Lakers get Broke-backed

According to Phil Jackson, their was a little too much penatration in the Lakers game last night....A brokeback amount.

When Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to open outside shooters after the Spurs dropped 13 threes on the Lakers, Jackson replied,

"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration
and kickouts," Jackson said. "It was one of those games."

League spokesman Brian McIntyre said, "The remarks are in poor taste, and the Lakers have assured us such remarks will not occur in the future."

With the Lakers D, they might as well grab there ankles, because they are going to be getting Broke-backed all season long.

Thanks Kobe

Adrian Peterson out with torn knee ligament

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will miss Sunday's game against Oakland with a torn ligament in his right knee.

Coach Brad Childress said Monday that Peterson tore his lateral collateral ligament in the Vikings' 34-0 loss to Green Bay. Peterson will not require surgery, Childress said.

"The good news is that the knee is otherwise stable and the injury is isolated to that ligament," Childress said. "I'm told that's a good healing ligament."

Childress said this is not a season-ending injury, but he did not talk about when Peterson might be back.

"I'm real hesitant to put a timeline on that thing," Childress said.

Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman said there is "absolutely no question about it" that Peterson will play again this season, according to Scout.com.

Peterson was hurt just a week after he set an NFL single-game rushing record with 296 yards in a victory over San Diego.

Team doctors told Childress that with ligament tears graded on a three-point scale, with three being the worst, Peterson's tear is "two-plus." It's not as serious as an anterior cruciate ligament tear, which would have required surgery and ended Peterson's brilliant rookie season.

"This is not one of those," Childress said.

Peterson was injured in the third quarter Sunday. Packers cornerback Al Harris hit him in the knee just as Peterson was about to make a cut downfield, and the star rookie writhed in pain for several minutes in a scary scene.

"That pain was horrible," Peterson said Monday, according to Scout.com. "I don't know if you've ever experienced a pain where you don't want nobody to touch you — you just want to be still for a few minutes to calm down — that was the kind of pain it was. Not knowing what to expect, I was just praying to God, please don't let it be anything serious."

Sugarman said that the Vikings' clinical diagnosis on the field and on the sidelines quickly alleviated concerns that he might have torn his anterior cruciate ligament, a season-ending injury that would have required surgery.

"He didn't really ever say he felt a pop," Sugarman said, according to Scout.com. "He felt a burning sensation in his knee. ... He doesn't have an unstable knee. When he walks around, it doesn't feel like it's giving out."

After conducting an interview on Monday, Peterson walked away without a noticeable limp, and Sugarman said there was no swelling or effusion (blood in the knee joint), and that the running back has full range of motion in his knee. It also helps that the outside of the knee, where the injured lateral collateral ligament resides, is further supported by three other structures that help stabilize that area of the knee, including the hamstring.

"When you don't know what the injury is and you know it's a knee, especially being a running back, that's something that will definitely make you a little worried," Peterson said, according to Scout.com.

It could have been much worse, according to Sugarman, if Harris made contact closer to the front of Peterson's knee.

"He's lucky," Sugarman said, according to Scout.com. "If (Harris) is 30 degrees in front with (Peterson's) foot fixed, we're talking about a very significant injury today. So he's very lucky that this is all he has and he's going to be just fine."

Losing the only offensive star it has will be a devastating blow to a unit that has struggled in every game Peterson has not topped 200 yards rushing this season. It's been a one-man show in Minnesota, with Peterson accounting for 1,081 of the team's 1,551 yards rushing and eight of the team's 10 touchdowns rushing.

The No. 7 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma broke the single-game rushing record two weeks ago against San Diego, racking up 296 yards to put him on pace to smash Eric Dickerson's record for yards rushing by a rookie in a single season.

Now the Vikings will turn to veteran Chester Taylor, who topped 1,200 yards rushing last season and has been solid in spot duty behind Peterson this year. Taylor is averaging 5 yards per carry in a backup role.

"He obviously has a track record," Childress said. "We just expect somebody to pick up there."

Peterson took over as the starter after rushing for 224 yards in a victory over Chicago on Oct. 14. The Vikings scored 34 points that week, and the only other time they've topped 30 points in a game this season was during Peterson's historic performance in their 35-17 victory over the Chargers two weeks ago.

An unbalanced attack on offense is mostly to blame. The Vikings rank No. 1 in the NFL in rush offense, but are 31st in passing offense and have flip-flopped quarterbacks all season.

