Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Sports

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This past Sunday deflated the high spirits held by Patriots fans over the last four weeks. In front of a national audience, they were defeated in the final seconds by just a single point.
Prior to Peyton Manning driving twenty nine yards and connecting with Reggie Wayne for a 1-yard touchdown pass, Patriots coach Bill Belichick placed trust in his offense that posted thirty-four points through the first 58 minutes of play.
The Patriots fell one yard short of their fourth straight victory on an unconventional fourth down call. After failing to convert on third and two from their own 28-yard line, coach Belichick left his offense on the field to convert their only fourth down attempt of the game.
Tom Brady took a direct snap and quickly threw to sure-handed running back, Kevin Faulk. After a slight bobble, Faulk was pushed back to the 29-yard line, one yard shy of the first down.
After the two minute warning, the play was not reviewed and the Colts returned to the field and proceeded to score for the third time in the final quarter.
The Patriots offense, prior to the fourth quarter, looked invincible. Brady threw for 375 yards, completing 29-42 passes and three touchdowns. Randy Moss continued to build upon another standout season, catching nine passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
While Brady was the better quarterback through three-plus quarters of play, it was his counterpart Peyton Manning who stole the show in the end.
In front of his home crowd the reigning MVP showed why he's the best at his craft. Down 13 points with just over four minutes left to play, Manning engineered two 79-yard scoring drives before capping off the game winning drive with a short pass to Wayne.
In days following, Belichick's decision was scrutinized coast to coast on every major sports broadcast in the country. A common question seemed to arise: "Why didn't he punt?"
An answer is difficult to defend, given the game's outcome. However, considering the Patriots' defense had allowed three scoring drives in the fourth quarter and appeared to be out of gas, Belichick relied on his trustworthy offense to come through in the clutch. Unfortunately, they came up short.
Had the Patriots elected to punt, the Colts would have had to travel roughly 65-yards with two timeouts and all the momentum inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Not exactly a favorable situation for a wiped out Patriots secondary.
In the end, the Patriots came out of the game with a 6-3 record, which leads the weakened AFC East. This Sunday, the Patriots return home to Gillette Stadium where they will look to avenge an early loss against the New York Jets.

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