Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots Match Player Stats On Jan 18, 2015

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 18, 2015


Patriots 45, Colts 7: Tom Brady threw two of his three touchdown passes during a 21-point third-quarter blitz as host New England advanced to its sixth Super Bowl in 14 seasons.

LeGarrette Blount rumbled for 148 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots (14-4) ripped off 31 unanswered points to set up a date with the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 in a matchup of top-seeded teams. Brady finished 23-of-35 for 226 yards with an interception to become the first starting quarterback to reach six Super Bowls.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski and left tackle Nate Solder each caught a touchdown pass as New England scored 21 points in a span of under eight minutes in the third quarter to turn it into a blowout. Julian Edelman had nine catches for 98 yards for the Patriots, who have outscored Indianapolis 189-73 in winning the last four meetings.

Andrew Luck struggled in the wet, windy conditions, completing 12-of-33 for 126 yards with two interceptions for the fourth-seeded Colts (13-6), who had surrendered only 23 points in playoff victories over Cincinnati and Denver. Zurlon Tipton's 1-yard run accounted for the lone TD for Indianapolis, which was trampled for 166 yards and four TDs by Blount in last season's 43-22 playoff loss in Foxborough.

Leading 17-7 at halftime, Brady drove the Patriots 87 yards in nine plays on the opening possession of the third quarter before hitting the 320-pound Solder, who lumbered into the end zone for a 15-yard TD. Brady capped a 62-yard drive with a 5-yard strike to Gronkowski on a slant pass before Darrelle Revis' interception set up Blount's 13-yard scoring run and a 38-7 lead with 2:08 left in the quarter.

New England converted a muffed punt into Blount's 1-yard TD run before Brady tossed a 1-yard scoring pass to fullback James Develin for a 14-0 lead with 80 seconds left in the first quarter. D'Qwell Jackson came up with a big interception near the goal line and Luck drove the Colts 93 yards in 10 plays, capped by Tipton's run, but Stephen Gostkowski's 21-yard field goal made it 17-7 at halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brady eclipsed Peyton Manning (6,800) for the NFL record in postseason passing yards with 7,017 and extended his all-time touchdown mark to 49. ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick surpassed Tom Landry to earn his record 21st playoff win and joined Don Shula as the only coaches to reach six Super Bowls ... Colts K Adam Vinatieri missed a 51-yarder in the first quarter in his 30th career postseason game, surpassing Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice for the most on the all-time list. ... Gostkowski (113) moved past Matt Stover for eighth place in career postseason points and became the the 11th kicker with at least 20 field goals in the playoffs.