Patriots hang on, just barely

Manning's comeback came up just short Sunday as James Sanders made a
game-saving interception for the Patriots, who hung on to win 31-28.

In the latest installment of the epic rivalry between the Patriots and Colts, Brady and Belichick got away with one Sunday afternoon in chilly Foxboro, hanging on by a thread to secure a 31-28 victory over Indianapolis. The story-within-the-story tells us that despite racing out to 14-0 lead and holding a 31-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots were once again at the mercy of Peyton Manning. After throwing a pair of touchdowns to Blair White, Manning had the Colts down just 31-28 with a little over four minutes remaining.

Instead of attempting an onside kick, the Colts elected to kick it off. The strategy worked as the embattled Indianapolis defense, who were without starters Gary Brackett, Bob Sanders, Clint Session and Justin Tryon, forced a pivotal three-and-out from Brady and Co. Unlike the last time the two teams met when Belichick decided unsuccessfully to go for it on that infamous fourth-and-two play, the Patriots elected to punt the ball to Manning, literally putting the game in his hands.

Right on cue, Manning began engineering what appeared to be yet another immaculate comeback. With each first down Manning registered, that painful memory of the 2006-07 AFC Championship Game began surfacing like a neverending nightmare. Every true Patriots fan remembers exactly where they were when that tragedy went down. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was late January during my sophomore year at the University of Vermont. All my friends and I piled into Ian Collins' apartment on South Willard Street to party for the game. I wore my Brady jersey.

The first half was perfect. The beers were flowing and the Patriots led 21-3 at halftime. The vibe was spectacular. We were well on our way to yet another Super Bowl. It almost felt like tradition.

Then the hammer fell. The Patriots imploded. Manning hit Clark and Wayne a bunch of times. Joseph Addai scored with just over a minute left to give the Colts a 38-34 lead. Brady got the Patriots to midfield before throwing an interception to Marlin Jackson to end the game and send Indianapolis to the Super Bowl.

Luckily, that scenario DID NOT play out yesterday in Foxboro. Belichick's belief in the defense finally paid off. Although the Colts were already in field goal range and had multiple timeouts remaining, Manning tried to go for the kill but was intercepted by safety James Sanders to end the game.

That close.

Since 2001, when Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe, the Patriots won first six overall meetings with the Colts. But coming into yesterday's pivotal matchup, the Colts had dominated the recent series, winning five of the last six meetings. Overall, Brady leads the head-to-head grudge match with Manning by a 8-5 margin.

The only way for the two teams to meet again this season would be in the postseason. I'll take it. I don't care what anyone else says, it's by far the best current rivalry to date. And while Peyton Manning is the modern-day Wilt Chamberlain, piling up the individual statistics (he went 38-52 yesterday for 396 yards, with 4 td's, 3 int's) Tom Brady just continues to get the wins. Like Bill Russell.

Tom Brady has the Patriots tied for the best record in the NFL at 8-2.