FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —

The winless Indianapolis Colts were reeling toward their 12th loss. Suddenly, they were rolling.

Could they actually beat the New England Patriots, a three-touchdown favorite leading by 28 points going into the fourth quarter? Could they finally erase the stigma of a possible 0-16 season? And against the highest scoring team in the AFC?

They couldn’t, but they sure came close.

The Patriots (9-3) held on for a 31-24 win on Sunday, their fourth in a row but one that left them disappointed.

“This was too close for me,” linebacker Rob Ninkovich said.

The Colts weren’t satisfied either.

“Guys played well and did some things well,” coach Jim Caldwell said, “but, still, we’re measured by wins.”

The Patriots scored touchdowns on four straight possessions and took a 31-3 lead on Rob Gronkowski’s third score, a 2-yard run with a lateral from Tom Brady with 4:13 left in the third quarter.

But then the Colts rallied on a 5-yard touchdown run by Donald Brown with 10:24 left and scoring passes from Dan Orlovsky to Pierre Garcon of 33 yards with 2:12 to go and 12 yards with 36 seconds remaining. The outcome wasn’t determined until Deion Branch recovered the onside kick.

“”We’ve obviously got to do a better job of finishing the game,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “That was disappointing, but we’ll work on that.”

The poor finish took some of the focus off another outstanding game by Gronkowski. He has nine touchdowns in the last five games and 14 for the season. Thirteen of them have come on passes, tying the NFL single-season record for tight ends set by San Diego’s Antonio Gates in 2004 and tied by San Francisco’s Vernon Davis in 2009.

He originally was credited with a 14th but it was changed to a lateral.

“I thought it was a forward pass,” Brady said. “I threw it.”

Gronkowski didn’t seem to care.

“I wasn’t thinking about whether it was a pass or a lateral,” he said. “I’ll take the rushing touchdown. It’s the first of my whole career.”

The Patriots’ offense struggled after that, gaining just 11 yards on four possessions. The Colts had five series after that and gained 348 yards on those, including three scoring drives of 90 yards or more. Orlovsky, a member of the winless Detroit Lions in 2008, completed 30 of 37 for 353 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

“We felt confident going into the game that if we stayed patient we could move the ball,” Orlovsky said. “We fell short. I wish we had more time on the clock.”

He got his first start of the year, replacing an ineffective Curtis Painter. Peyton Manning, out all season following neck surgery, watched from the sideline.

“I thought Dan was patient,” Manning said. “I really thought he did a good job. He gave us a chance there at the end.”

The reality, though, is that the Colts will become the second team to finish 0-16 if they lose their remaining games in a tough schedule against Baltimore, Tennessee, Houston and Jacksonville.

The Patriots had beaten their three previous opponents, the New York Jets (37-16), Kansas City Chiefs (34-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (38-20). Through three quarters, they were headed to another blowout.

“We played good for 45 minutes and then didn’t do anything offensively,” Brady said. “So we’ll hear about that.”

With two touchdowns passing, both to Gronkowski, Brady overtook Johnny Unitas and tied Warren Moon for sixth place in NFL history with 291 during the regular season. Brady was 29 of 38 for 293 yards.

Stephen Gostkowski gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead on their first series with a 39-yard field goal. Adam Vinatieri’s 31-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter tied it. The Patriots led 17-3 at intermission on two touchdowns in the final three minutes, an 11-yard pass to Gronkowski and a 1-yard run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

The onslaught continued with a Gronkowski’s 21-yard scoring catch and 2-yard touchdown run on the Patriots’ first two series of the second half. Then the offense took the rest of the game off. And the defense couldn’t stop the Colts.

“We were able to get a good lead,” said Wes Welker, who had 11 catches for 114 yards and leads the NFL with 93 receptions, but “if we don’t play four quarters we’re not going to end up in the situation we want to be in.”

The Colts may be getting closer to the situation they’d love to be in – winning a game.

“People can say what they want to say about not playing hard, but I think that (comeback) pretty much shut that up right there,” Colts tight end Jacob Tamme said. “We want to win.”