Brooks Bollinger became the third quarterback to start this season in Sunday's loss to Green Bay, and Childress said he will go with Tarvaris Jackson against the Raiders.

With the Packers keyed almost solely on stopping Peterson, the dazzling runner was limited to 45 yards on 11 carries before he was hurt. The Vikings had just 17 plays in the first half thanks to Bollinger's struggles in the passing game, and had no chance after falling behind 20-0 early in the second half.

Cowboys Roll Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Once they stopped beating themselves with penalties, the Dallas Cowboys took command of the NFC East by riding their biggest stars: Tony Romo and Terrell Owens.

Romo hit Owens on two of his four touchdown passes and Dallas opened a big lead in the division by ending the Giants' six-game winning streak with a 31-20 victory on Sunday.
"If you want to call it swagger, yes we have the confidence that we know we can go out and beat teams," said Owens, who broke the game open with second-half TD catches of 25 and 50 yards. Owens finished with six catches for 125 yards, his third straight 100-yard game.

"Obviously today, we had more penalties than we would like and we have to eliminate those," T.O. added. "That was everybody's emotions running high. There was a little trash-talking by them. We came here. The game was played and I feel like we made a statement."

With the win, the Cowboys (8-1) opened a two-game lead over the Giants (6-3), a three-game edge on Washington (5-4) and a four-game margin on Philadelphia (4-5). Dallas also swept the season series with New York, so it has the tiebreaker should they finished tied.

"It's another step along the journey that we're trying to go through to get where we want to go," said Romo, who completed 20-of-28 for 247 yards. "A win like tonight just adds to your confidence. When you do something like this, you have a chance to do something special."

The last time the Cowboys started a season at 8-1 was 1995, the last time they won the Super Bowl.

With seven games left, the Cowboys also are tied with Green Bay for the best record in the conference. The two will play in Dallas on Nov. 29.

For the Giants, their best hopes for a playoff berth seemingly are a wild-card spot.

"It does put us behind the 8-ball," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "If you ever play pool, I've seen people make shots from behind that 8-ball. That's what we are looking at."

Romo also threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tony Curtis in the first quarter and a 20-yarder to Patrick Crayton just before halftime, starting a string of three straight touchdown drives.

Nick Folk added a 44-yard field goal.

Eli Manning threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, who tied his career high with 12 catches for 129 yards. Reuben Droughns scored on a 1-yard run and Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 40 and 26 yards.

The second field goal came after New York had Brandon Jacobs' potential tying touchdown run early in the fourth quarter nullified by a questionable holding penalty on guard Chris Snee against Roy Williams.

"I didn't think I held him, but you have to go with the call," said Snee, who originally thought Dallas was being called for a penalty.

Until that point, the Cowboys were the ones hurting themselves with undisciplined errors. Four penalties in the first half gave New York 10 points and had Dallas heading to the locker room tied at 17.

The Cowboys were called for three penalties on the Giants' opening TD drive. The one everyone will remember was a taunting call against linebacker Kevin Burnett with the Cowboys ahead 17-14 in the waning seconds.

Jacobs had just been stuffed on a run from his 35 and Burnett yapped at him. The 15-yard walkoff moved the ball to the 50 with 12 seconds to go. Manning found Shockey for 29 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Tynes that tied the game.

"Once it's over, you have to learn from your mistakes," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "We couldn't harp on that. We just told them it was nothing-nothing. We've done it all year. The second half is ours."

The Cowboys' defense, which sacked Manning five times and intercepted him twice, stopped the Giants on the opening possession of the half and then Romo and company took over.

The go-ahead 25-yard touchdown pass came on a play where T.O. ran past cornerback Sam Madison and was wide open. It capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive on which the Cowboys converted three 10-plus-yard situations, the last a 13-yard pass to Crayton on third-and-11 from the New York 38. Owens scored on the next play.

Owens ran by safety Gibril Wilson on the long pass.

"If he gets moving, he's tough to catch up to," Romo said. "I just tried to give him some air and let him go get it."

Romo's other touchdown passes were just as easy against an improved defense that gave up 45 points in Dallas in the opener.

His 15-yard pass to Curtis on the opening series came after he broke containment on a pass rush. Just before reaching the line of scrimmage, he saw a wide-open Curtis in the corner of the end zone.

