The Colts gave the Patriots a bit of a fight for the first quarter, but it was only so long before Tom Brady and the New England offense got their chances.
With the Colts starting the second quarter just one yard from the end zone, the Pats had some work to do to avoid giving Indianapolis their first lead in weeks. But, with a stuff at the line and an incomplete pass from Dan Orlovsky, the Colts found themselves facing a third down. If that wasn't bad enough, they gave up a false start to make their final opportunity that much harder. With Orlovsky being taken down behind the line by Rob Ninkovich, they were forced to settle for just the tying field goal.
The Patriots would come up short on their second drive of the game thanks to an ill-conceived deep pass on 3rd-and-1, but after forcing a 3-and-out things went very differently. Starting at their own 14, Tom Brady and the Patriots picked their way up the field bit-by-bit, picking up six first downs in the process--including on a 3rd-and-15 pass to Wes Welker that brought the team into the red zone. In the end, it was the familiar combination of Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski that put six points up on the board, as the tight end grabbed touchdown number 12 on the season.
With just under three minutes left in the half, the Colts had to either get an offensive drive going, or at least run the clock down. They failed to do either, giving the ball back to the Patriots after just 83 seconds. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tom Brady completed five straight passes for 63 yards, leading to a quick run into the end zone by BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
The Pats will receive the ball to start the second half, looking to put the nail in Indy's coffin.