Notes: Brady has thrown for 30 touchdowns, becoming the sixth player in NFL history to do that at least three times. … The Colts outgained the Patriots 437 yards to 366. … The Patriots clinched a winning record for the 11th straight season. … The Patriots are 38-5 in December since 2001, best in the NFL.

They just keep on winning. The 2011 Green Bay Packers seem to be the most complete NFL team in recent memory, knocking off all opponents and doing so impressively. On the opposite end remain the Indianapolis Colts, unable to win a single game. We are now just one month away from the season ending with one team undefeated and another winless.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-11): Nothing good of which to speak right now. All Colts fans can hope for is good news regarding the future of Peyton Manning(notes).

31. St. Louis Rams (2-9): St. Louis continues to impressively fail. Anybody reading this piece may be able to rush for at least 150 yards against the Rams.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8): At least Jack Del Rio doesn’t have to suffer until January. Too bad Jags fans can’t say the same.

29. Minnesota Vikings (2-9): There’s no reason for Adrian Peterson to play this weekend or in any game again this regular season. Don’t expect too much from the Vikes over the next month.

28. Carolina Panthers (3-8): Beating the Colts won’t mean much for any team in NFL power rankings this fall. The win is a good starting point for Carolina’s 2012 preseason.

27. Cleveland Browns (4-7): That one win was fun. The Browns just don’t know how to beat talented teams during the final minutes of games.

26. Arizona Cardinals (4-7): The win against the lowly Rams keeps the hope of a .500 season alive. Better than nothing, I suppose.

25. Miami Dolphins (3-8): A bad snap may be the final thing that drives Tony Sparano out of Miami. The Dolphins are still going to give opponents problems over the next five weeks.

24. Seattle Seahawks (4-7): Seattle’s defense took the fourth quarter off against Washington, and it cost the team a win. In the end, the loss will only improve Seattle’s spot in next spring’s NFL Draft.

23. Washington Redskins (4-7): Washington’s offense came alive in Seattle this past Sunday. Expecting Rex Grossman(notes) to consistently throw for 300 yards a game is probably a bit much.

22. San Diego Chargers (4-7): Tebow’d. Remember when the Chargers were looked at as one of the best teams in the AFC?

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7): Tampa Bay is done. Very, very done.

20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-7): Todd Haley is an easy target right now, but you can’t blame him for all of KC’s injuries. The lack of a QB will mean the end of the team’s season.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (4-7): The dream is over. At least the Philly front office didn’t overspend on a roster that might not even be able to finish the season at .500.

18. Buffalo Bills (5-6): Talk about dreams being over. One dropped pass has ended Buffalo’s playoff hopes.

17. New York Giants (6-5): Big Blue keeps plummeting down NFL power rankings. The team’s defense is atrocious, at best, heading into December.

16. Detroit Lions (7-4): They’ve lost four of six. Ndamukong Suh(notes) is likely to miss at least two games. Things don’t look good for the Lions right now.

15. New York Jets (6-5): The Jets look bad even when they win. I’m still not convinced Gang Green is a playoff team.

14. Tennessee Titans (6-5): Every time Houston loses a quarterback, Tennessee’s playoff hopes improve. Chris Johnson remembering how to play also doesn’t hurt.

13. Denver Broncos (6-5): Yep, Tim Tebow(notes) and company deserve to be this high in NFL power rankings. Denver just keeps on winning.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4): Beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh isn’t a necessity for the Bengals to earn a playoff berth. It’d certainly be nice, though.

11. Chicago Bears (7-4): Chicago may not be a complete disaster without Jay Cutler(notes), after all. A ten-win season is still very possible.

10. Oakland Raiders (7-4): I like how Oakland is playing football, but the team’s roster has to be looking over their shoulders just a bit. One false step could allow the Broncos to win the division.

9. Houston Texans (8-3): Losing a quarterback a game will keep the Texans from winning a title. Somehow, I don’t see T.J. Yates(notes) leading the 2011 Texans to glory.

8. Dallas Cowboys (7-4): Dallas is the best team in the NFC East, and the ‘Boys should easily win at least three of their final five.

7. Atlanta Falcons (7-4): Atlanta doesn’t have to catch the Saints in the standings to earn a playoff berth. Three road games over the next four weeks, including one at New Orleans on December 26, will certainly test the Falcons.