Manning, who was 23-of-34 for 236 yards on a day he threw mostly short passes, tied the game with his TD pass to Shockey.

Folk's field goal gave Dallas a 10-7 lead before Wilson's interception set up a 60-yard drive Droughns capped with his run.

Crayton gave the Cowboys a 17-14 lead with 20 seconds to go with a 20-yard catch and run after breaking a tackle by cornerback Aaron Ross.

"Don't you know who I am?"

CINCINNATI (AP) - Receiver Chris Henry allegedly was involved in an altercation with a parking attendant on the eve of rejoining the Cincinnati Bengals from his eight-game suspension.

Henry practiced with the Bengals on Wednesday and will be eligible to play Sunday in Baltimore. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the first half of the season for repeatedly violating the NFL's conduct policy.
The third-year receiver stayed out of trouble during the suspension and was allowed to practice with the team for the last two weeks. He sat out a 33-21 loss in Buffalo on Sunday that dropped his last-place team to 2-6.

On Tuesday night, police in Newport, Ky., a suburb on the other side of the Ohio River within view of Paul Brown Stadium, were called to an entertainment district following a dispute over a parking fee.

A parking attendant told police that Henry and another man parked their sport utility vehicle without paying. According to an incident report, the attendant said Henry argued loudly with him and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

The attendant told police that Henry threw a $5 bill on the ground, but it was returned to him and police were called.

No charges have been filed. Police told 35-year-old Jason Baker of Bellevue, Ky., that he could file a complaint with prosecutors if he wanted to pursue the matter. Baker didn't return a phone message on Wednesday.

The Bengals were aware of the report but had no comment, noting that no charges had been filed.

When Henry talked to reporters after practice Wednesday, he agreed to answer questions about football only. Henry, the team's No. 3 receiver, took some of the blame for Cincinnati's poor showing during his absence.

"I realize it," he said. "That's why it was killing me not being able to play. I kind of feel I let my teammates down by getting suspended."

Patriots and Brady pissed over radio station prank

Word from our gridiron spies is that the New England Patriots [team stats] are rather steamed that shock jocks Opie & Anthony - heard on the team’s flagship station WBCN [website] - aired a fake “news” story yesterday saying that QB/QT Tom Brady [stats] had been suspended for steroids.

“The team is not happy,” said Someone Who Knows. “And they let that be known. But at the same time they want this to go away and not become any more than it already is.”

The so-called “dirty urine” story was part of the demented duo’s ongoing “Make Stuff Up Tuesday” routine. Of course, Opie & Dopey are the same shock jocks that brought you the Mayor-Menino-Is-Dead rumor and the Sex-In-St.-Patrick’s-Cathedral scandal.

Team spokesguy Stacey James declined to comment on the matter other than to say that “we’ve notified our legal department.” Word is, the team got calls from a number of media outlets and fans who believed the report was true.

The not-so-funny gag is rather touchy because ’BCN airs the Pats games and advertises itself as the “Patriots Rock Radio Network.” At the same time, the station has little control over the content of the Opie & Anthony show, which comes out of New York.

Station spokesguy Chachi Loprete declined comment except to say, “It was ‘Make Stuff Up Tuesday’ on the Opie & Anthony show and the report is not true.”

The “Make Stuff Up” schtick involves listeners who call in and suggest fake stories that Opie & Anthony then report as if they are real. Yesterday, an early suggestion involved a fake car accident in which longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak lost all his teeth.

The duo - who, you may recall, were fired from Boston’s WAAF [website] in 1998 after they aired a phony April Fool’s Day story announcing that Menino had died in a car accident - passed on the Sajak saga.

Then a caller from New York suggested the made-up Brady scandal.

“They kicked it around for a while, then went on the air at 7 a.m. and delivered it like it was real,” said one listener.

But many listeners who were not privvy to the pre-7 a.m. chit-chat apparently believed the Brady story was true. A number of fans called the Herald sports department to inquire about the story. And for a while yesterday morning the phrase “Tom Brady Suspended” was the most-searched topic on Google.

A spokesman for XM Satellite Radio, which also carries the O&A show, insisted that the joke was obvious.

“It was clear to anyone who listens to the show that it was a gag,” said XM spokesguy Nathaniel Brown. “They actually build the story with the listeners and anyone who is familiar with the show knows the routine - it’s all made up.”

