Patriots escape Colts

James Sanders' interception on Peyton Manning
with 30 seconds left.

Man, did we have a nail-bitter at Gillette Sunday night.  The Patriots in my opinion got plain old lucky. The Patriots won 31-28, but it was a VERY evenly played game throughout. The Patriots won 31-28 after they hung on in the final minutes. Brady won the quarterback battle against Manning, which wasn't as exciting of a battle because of Manning's three interceptions that he had throughout the game. The Colts team has been plagued by injuries throughout the season, and it was clear that they are missing those players. Collie came back for a few plays, before getting re-diagnosed with a concussion, Addai and Hart didn't play, and there were 9 others who sat on the sideline watching the crushing loss.
First Quarter:
As the ball flew towards B. James of the Colts, the crowed roared and became excited as the Colts v.s. Patriots rivalry started. Manning and the Colts seemed to be on a roll during their first possession, but Brandon Meriweather on a 3rd down at the NE 46, had something different planned. He wanted to get the Patriots off to a good start, and he did so by picking off Manning. This gave the Patriots great field position. It took three plays until Brady hit Welker on a slant running across the field. From there, Welker shredded tackles, and took it in for a 22-yard score. 7 - 0 Pats. The rest of the quarter was a stale-mate, with teams trading sacks, possessions, and incomplete passes. At the end of one, it was the Patriots leading 7-0. The game looked as if it was going to be a defensive battle.
Second Quarter:

One of the greatest handshakes in all of football.
Brady and Manning, the two most elite quarterbacks
in the league and maybe in league history. 

The second quarter looked to be a low-scoring quarter, but as the Patriots continued their drive and momentum from the first quarter, it only took them 2.5 minutes to score. Brady connected with Hernanedez on an 8-yard pass. 14-0 Patriots. Both teams traded possessions again, but Peyton Manning decided that if his defense wasn't going to help him out then he had to step-up and do it on his own. He hit rookie WR Gijon Robinson for a 1-yard score. 14-7 Patriots, as the Brady v.s. Manning matchup finally seemed intriguing. Ben-Jarvus Green Ellis had a magnificent day running, recording 97 yards and a touchdown. Everyone was so focused on the quarterbacks, that they forgot about him as he ran 5-yards to increase the Patriots lead to 21-7. Manning then lead his team down the field in four minutes. With four seconds left, he connected with Reggie Wayne for an 11-yard score. This made it a 21-14 score at halftime. The game looked to be exciting from there because of the way the teams have been playing so evenly.
Third Quarter:
The Third quarter was just like the first quarter. Manning throwing an interception, and both teams not getting anything going on offense. Why doesn't either team show up to play on the odd-number quarters? Is it the coldness, the break from the locker-room, who knows? All I know is the 5"7 RB for the Patriots whose name begins with a D and end in a Y wanted to get some scoring going. DannY Woodhead took a handoff from Brady and scampered 36-yards for a touchdown. Woodhead was running, and in the process of the getting tripped up, he stayed on his feet using great balance and agility. He put his hand to the ground, and just kept motoring until he put the Patriots up 28-14. How would the Colts come back from this deficit in just one-quarter? The answer is Peyton Manning.
Fourth Quarter:
The fourth quarter was filled with excitement as the Colts inched closer and closer to the Pats. The Patriots thought, mhhh a touchdown would be nice, but a field-goal would be just as nice because of the score. Well, they got a 25-yard field goal from Shayne Graham to make the score 31-14. Can the Colts actually come back down 17 points in 10 minutes? Sure, if you have one of the best, and clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. His eliteness shown through, as he connected with Blair White on a five yard touchdown pass which made the score 31-21. They were down by 10 with 7 minutes left. It was almost sure that the Patriots would run out the clock, but they passed and gave the ball to the Colts which let them drive down 18. From there, Blair White continued his career-day with his second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter. The score was 31-28 with just over 4 minutes remaining. Here we go. This is where the excitement starts. The Patriots went three and out and with 2.5 minutes remaining Peyton Manning was given the ball. He drove the Colts down to Patriots territory. Manning led the team with passes and running plays from there and with 35 seconds he took the snap, dropped back to pass, and.... was picked off by James Sanders! A game-saving interception by Sanders, which let the Patriots knee and walk off the field with a win. Why did the Colts pass the ball where they could have just taken a field goal? This is why the Patriots were very lucky.
How Bellicheck celebrated!?
Bill Bellicheck celebrated by playing lacrosse on the field after the game with an assistant coach.
What a great matchup....

Who wins each award on Sunday.....
deep ball? Brady
Accuracy? Manning
Tougher? Brady
Stronger Arm? Brady
Smartest? Brady
Leadership? Manning
Mobility? Brady
Mechanics? Manning
5 - 3 Brady wins!
Images: Brady v.s. Manning espn.go.com
Brady Manning handshake http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/photos?gameId=301121017&photoId=971901
Sanders interception http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/photos?gameId=301121017&photoId=971983