Four Takeaways From The New England Patriots’ 42-20 Win Over The Indianapolis Colts

Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver

(87) is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback

(24) at Lucas Oil Stadium. New England defeated Indianapolis 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

2. Stopping The Run

On the other side of the ball, as impressive as Darrelle Revis and the secondary was in stopping Andrew Luck, it was the play of the front seven that impressed me the most.

The Patriots came into the game ranked 22nd in the league in run defense, allowing 120 yards on the ground per game. However they held the Colts’ ground attack to a measly 19 yards on 17 carries. And on top of that, 15 of those yards came on Andrew Luck scrambles. Vince Wilfork, Alan Branch, and Rob Ninkovich refused to give an inch at the line of scrimmage, and Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower were excellent in reading the offense, attacking the hole, and making the play.

It’s not like the Colts main weapon on offense was the running game. But last night proved that it doesn’t matter how great you are at throwing the ball, if you become one-dimensional, you will struggle. Indianapolis came into the game 14th in the NFL in rushing yards at nearly 114 a game.

Just an awesome game from the front seven of New England to hold them to 19 yards.