The Indianapolis Colts didn't just win a football game on Monday night in New England, they put to rest any doubts that they could play with and soundly defeat the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Colts rode the pinpoint passing of Peyton Manning and the legs of Edgerrin James to an easy 40-21 win over the Patriots in Foxborough.
Manning led the Colts on six long scoring drives while commanding the Indianapolis offense using the no-huddle most of the game. He finished the contest by completing 28-of-37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Both Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne had more than 100 yards receiving while James ran for 104 yards on 34 carries to pace the Indianapolis attack.
The Patriots showed little confidence in their defense as coach Bill Belichick tried an onsides kick after a second half Pats touchdown. The Colts recovered and had a short field which they used to tack on more points. Later, Belichick elected to go for it on 4th and four from the Colts 43 but Tom Brady threw too low for David Givens.
The win improved the Colts record to a perfect 8-0 on the season and lead the second place Jacksonville Jaguars by three games in the AFC South. Indianapolis remains the NFL's only undefeated team. New England fell to 4-4 but remains in first place in the weak AFC East, a game ahead of both Buffalo and Miami.
