes on the putrid punt play.
The New York Times seems a bit extreme saying the fake punt play handed the Patriots the victory.
ESPN passes along controversial Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson saying he and his team are “licking our chops” at the chance to face Brady’s Patriots this coming Sunday.
