AFC Championship: New England Patriots travel to face Indianapolis Colts at RCA Dome, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 6:44pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Indianapolis Colts, the home crowd at RCA Dome is asked to be a player; for New England Patriots, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of RCA Dome with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
New England Patriots versus Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 12-4 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-9 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 13-3 | W4 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-8 | L3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-8 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 6-10 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 14-2 | W10 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 8-8 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 8-8 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 13-3 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 8-8 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-12 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 721283434 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 36213838 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Logan Mankins offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) | 7-0 |
| Colts | Adam Vinatieri 42 yard field goal | 7-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Corey Dillon 7 yard rush ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) | 14-3 |
| Patriots | Asante Samuel 39 yard interception return ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) | 21-3 |
| Colts | Adam Vinatieri 26 yard field goal | 21-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Peyton Manning 1 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 21-13 |
| Colts | Dan Klecko 1 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Marvin Harrison pass from Peyton Manning ) | 21-21 |
| Patriots | Jabar Gaffney 6 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) | 28-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Jeff Saturday offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 28-28 |
| Patriots | Stephen Gostkowski 28 yard field goal | 31-28 |
| Colts | Adam Vinatieri 36 yard field goal | 31-31 |
| Patriots | Stephen Gostkowski 43 yard field goal | 34-31 |
| Colts | Joseph Addai 3 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 34-38 |
| Patriots | Colts | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 17 | 32 |
| Total Yards | 319 | 455 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 21/34 | 27/47 |
| Pass yards | 232 | 349 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 6 | 19 |
| Net pass yards | 226 | 330 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 30 |
| Rush yards | 93 | 125 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 8 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 63 | 32 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 21/34 | 232 | 1 | 1 | |
| IND | |||||
| Peyton Manning | 27/47 | 349 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Corey Dillon | 7 | 48 | 1 | 35 |
| Kevin Faulk | 4 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
| Laurence Maroney | 8 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| Heath Evans | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Tom Brady | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| IND | ||||
| Dominic Rhodes | 14 | 69 | 0 | 19 |
| Joseph Addai | 14 | 56 | 1 | 11 |
| Peyton Manning | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Ben Watson | 5 | 48 | 0 | 19 |
| Reche Caldwell | 4 | 46 | 0 | 18 |
| Jabar Gaffney | 3 | 37 | 1 | 17 |
| Heath Evans | 4 | 33 | 0 | 15 |
| Troy Brown | 2 | 32 | 0 | 27 |
| Daniel Graham | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Laurence Maroney | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Kevin Faulk | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| IND | ||||
| Dallas Clark | 6 | 137 | 0 | 52 |
| Reggie Wayne | 5 | 68 | 0 | 18 |
| Marvin Harrison | 4 | 41 | 0 | 13 |
| Dominic Rhodes | 4 | 38 | 0 | 13 |
| Bryan Fletcher | 1 | 32 | 0 | 32 |
| Aaron Moorehead | 3 | 23 | 0 | 10 |
| Ben Utecht | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Joseph Addai | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Dan Klecko | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Indianapolis Colts defeated New England Patriots 38-34 at RCA Dome in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Colts: Joseph Addai 3 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick). Top line of the day: Peyton Manning: 349 pass yards on 27-of-47, 1 TD, 1 INT. Indianapolis Colts advance to the Super Bowl.
Indianapolis Colts walked out of RCA Dome as the team that survived an AFC Championship New England Patriots will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 38-34. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Colts: Joseph Addai 3 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Indianapolis Colts are bound for the Super Bowl.
Indianapolis Colts 38, New England Patriots 34. Round: AFC Championship. Attendance: 57433. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 5 scoring plays. Top performers: - Peyton Manning: 349 pass yards on 27-of-47, 1 TD, 1 INT - Dominic Rhodes: 69 rush yards on 14 carries - Dallas Clark: 6 catches for 137 yards
AFC Championship, played at RCA Dome. Final: New England Patriots 34, Indianapolis Colts 38, with Indianapolis Colts taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- Patriots: Logan Mankins offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) - Colts: Adam Vinatieri 42 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Patriots: Corey Dillon 7 yard rush ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) - Patriots: Asante Samuel 39 yard interception return ( Stephen Gostkowski kick) - Colts: Adam Vinatieri 26 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Colts: Peyton Manning 1 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Colts: Dan Klecko 1 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Marvin Harrison pass from Peyton Manning ) - Patriots: Jabar Gaffney 6 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Stephen Gostkowski kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Colts: Jeff Saturday offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( Adam Vinatieri kick) - Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski 28 yard field goal - Colts: Adam Vinatieri 36 yard field goal - Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski 43 yard field goal - Colts: Joseph Addai 3 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
**Top performers**
- Peyton Manning: 349 pass yards on 27-of-47, 1 TD, 1 INT - Dominic Rhodes: 69 rush yards on 14 carries - Dallas Clark: 6 catches for 137 yards