But considering their past history, it’s a wonder that O&A would want to go there. Besides being fired by WAAF for the Menino incident, they were broomed by Infinity Broadcasting in 2002 after they encouraged a couple to have sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with these guys,” said one insider. “You would think they’d learn a lesson but they never do.”

File Under: Bad News.

Source

Pacman gets pwned by Goodell

Apparently Goodell doesn't like how Pacman has been "makin' it rain" in the wrestling arena.

Heres the rundown.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones in April to sit out the 2007 season. On Tuesday, the commissioner informed Jones he still hasn't changed his mind.

Jones had met with the commissioner last week in New York, pleading for some leniency and an early return. But the cornerback whose biggest community service was buying wrestling tickets for Atlanta students to watch him at a pay-per-view event last month didn't convince Goodell.

The commissioner told Jones his suspension will last through this season, which would include the playoffs if the Titans (6-2) qualify.

"He will be eligible to begin working out at the Titans' facility following the conclusion of the team's season," the league said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon.

Attorney Worrick Robinson said Jones received a letter from the NFL notifying him of the commissioner's decision earlier Tuesday. They planned to talk further Tuesday night and a formal statement may follow Wednesday.

"He is very disappointed," Robinson said. "We're looking at different options."

Goodell had promised Jones' case would be reviewed after Tennessee's 10th game of the season. He met with Jones last Friday — two days before the Titans' eighth game.

But the Titans, who have replaced their best defensive player, had been expecting the suspension to stand.

"As we have said all through this process, we understood the suspension was for a year and made preparations to move our team forward without Adam Jones," the team said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor his situation and will address his future when he is reinstated by the commissioner."

Goodell originally suspended Jones in April for violating the league's personal conduct policy. At the time, Jones had been arrested five times since the Titans drafted him with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft.

The suspension followed a Las Vegas strip club fight Feb. 19 in which police accused Jones of inciting a fight inside that led to a triple shooting outside that left one man paralyzed. Jones was arrested on two felony counts of coercion in June after dropping an appeal of his NFL punishment.

Jones said in interviews since his suspension that he felt he was being treated unfairly and that the punishment was harsh.

To keep himself busy, he signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. But the Titans got an injunction that limited his physical contact to prevent any injuries. Jones' contract ended recently with TNA, and the Nashville-based company did not renew the deal.

His legal problems still haven't been resolved.

Jones faces a Nov. 27 hearing in Las Vegas. A felony count of obstruction in Georgia recently was postponed until March, and a public intoxication and disorderly conduct charge in Tennessee from August 2006 was revived and postponed until January.

With Jones on the roster in 2006, the Titans ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed. Without him, the Titans currently rank second in total defense and first against the run. They replaced him by signing veteran Nick Harper and second-year cornerback Cortland Finnegan developed into a starter.

They also have plenty of depth with Reynaldo Hill and Kelly Herndon.

Dennis Rodman WNBA Coach?

Dennis Rodman, best known for his fierce defensive and rebounding ability, leading the National Basketball Association in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times, along with five NBA Championships (1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998), is ready to become a head coach - in the WNBA. Rodman, currently residing in Miami, FL, recently completed his second season of a makeover show, "Geek to Freak", with Mark Cuban's HDNet. Ready for a new challenge, Rodman says this is not a joke. "Any of my teammates can tell you that my knowledge of the game is second to none. My team would learn the skills that made me the player that will send me to the Hall of Fame. Our players would be in top physical condition. We would lead the league in rebounding, have a defensive-minded identity, and we'd run the triangle offense." -- PR Newswire

Big Ben throws 5 TDs in first halfl; Game over after first quarter

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Halfway through the first quarter, the overwhelmed Baltimore Ravens probably thought they were playing today's Steelers and all of Pittsburgh's Super Bowl stars of the past.

Turns out they were.
Ben Roethlisberger tied the Steelers' single-game record with five touchdown passes in the first half and Pittsburgh put on a Steel Curtain-like defensive show forcing four turnovers before halftime in a 38-7 victory over Baltimore on Monday night.

The Ravens (4-4) had a chance to tie for the AFC North lead by beating the Steelers (6-2) for a fourth straight time dating to 2005.

In reality, they had no chance at all. Not with all the big names - Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw - who gathered to celebrate the Steelers' 75th season, whooping it up and pounding each others' backs with every big hit and turnover.

