The New England Patriots are kings of the AFC conference once again and are headed to Super Bowl XLIX after absolutely manhandling the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7.
About three months ago, analysts and commentators everywhere were talking about the end of the Tom Brady era in New England and now will be talking about his opportunity to add a fourth Super Bowl ring to his arsenal, funny how things change.
Brady didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but he didn't need to, as the Patriots outplayed the Colts in every aspect of the game. Brady completed 23-of-35 passes for 226 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. One of those was to his favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, who has made all the difference this year for the Patriots offense returning from an ACL injury he suffered last season.
The Patriots ran the ball down the Colts throat just as they did in Week 11 of the regular season, but this time it was with LeGarrette Blount who rushed for three touchdowns and 148 yards on 30 carries. Blount scored on a one yard touchdown less than five minutes into the first quarter, and the Patriots never looked back. The Colts were once again helpless to stop the Patriots running attack nor were they able to run the ball effectively on offense either, two aspects of the game they've struggled with mightily all season long.
Andrew Luck fell to 0-4 all-time versus Tom Brady and was suffocated by the Patriots defense all evening long. Luck threw for 126 yards on a horrific 36 percent completion percentage to go along with two interceptions. Darrelle Revis did a spectacular job of taking away Luck's favorite receiver, T.Y. Hilton, as he only caught one ball the entire game for thirty-six yards. Revis also picked off Luck in the fourth quarter, exactly why the Patriots signed him in the off-season for moments and games like these. The Patriots have had Luck's number throughout his young career and Sunday night was no different.
Dan Herron ran the ball effectively when he was given the opportunity, as he averaged 5.1 yards per carry but as the Colts fell down early, they were forced to abandon the run. Zurion Tipton scored the lone touchdown for the Colts on a one yard run with 4:54 left in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-7, the closest the Colts would be all game long.
The Patriots put this game away in the third quarter scoring three touchdowns on three consecutive drives to extend the lead to 38-7 heading into the fourth quarter. By the end of the game, the Patriots had won the second-most lopsided game in AFC championship history and punched in their ticket to their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history.
The Patriots will now have two weeks to prepare to take on the defending champs, Seattle Seahawks, in what'll showcase a matchup of two number one seeds squaring off for the second year in a row. Tom Brady will make history as he'll become the first quarterback to play in his sixth Super Bowl.