6. New England Patriots (8-3): Can New England’s offense overcome the team’s defense? I’m starting to believe.

5. San Francisco 49ers (9-2): Losing to the Ravens in Baltimore is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is enough to knock the Niners out of the top two of NFL power rankings. Being the first team to clinch a division title should ease the pain.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): Pittsburgh falls in power rankings despite winning, as the Steelers looked very beatable against lowly Kansas City. Keeping pace with the Ravens in the division race may be harder than some thought just two weeks ago.

3. New Orleans Saints (8-3): The Saints looked like champs against the Giants on Monday night. Drew Brees(notes) seems capable and ready to take New Orleans deep into the playoffs.

2. Baltimore Ravens (8-3): Will Baltimore struggle against the Browns after beating the Niners? If the Ravens are truly a title contender, they’ll finish the season with 12 wins; at least.

1. Green Bay Packers (11-0): The Packers look unstoppable. Green Bay not finishing the season undefeated would be a surprise at this point.

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By Gethin Coolbaugh

– Regional Editor

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Nov 29, 2011 – Normally, fans are in for a good game when the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts meet. Instead, this season’s match-up between the two (usual) titans of the AFC should be a blowout win for Tom Brady and company.

Brady leads a hot Patriots team that has won three straight and six of their last eight games into a battle (if one could even call it that) against the winless Indianapolis Colts, who have been without legendary quarterback Peyton Manning all year.

New England (8-3) is coming off a 38-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady, who has thrown for 3,627 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, completed 24-of-34 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

Meanwhile, the Colts are 0-11 on the season and are coming off a 27-19 loss against the Carolina Panthers. Curtis Painter threw for 226 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions and Reggie Wayne had five catches for 122 yards and a score.

Last season, the Patriots edged the Colts, 31-28, thanks in part to Brady’s performance (186 passing yards, two TDs) and dominant performances from BenJarvus Green-Ellis (96 rushing yards, TD) and Danny Woodhead (69 rushing yards, TD).

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Reggie Wayne (WR – IND), Danny Woodhead (RB – NEP), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB – NEP), Curtis Painter (QB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots

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As an Indianapolis Colts fan I thought that at 0-9 things couldn’t get much worse. I was wrong. Following the Colts’ 31-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on November 6, it appears as if the Colts lost two more key players to injury.

Tight end’s Dallas Clark and Brody Eldridge both suffered injuries in the loss to the Falcons. Clark suffered a lower leg injury while Eldridge has a hand injury. The Colts are generally very vague when discussing injuries and often give very little indication of what fans should expect. This can be frustrating and at this point gives the team very little advantage. The fact that coach Jim Caldwell called the injuries “significant” is a troubling sign for fans.

The injuries are expected to sideline both players for several weeks and Clark’s injury could be serious. A lower leg injury could mean many things but is rarely ever a good sign. Fans should be concerned that Clark could be lost for the second season in a row. Like all Colt receivers, Dallas Clark(notes) has failed to play great without Peyton Manning(notes) in 2011. Clark is having the most disappointing season of his career.

Clark has 28 catches for 287 yards and two touchdowns in 2011. Two seasons ago he had 100 catches, over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns. Playing without Clark will present an even bigger challenge for Curtis Painter(notes) and the Colts. The Colts offense has played poor enough this season and will only struggle more if Clark misses significant time.

Brody Eldridge(notes) isn’t nearly as important as Clark is but is a key blocker in the Indianapolis running game. Eldridge is known as a blocking tight end and a hand injury will make it difficult for him to do what he does best.

The Colts signed tight end Anthony Hill off the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. This move strongly indicates that the Colts know they will be shorthanded at tight end for at least the near future. Hill is not a name that should excite fans. He has very little experience and will do little to help the Colts win in 2011.

Colts fans have to wonder what more can go wrong this season. They’ve had significant injuries and can’t seem to catch a break this season. If Dallas Clark’s injury turns out to be serious this could give the Colts an even better chance for the number one pick in the draft. For many fans the possibility of drafting Andrew Luck has become their biggest hope at this point of the season.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell
is learning that it is tough to win without Peyton Manning.