"It was a magical night to have those guys come and show their support," said Hines Ward, himself a member of the Steelers' all-time team that was honored at halftime. "You want to put on a show for those guys."

Did they.

The Steelers forced three fumbles in the first quarter, with James Harrison hitting All-Pro safety Ed Reed so hard on a punt return the ball flew nearly 15 feet before Pittsburgh recovered. Four plays later, Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes for 15 yards on the first of their two opening-half touchdown pass plays and a 14-0 Steelers lead. Holmes had 110 yards on four receptions.

Right about then, it was becoming obvious this wouldn't be a repeat of Baltimore's two routs of the Steelers by scores of 31-7 and 27-0 a season ago.

Then, Roethlisberger was sacked 14 times and threw four interceptions.

This time he was near perfect, going 13-of-16 for 209 yards with no interceptions.

"I wouldn't even know how to begin to characterize this," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "I'm just glad it's a short week and we don't have time to dwell on this."

Harrison, a non-drafted free agent once cut by Baltimore, became a starter this season after former Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter was released. He seemed to torment Ravens quarterback Steve McNair on nearly every down.

Harrison had two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and interception and 2 1/2 sacks before halftime in a Jack Lambert-like performance. Lambert, coincidentally, was one of the few members of the Steelers' 75th anniversary all-time team who didn't attend.

"I haven't seen anyone play a game like that since high school - not in college or the NFL," linebacker Larry Foote said. "But we knew we were going to dominate. You could just tell in practice."

Harrison could tell when the game started.

"To tell you the truth, it seemed like everything was working," Harrison said. "It was a little more satisfying because it was Baltimore and they cut me."

Former coach Bill Cowher got the crowd going by making a previously unannounced on-field appearance shortly before the opening kickoff as a steady rain fell.

Once they got started, the Steelers lived up to coach Mike Tomlin's pregame prediction they would feed off the noise and enthusiasm.

"Coach Tomlin said all week the team that was more physical would win," Ward said. "Last year Ben got beat up against them but today we were more physical."

Harrison's hard hit caused Steve McNair to fumble on Baltimore's first possession and Harrison recovered himself at the 20. Roethlisberger responded by stepping out of the Ravens' pass rush to hit tight end Heath Miller on a 17-yard scoring pass midway through the first quarter.

A familiar pattern then settled in: the Ravens would turn the ball over, and the Steelers would score in a hurry as Roethlisberger also threw two TD passes to backup Nate Washington.

Harrison and Anthony Smith forced another fumble apiece, and Harrison jumped a McNair pass for an interception. McNair was 13-of-22 for 63 yards before being pulled in the fourth quarter, about the time the early departing fans from the crowd of 63,457 were creating a huge traffic jam around Heinz Field.

"It ain't hard to correct what's wrong. Just don't turn the ball over and make people beat us," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "They got the ball four times inside the 30. You can't do that and play championship football."

It was a bad night all around for the Ravens. Running back Willis McGahee was pulled with a concussion after gaining 50 yards on 12 carries, and will be evaluated Tuesday.

Roethlisberger, still in the game with the Steelers holding a 28-point lead, was pushed to the turf by Terrell Suggs on a 45-yard completion to Holmes in the third quarter, but returned early in the fourth quarter after having his right hip examined. His five TD throws gave him a career-record 20 in half a season, two more than his previous single-season high of 18.

"It's OK, I'm fine," he said after the game.

Pats come from behind to stun Colts; will go undefeated

Now that the Patriots have played there one and only game against a legitimate team, they will go undefeated. Its safe to say after all the comparison between Manning and Brady, and all the hype, the difference wasn't at the quarterback position, but at WR. Randy Moss was the difference.

This game will make the match-up in the playoffs just that much more interesting.

Heres the rundown.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - No running up the score this week. Against the Colts, Tom Brady was content to close out another victory for the New England Patriots by kneeling down three times.

In what was hyped as the biggest NFL regular season game ever, the Patriots stayed on course for an unbeaten season as Brady threw two of his three touchdown passes in a four-minute span of the fourth quarter Sunday to overcome a 10-point deficit and beat Super Bowl champion Indianapolis, 24-20.
The win keeps the Patriots (9-0) on course for the NFL's first unbeaten season since Miami did it 1972 and gives them the first tiebreaker over Indianapolis (7-1) in the AFC playoffs.

