Colts vs Patriots: Trick plays are imminent
While the New England Patriots found success in calling trick plays that stunned Baltimore last Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts may pull the trigger to derail be in the Super Bowl.
New England called plays that were never before seen in the NFL that confused the defense of the Ravens. Even Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said on Boston Globe, ““It was about the mechanics of the officiating. I never had an issue with the formation, never even brought that up. It wasn’t about the formation at all. I had a chance to talk to [referee] Bill Vinovich during the game, and he addressed it. He said that was right.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled those plays while the Patriots were behind 28-14. The Julian Edelman touchdown pass to Danny Amendola was a trick play that shocked the Ravens big. If the Patriots will find themselves to be catching up against the Colts, they might call more trick plays. But as long as the Patriots offense works perfectly, then they would be satisfied by staying to the game plan.
Of course the Colts might pull off their own “deceptions” to upset the Patriots. By beating the Broncos last week, the Colts have an opportunity to enter into the Super Bowl with Andrew Luck as the quarterback.
Preview
The Patriots host the Colts on Sunday, January 18, at the Gillette Stadium at 6:40 PM ET. New England is not new in playing at the AFC. As a matter of fact, this is Brady’s ninth AFC Championship game.
Brady started his journey in the AFC title on January 27, 2002 when the Patriots defeated the Steelers, 24-17.
Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in 33 of 50 passes against Baltimore. He rallied his team first in the second quarter after trailing 14-0 to tie the game. But Brady threw an interception at the end of the second quarter, only to see Baltimore scored in the next drive.
Brady’s record in AFC Games
January 27, 2002: Patriots 24, Steelers 17 W
January 18, 2004: Patriots 24, Colts 14 W
January 23, 2005: Patriots 41, Steelers 27 W
January 21, 2007: Colts 38, Patriots 34 L
January 20, 2008: Patriots 21, Chargers 12 W
January 22, 2012: Patriots 23, Ravens 20 W
January 20, 2013: Ravens 28, Patriots 13 L
January 19, 2014: Broncos 26, Patriots 16 L
January 18, 2015: Patriots vs Colts
The AFC Championship Game is not that kind to Brady and the Patriots having a 5-3 record. In the last two AFC games, the Patriots were totally overpowered by the defenses of the Ravens and Broncos. This can be the season for Brady to win another AFC title and to be back in the Super Bowl. Brady will utilize what he has in the offense: Rob Gronkowski, who was unstoppable against the Ravens, and Edelman and Amendola.
Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts entered deeper into the playoff. In last week’s Divisional game against the Broncos, there was nothing special in the performance of the Luck. He threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions. TY Hilton and Coby Fleener were his primary targets combining for 131 yards of receptions.
Colts’ defense was a big factor for the win, containing Peyton Manning to 211 yards and a touchdown. It will be the defense that would make the difference in playing against the New England Patriots.
For the Colts to beat the Patriots, the defense on the run would be critical. On November 16, the Colts’ running defense allowed a whopping 232 yards (231 on Jonas Gray, 31 on Julian Edelman). The Colts can look at how the Ravens stopped the Patriots in running the football last Saturday.
Offensively, Indianapolis averages 305.9 yards in passing (1st in the NFL in regular season) and 100.8 yards in rushing. Defensively, Indianapolis yields 229.3 in passing and 113.4 in rushing.
Will the Colts call for trick plays in order to overpower the Patriots?