Manning had always had Caldwell’s back since he took over as head coach in
2009 following Tony Dungy’s retirement. Caldwell inherited one of the game’s
best offenses and didn’t let the unit slip, riding Manning to a Super Bowl
appearance following the ’09 season in his NFL head coaching debut.

He showed last year that the success wasn’t just piggybacked from Dungy’s
roster either. Indianapolis won the AFC South for the second time under
Caldwell despite dealing with injury after injury, prompting the battle cry of
“Next Man Up” to ring across Colts nation.

Again, Caldwell had Manning. Now without the MVP quarterback, the Colts are
0-3 for the first time since Manning’s rookie year of 1998.

“It’s still one of those things where we’ve got a lot of time left at this
point in time to get some things done,” Caldwell said on Monday. “We have to
keep improving and I think we’ve been improving a little bit, little by little,
but we have to make another jump to get over the hump where we can get a
victory and then try to string a few together.”

The Colts get an extra day of preparation this week due to a Monday night
meeting with Tampa Bay, and they’ll need it to clear up their quarterback
situation.

What they do know is that owner Jim Irsay is hoping Manning, who has had three
procedures on his neck in 19 months, might be back by December, but logic says
the Pro Bowl staple won’t play this year.

Not sure that Curtis Painter could handle the load, Indy lured Kerry Collins
out of retirement to take the wheel before the season started, but he has
posted just a 65.9 quarterback rating with a pair of touchdown passes, one
interception and three lost fumbles through three games. Additionally, Collins
did not play in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s loss to Pittsburgh because
of a possible concussion.

“He’s still being evaluated, but he had those kinds of symptoms,” Caldwell
said on Monday. “The doctors did what they’re supposed to do in that regard,
which is to remove him from the ball game and continue to evaluate him. He’s
still in that process right now.”

Painter was stripped shortly after replacing Collins, a turnover Pittsburgh’s
Troy Polamalu returned for a touchdown, but also led an 80-yard scoring drive
that tied the game at 20-20 with 2:09 left to play. The Steelers, though,
countered with a 38-yard field goal with four ticks left to hand the Colts
another loss.

Caldwell praised Painter for coming back and leading the long scoring drive
and wouldn’t say on Monday if the Colts were planning to bring in another
quarterback in case Collins can’t play.

“You know, it just depends on the situation and we’ll kind of address it as we
go,” the coach said.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Colts do bring in some fresh bodies at
quarterback this week, especially with an extra day and the fact that Painter
owns just 39 career pass attempts in the NFL. Indianapolis was already in
desperation mode with Collins, however, and finding a quarterback now that can
make a real impact will be tough to do.

Next man up? Try all hands on deck.

49ERS VISIT EAGLES AS THE HUNTER?

If anyone thought that this Sunday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers
and Philadelphia Eagles would feature a first-place team, many would have
picked the Michael Vick-led Birds as the likely division leaders.

Not so, as the Niners bring an NFC West-best 2-1 mark into Lincoln Financial
Field looking to win a second straight road game out East.

Rookie running back Kendall Hunter could be in for a bigger role for San
Francisco if an ankle injury continues to hinder starter Frank Gore. Hunter had
nine carries to Gore’s 17, but scored the only touchdown of last Sunday’s 13-8
win over Cincinnati on a seven-yard run with 3:59 to go in the game.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Monday that Hunter is ready for more action if
Gore can’t play, but that he also thinks his starter will be ready.

“I think Kendall’s a good player,” he said. “He’s the backup tailback, and
Frank’s status in my mind right now, Frank is good to go. So we’ll play him.
We’ll scheme and prepare for this game, Frank along with the rest of the
players on the team.”

Given Philadelphia’s struggles against the run this year, both Gore and Hunter
could get a lot of work this weekend.

So too should tight end Vernon Davis, who had only seven catches through the
first two games before notching eight receptions and 114 yards in Cincinnati.

“I thought Vernon performed very well,” Harbaugh said. “[He] had some more
opportunities, balls coming his way. Like I said last week, Vernon’s always
involved in the offense. [He's a] huge part of the offense.”

With Vick’s status uncertain for this game, the 49ers have the chance to pull
off another big road win and keep themselves in the driver’s seat early on the
NFC West as the club hunts for its first playoff berth since 2002.

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