Colts sent home by familiar foe in unfamiliar weather

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Going into Sunday's game, the Patriots had never lost in the snow and Peyton Manning had never won in New England. Leaving it, not much had changed.\nNew England stifled the powerful Colts offense, holding it to only a field goal and Manning without a touchdown pass, winning 20-3. Patriots running back Corey Dillon paced the Patriot attack, catching five passes and running for 144 yards.\n"We came up here with very high expectations and just ran into a better team today," said Colts head coach Tony Dungy. "They've beaten us four times in a row now, all different games, but that's one thing about them - they find a way to win."\nThe Patriots defense forced three turnovers -- a pair of fumbles and an interception -- and kept Manning from connecting with his favorite deep targets. Wideouts Brandon Stokley, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, who each had 1,000-yard receiving seasons, were held beneath 100 yards. Manning, who led the league in completions of 20 yards or more, threw his longest pass of the day for 18 yards.\nDungy said the Patriots changed their defense, from man-to-man to zone to blitzing, but his team couldn't find the right time for a long pass down the field.\n"We really didn't get a deep ball today," he said. "It's something we were looking for, but it just didn't materialize."\nThe Patriots scored the game's first points, taking a 3-0 advantage on a 24-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The Colts followed with a three and out drive. The Patriots then added another field goal after Dillon broke through the Colts defense for a 42-yard gain. The run marked the third longest in Patriots playoff history. \n"Their offensive line did a great job opening some holes for Corey Dillon," said Colts linebacker David Thornton. "He's a great back, and he's had a wonderful year this year, over 1,600 yards. We just didn't play well enough to win the game today."\nWith time running down in the first half, the Colts finally found their offense. Manning hit eight of nine passes, leading his team to the 5-yard line. But an incomplete pass to Wayne in the end zone with two seconds remaining forced a field goal.\nIn the second half, the Patriots dominated both the clock and the scoreboard, building their lead and keeping the Colts from having the ball. Dillon and running back Kevin Faulk carried the ball 11 times on a 15-play, 87-yard scoring drive in the third quarter that ended in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady to David Givens.\n"(Dillon) made some good runs -- he was bouncing off people and slashing," Dungy said. "He's obviously helped them. He and Kevin Faulk both, that's where they hurt us... He ran well and he's given them an added dimension for sure."\nThe Patriots would add a 94-yard drive that lasted 7:24 and ended on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Brady into the endzone.\n"Obviously, their offense did an excellent job of (not only) maintaining the ball but scoring at the same time," Manning said. "It's one thing to have the ball a long time and you don't score, but they did a good job finishing those drives."\nFor the Colts, the year came to an end just like it began: with a loss to the Patriots. The team lost to New England 27-24 in the first game of the season. It was also reminiscent of last season, when the Colts fell at New England in the AFC Championship game.\nFor Manning, who finished with 238 yards, an interception and a passer rating of 69.3, the loss was hard to swallow.\n"The simple fact is we got beat," he said. "I always feel like I need to do my part to help my team win and usually I do. But when you don't win, I take it personally and feel responsible and accountable. I'm disappointed I couldn't do my job better."\nThornton said he couldn't predict next week's game, but this week's went to the better team.\n"Are they the best team? I don't know," he said. "But they were clearly the better team today."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Gavin \nLesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.