The Indianapolis Colts capitalized on a failed gamble by the New England Patriots to retain their unbeaten record with a stunning 35-34 comeback victory in the dying seconds on Sunday.
Clinging to a 34-28 lead with the ball on their own 28 and just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Patriots coach Bill Belichick opted for a fourth-down play instead of a punt but came up short, turning the ball over to the Colts.
Peyton Manning immediately made the Patriots pay for their miscalculation by firing his fourth touchdown pass of the game, hitting Reggie Wayne with a one-yard strike to send a record crowd at the Lucas Oil Stadium into a frenzy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
It was the 18th straight regular season win for the Colts (9-0), who remain on course for the Patriots record of 21 consecutive victories as well as joining New England as the only teams to complete a 16-game regular season unbeaten.
The Patriots spectacular fourth quarter collapse took the shine off a brilliant performance from New England quarterback Tom Brady, who completed 29-of-42 attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns.
The game produced the type of offensive fireworks expected from a pair of quarterbacks who have spent their careers at the helm of the NFL’s most dominant franchises and walked away with the most valuable player honors the last two seasons.
PHOTO: AFP
The teams combined for nearly 900 yards in total offense in a riveting battle that delivered on all the advance hype.
Played out in front of a charged atmosphere generated by a Colts record crowd of 67,476, the fans sensed they were in for a treat as the dominant teams of the last decade prepared to go toe-to-toe.
The Colts drew first blood, Manning engineering an eight-play, 90-yard scoring drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown strike to Joseph Addai.
However, the Patriots dominated the rest of the opening half, scoring on their next four possessions as Brady tossed for 237 yards, including scoring passes to Julian Edelman and favorite target Randy Moss, who finished with nine catches for 179 yards.
Laurence Maroney piled over from the one for another touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski booted a 31-yard field goal to put the visitors up 24-7 halfway through the second quarter, silencing the capacity crowd. But Manning refused to be overshadowed by Brady and got the crowd back on its feet by rifling a 20-yard laser to Wayne for his second touchdown of the half in trimming New England’s advantage to 10 points.
After two near misses at the start of the second half, the Patriots would not be denied a third time when Wes Welker returned a punt 69 yards to the Colts’ seven to end the third quarter.
When the teams returned to the field to start the final quarter, Brady found Moss with a four-yard touchdown strike to open up a commanding 31-14 lead.
The Colts’ fourth quarter rally began with Manning firing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon and following a Gostkowski field goal, he handed off to Addai, who rumbled over from the four to slice the New England lead to 34-28.
BENGALS 18, STEELERS 12
At Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Steelers at their own game in their own stadium, relying on a defense that smothered Ben Roethlisberger by holding the Super Bowl champions to four field goals in a win that put them in control of the AFC North.
Shayne Graham kicked four field goals in the second half even as the Bengals failed to convert opportunity after opportunity to take control. Bernard Scott’s 96-yard kickoff return in the first quarter proved pivotal as Cincinnati, despite playing the second half without ace running back Cedric Benson and failing to convert on the extra point after Scott’s score, followed up a 23-20 win over the Steelers on Sept. 27.
DOLPHINS 25, BUCS 23
At Miami, Chad Henne directed a 77-yard scoring drive in the final 1:10 and Dan Carpenter kicked a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds left for the victory.
SAINTS 28, RAMS 23
At St Louis, Reggie Bush helped the unbeaten New Orleans Saints overcome another bundle of mistakes and get off to the best start in team history.
In other NFL action, it was:
• Panthers 28, Falcons 19
• Vikings 27, Lions 10
• Redskins 27, Broncos 17
• Titans 41, Bills 17
• Jaguars 24, Jets 22
• Chargers 31, Eagles 23
• Chiefs 16, Raiders 10
• Cardinals 31, Seahawks 20
• Packers 17, Cowboys 7
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