"This is the first time we were in a ballgame late," said Brady, whose team had never before trailed in the fourth quarter and had beaten its previous eight opponents by an average of 25 points a game. "There wasn't any loss of confidence or determination."

Added New England linebacker Junior Seau: "We were going against a hostile crowd, an undefeated team, we took our hats off to them. But we still played well enough to win."

New England, which had been scoring more than 41 points a game, had piled points on late in several games in which they were far ahead, including last week's 52-7 win over Washington, when they kept playing hard well into the fourth quarter.

In this contest, anticipated since the schedule came out last April, they had to work their hardest just to win against perhaps the only team in the NFL close to them.

"We had an opportunity to do a lot of things," said running back Joseph Addai, the Colts' best offensive player on this day with 112 yards rushing and a 73-yard score on a short pass from Peyton Manning. "We left some points squandered and got field goals when we should have gotten touchdowns, but that's the nature of the game. Those guys are good. We'll see them again."

New England trailed 20-10 after Manning, who threw for 225 yards and a touchdown, scored on a 1-yard sneak with 9 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game, and the crowd roaring.

But on a second-and-10 from the Patriots 42, Brady hit Randy Moss over the top for 55 yards to the Colts 3 on a play in which Indy lost Bob Sanders, its best defensive back to injury. That set up a 3-yard TD pass to Wes Welker.

Rosevelt Colvin knocked the ball loose from Manning to force a punt on the next series. Then Brady hit Donte' Stallworth for 33 yards to the Colts 13 and on the next play found Kevin Faulk over the middle for 13 yards and the winning score with 3:15 left.

The defense finished it out. Jarvis Green knocked the ball lose from Manning and Colvin recovered to clinch the game on the Colts' next series.

"Some victories do mean more than others," said linebacker Tedy Bruschi, one of a handful of Patriots who played on all three of their Super Bowl winners. "This is one we're going to remember."

Coach Bill Belichick was less enthusiastic.

"This was just a football game against the Colts," the Patriots coach said. "That's all it was."

For three quarters "just a football game" looked like it belonged to Indy.

It seemed to have turned with 13 seconds left in the first half, when Addai took a short pass from Manning and raced 73 yards for a touchdown, at least twice faking out New England defenders who seemed as if they expected him to run out of bounds to stop the clock.

That gave the Colts a 13-7 halftime lead and seemed to be a huge momentum shift.

It certainly energized a Colts defense that was flying all over the field at the start of the second half. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis kept Brady under pressure most of the afternoon and when middle linebacker Gary Brackett picked off a Brady pass in the first minute of the fourth quarter that led to Manning's sneak, Indy seemed in control.

But Brady, who had 30 touchdown passes in the first half of the season, putting him on course to shatter Manning's three-year-old record of 49, finally awoke. The long pass to Moss was New England's first gain longer than 19 yards. It came on a scramble by Brady, who extended his record with at least 3 TD passes a game to start the season to nine games.

Moss proved to be a key throughout, finishing with 9 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. That came in the first quarter, when he easily leaped high over 5-8 Tim Jennings to pull in a 4-yard TD.

Coach Tony Dungy said the Colts had prepared for Moss, knowing the Patriots would go to him when they needed a big play. Yet, they were unable to contain him when it counted most.

"We didn't have the answer for Randy Moss today," Dungy said. "We had a lot of attention paid to him trying to stop him from catching the deep balls but he caught the deep one at the big time of the game. That was really the play of the game, got them a quick score."

The Colts played without Marvin Harrison, their top receiver, who missed his third straight game with a knee injury. Starting left tackled Tony Ugoh also was out and the Colts lost Tony Gonzalez, Harrison's replacement, with a finger injury in the first half.

In the end, that wasn't as much a factor as Brady. He threw for 153 of his 255 yards in the fourth quarter as the Patriots broke a three-game losing streak against the Colts, who beat them here 38-34 in the AFC title game last season and went on to win the Super Bowl by beating Chicago.

In that championship game, New England squandered an early 21-3 lead. On Sunday, though, the defense chipped in.

"Look at our situation last year," said Colvin, who grew up in Indianapolis and used to make popcorn at Colts games when they first moved here from Baltimore. "We were not playing 60 minutes and we turned an opportunity into a failure."

This time, the Patriots failed early. But they survived late, when it was most important.

Maria Sharapova suing for crotch shot

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