The New England Patriots knocked off the Indianapolis Colts 34-27 on Sunday Night Football last night, keeping them among the ranks of the unbeaten while the Colts fell to 3-3 on the season. Here are three things we learned about each team from the game:
Bill Belichick roulette is back. After Dion Lewis looked like he had taken over the lead running back role in New England, LeGarrette Blount had four times as many carries as Lewis against the Colts. While Lewis did contribute through the air with three catches, Blount looks like the go-to back on the ground - for now.
Tom Brady is the MVP. He had another great game in this one, passing for 312 yards and three touchdowns, but was even impressive in throwing his first interception of the season (which hit Julian Edelman in the chest). No one is playing as well as Brady is right now, and he's running away with the MVP race.
The Patriots don't need an outside WR. Keshawn Martin was the only outside wide receiver who caught a pass in this game, but he can even be considered a slot guy. All of Brady's completions went to slot receivers Edelman and Danny Amendola, tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler, and running backs Blount and Lewis - and they did just fine.
Pump the brakes on the Andrew Luck hate. After missing two games with a shoulder injury, Luck has his best game of the season with 312 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. That looked like the guy we saw tear up the league last year, and it appears that Luck is back to being one of the league's best quarterbacks.
The Colts should never, ever, ever try a fake punt again. What was this?!?!?
Indianapolis' defense still needs a lot of work. They gave up over 400 yards of offense to the Patriots and were gashed both through the air and on the ground, showing why the Colts rank 29th in the league in total defense. The offense can only carry the Colts so far - at some point, the defense is going to have to step up.
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