National Football League
New England 43, Indianapolis 22
When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, January 11, 2014
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Temperature: 57°
Head Official: Peter Morelli
Attendance: 68756

Patriots 43, Colts 22: LeGarrette Blount rushed for 166 yards and four touchdowns as host New England rode a punishing ground game to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

Stevan Ridley added 52 yards and a pair of short scoring runs and Tom Brady threw for 198 yards on 13-of-25 passing as the second-seeded Patriots (13-4) amassed 234 yards rushing to reach their eighth conference title game in 13 seasons. New England, which became only the third team with six rushing touchdowns in a postseason contest, will play at Denver or host San Diego on Jan. 19 with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck was unable to replicate his dazzling comeback from a week ago against Kansas City, finishing 20-of-41 for 331 yards with two touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions, giving him seven picks in his last two games. LaVon Brazill had scoring receptions of 38 and 35 yards for the fourth-seeded Colts (12-6).

Luck's second TD pass to Brazill pulled the Colts within 29-22 with 5:01 left in the third quarter, but New England put the game away on touchdowns by Blount and Ridley 1:43 apart early in the fourth. Blount broke loose on a 73-yard scoring run, giving him eight TDs in his last four games, before linebacker Jamie Collins picked off Luck to set up Ridley's 1-yard run to boost the lead to 43-22 with 11:12 to play.

The Patriots jumped out to a 21-7 lead less than four minutes into the second quarter on three 2-yard scoring runs by Blount - the first coming one play after Luck was picked off on his second pass of the game. Luck moved the Colts into position for Adam Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal on the ensuing drive before a high snap and botched lateral attempt by Patriots punter Ryan Allen resulted in a safety and a 21-12 halftime score.

New England answered an opening second-half field goal by Vinatieri with an 88-yard drive capped by Ridley's 3-yard run and a conversion by Ridley for a 29-15 lead. Luck needed only three plays and 77 seconds to respond with a 35-yard scoring strike to Brazill to get the Colts within a touchdown, but they would get no closer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Patriots coach Bill Belichick earned his 19th postseason victory, tying Don Shula for second on the all-time list - one behind Tom Landry. ... Blount became the second player in postseason history to rush for four touchdowns (San Francisco's Rickey Watters, 5 in 1993) while setting a franchise record for most TDs in a playoff or regular-season game. ... Brazill's two scoring passes matched his total for the regular season while Vinatieri extended his own record by scoring in 27 consecutive postseason games. ... Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski was forced into punting duties after Allen injured his right shoulder on the safety and averaged 41.8 yards on five kicks.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Indianapolis   New England
Donald Brown Player LeGarrette Blount
17 Attempts 24
63 Yards 166
3.7 Avg Yards 6.9
0 Touchdowns 4
16 Long 73
Receiving
Indianapolis   New England
T.Y. Hilton Player Julian Edelman
4 Receptions 6
103 Yards 84
25.8 Avg Yards 14.0
0 Touchdowns 0
46 Long 27
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Indianapolis 386 69 317 2 2 0 2.0 1
New England 419 234 185 6 0 4 3.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • New England will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Patriots have a W/L % of .667 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.