NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-3) vs. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-0)
Monday, November 7, 2005
Gillette Stadium (68,756)
9:00 p.m. EST
With Monday Night Football coming to Foxborough for the first time since the grand opening of Gillette Stadium in 2002, the Patriots will face their toughest test of the season when they host the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.
Local Broadcast
TELEVISION: This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by ABC and can be seen in Boston on WCVB Channel 5. Al Michaels will handle play-byplay duties and will be joined by analyst John Madden. ReporterSam Ryan will provide updates from the sidelines throughout the game.
RADIO: WBCN 104.1 FM is the flagship station for the Patriots Rock Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 36 stations can be found in this press release. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 29th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 22nd season as a broadcast tandem.
NATIONAL RADIO: The game will be broadcast nationally by CBS Radio. Play-by-play man Marv Albert will be joined in the booth by Boomer Esiason, and John Dockery will report from the sidelines. Jim Gray will host the pregame and halftime shows.
Series History
The Patriots and Colts will meet for the 68th time as the former AFC East rivals square off for the fifth time since November, 2003. The teams have produced a strong recent rivalry, having faced each other in the playoffs each of the last two years and having played in close, entertaining games in each of the last two regular seasons. But a rivalry between the teams is nothing new. The Patriots and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts played twice each year from 1970 to 2001 as members of the AFC East, with the exception of the 1982 strike season. New England has had more success against the Colts than any other team in the NFL, with the Patriots' .642 winning percentage ranking as their highest against any team they have played more than 10 times. New England is 17-4 against Indianapolis since 1993, and has won 14 of the series' last 16 games, including the last six in a row dating back to the 2000 season. The games have tended to be high-scoring affairs, as the Patriots have scored 20 or more points against the Colts in 15 of their last 16 meetings and have scored 38 or more points in three of the last six clashes. Patriots - Colts Quick Hits
- Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is 7-1 against the Colts as the head man in New England and is 9-3 against Indianapolis as a head coach overall.
- Patriots QB Tom Brady is 6-0 against the Colts and owns a completion percentage of 67 percent in his six games against Indianapolis.
- Patriots K Adam Vinatieri is 32-33 in his career against the Colts for an accuracy rate of 97 percent.
- Patriots LB Willie McGinest has recorded 10.5 sacks in 18 career regular season and playoff games against Indianapolis.
- The Patriots have won nine straight home games against Indianapolis and have not lost a game to the Colts in Foxborough since a 24-10 loss on Nov. 19, 1995.
- The Patriots and Colts have combined for more than 50 total points in each of their last five regular-season meetings.
- The Colts are the only team that the Patriots have played in consecutive seasons in both the regular season and the playoffs. New England and Indianapolis have had such meetings in 2003 and 2004.
Passing Performances
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will lead their offensive teams against each other for the seventh time. Brady has compiled a 6-0 record against the Colts, helping the team put up an average of 31.8 points per game in games he has started against Indianapolis. Brady's first NFL start came against Indianapolis in a 44-13 win on Sept. 30, 2001. Brady recorded the highest passer rating of his career (148.3) against the Colts on Oct. 21, 2001. The Patriots defense has had past success against Peyton Manning and the Colts offense, leading New England to wins in 10 of the 12 games Manning has started against the Patriots.
Patriots on Monday Night Football
New England will host a Monday night game in Foxborough for the first time since the 2002 season opener, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-14, in the grand opening of Gillette Stadium. The Patriots have played four straight Monday night games on the road prior to this week's game. New England has won four of its last six games on Monday Night Football dating back to 2000, and holds an all-time record of 11-20 on Monday nights.
CONNECTIONS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began his NFL coaching career as a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975 under head coach Ted Marchibroda.
- Patriots assistant head coach/offensive line coachDante Scarnecchia was the offensive line coach for the Colts from 1989-90. Outside of those two seasons, Scarnecchia has been on the Patriots sidelines for each year since 1982.
- Patriots special teams coach Brad Seely got his first NFL coaching job as the special teams and tight ends coach of the Colts. He spent five years with the organization.
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his first NFL start against the Colts and completed 13 of 23 passes for 168 yards in a 44-13 victory on Sept. 30, 2001.
- Patriots linebackerRosevelt Colvin grew up in Indianapolis and attended Broad Ripple High School in the city. He went on to attend Purdue University, where he was a three-year starter.
- Patriots tackle Brandon Gorin was born on July 17, 1978, in Muncie, Ind., and earned first-team all-state honors as a defensive tackle at Southside High in Muncie. Gorin was a three-year starter at right tackle for the Purdue Boilermakers.
- Patriots tackle Matt Light earned four letters at Purdue University (1996, 1998-2000), earning All-Big Ten conference first-team honors in 2000.
- Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson was born on Aug. 17, 1980 in Merriville, Ind. where he attended Merriville High. He earned an All-Duneland Athletic Conference selection, Conference MVP, two All-Indiana selections and Defensive Player of the Year honors.
- Colts safety Dexter Reid was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft and played in 13 regular season games with two starts for the Patriots last season.
- Colts running backKory Chapman was a member of the Patriots practice squad for the entire 2004 season and for the first three weeks of the 2005 season before being signed to Indy's active roster.
- Colts strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine played football at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he received his bachelor's degree in exercise science.
- Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney was born in Hartford, Conn., and attended Bloomfield High School, where he was a SuperPrep, Prep Football Report, USA Today, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant and Blue Chip Illustrated All- American selection.
STRIKING SYMMETRY
61-19
The Patriots' record over their last 80 games (.763 winning pct.)
19-61
The Patriots' record in the 80 games immediately preceding
Robert Kraft's purchase of the team in 1994 (.311 winning pct.)
FORMIDABLE FOE
11.0
The number of points per game that the Colts have allowed in
2005 - the fewest in the NFL.
5
The number of sacks the Colts have allowed in 2005 - the
fewest in the NFL.
26
The number of sacks the Colts have recorded in 2005 - the most
in the NFL.
2
The number of interceptions the Colts have returned for
touchdowns - tied for the most in the NFL.
36
The number of penalties the Colts have been flagged for in 2005
- the fewest in the NFL.
SOLID SUCCESS
.642
The Patriots' all-time winning percentage against the
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, their highest against any team they
have played more than 10 times (43-24).
27-9
The Patriots' all-time record against the Colts in Foxborough
(.750 winning pct.)
17-4
The Patriots' record against the Colts since 1993 (.810 winning
pct.)
7-1
Bill Belichick's record against the Colts as head coach of the
Patriots.
6-0
Tom Brady's record against the Colts as a starting quarterback.
32-33
Adam Vinatieri's field goal success record against Indianapolis in
his career (97 percent success rate).
READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL
9/9/02
The date of the last Monday Night Football game in Foxborough
prior to the matchup with the Colts. That game marked the
grand opening of Gillette Stadium and ended in a 30-14 victory
over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
4
The number of consecutive times the Patriots had played on the
road when they drew a Monday night game prior to the Colts
game.
4
The number of victories for the Patriots in their last six
appearances on Monday Night Football, dating back to the 2000
season.
8
The number of times the Patriots will have appeared at home on
Monday night in the Robert Kraft era (since 1994) following the
matchup with the Colts.
3
The number of times the Patriots will have appeared at home on
Monday night in the Bill Belichick era (since 2000) following the
matchup with the Colts.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
1972
The season in which the Patriots made their debut on Monday
Night Football in a game against the Baltimore Colts at Schaefer
Stadium in Foxborough.
1
The number of times the Patriots and Colts have played on
Monday night since that inaugural matchup on Nov. 6, 1972.
CONSECUTIVE STREAKS
151
Consecutive games in which Adam Vinatieri has played, the third
longest streak in team history, behind only Raymond Clayborn
(161) and Gino Cappelletti (152). Vinatieri has not missed a
game in his 10-year career.
69
Consecutive games in which Tom Brady has started at
quarterback, the longest consecutive starts streak on the team.
38
Consecutive games in which Dan Koppen has started at center,
the second longest starting streak on the team.
31
Consecutive games in which Willie McGinest has started at
outside linebacker, the longest consecutive starts streak on the
Patriots defense.
35
Consecutive games played in which Deion Branch has recorded
at least one reception.
25
Consecutive victories when producing a positive turnover
differential.
7
Consecutive overtime wins (8 games including playoffs).
250
Consecutive Patriots games televised locally, including
preseason, regular-season and postseason games.
120
Consecutive sellouts in Foxborough, including preseason,
regular-season and postseason games.
NOTE: All of the above streaks include regular-season games only, unless noted.
2005 MILESTONES
3
The number of yards needed by Troy Brown to pass Irving Fryar
(5,726 yards) for second place on the Patriots' all-time receiving
yardage list. Brown enters this week's game with 5,724 career
receiving yards.
28
The number of points needed by kicker Adam Vinatieri to
become the Patriots' all-time leading scorer. His current career
total is 1,103 points. Gino Cappelletti (1960-70) holds the
franchise record with 1,130 points.
5.5
The number of sacks needed by Willie McGinest (74.5 sacks) to
pass Julius Adams (79.5 sacks) for second place on the team's
all-time sacks list.
45
The number of receptions Kevin Faulk needs to pass Tony Collins
(261) for the most receptions by a running back in Patriots
history.
65
The number of receiving yards needed by Faulk to reach 2,000
for his career. He could become just the third running back in
Patriots history to achieve the milestone (Larry Garron, 2,502
and Tony Collins, 2,356).
