FOXBOROUGH -- Who's better, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? That was one question prior to last night's game between the Patriots and Colts at Gillette Stadium. The proof was provided on the field, and Brady was the answer.
Manning was good, but Brady was outstanding, as the Patriots won, 27-24. Brady put on an aerial circus, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns, completing 26 of 38 attempts. A single interception was the only negative. Manning threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, going 16 for 29. He also threw an interception.
The Patriots came out in a no-huddle, no-running back offense. Their opening drive, all passes, led to a field goal, and after that Brady kept at it, featuring effective play-action fakes sharp rollout throws.
"Any time we concentrate on throwing the ball, I like it," said Brady. "We planned on it. We wanted to throw the ball coming out, and we were productive the whole night. There were a few throws I would have liked to have taken back, but we got it done. When you play offense like that, it's a lot of fun. We had a great night.
"We'd rather play against the Colts with the pass than the run. It was a hard-fought game. We had to grind it out. Every time we play them it's a tough game. I have a lot of respect for that team. I think we moved the ball well. We scored 27 points, but I would have liked to score more. It came down to a close play at the end. We've got a lot of work to do, but we're happy to come out with a win."
The atmosphere at the stadium was like something out of the Grammy Awards. There were recording stars performing here, there, and everywhere before the game. Brady even indicated it was wilder than the Super Bowl.
"It felt like a playoff game," he said. "I couldn't hear anything, the crowd was crazy. There was great excitement and a lot of energy in the stadium. It was more than even the Super Bowl. At the Super Bowl, there is not really a home crowd. The parking lot was full when I pulled up at 4 p.m. We have a great advantage with our crowd."
Brady distributed the ball to seven receivers. He mentioned the toughness of tight end Daniel Graham, who caught seven passes, including one for a touchdown, and the speed of wide receiver David Patten, who also scored.
"I have a whole bunch of guys like that on this team," Brady said. "And the offensive line was great. Those big guys are going to protect me. They always block their tails off."
The key plays of the game came from the defense, though. First, Eugene Wilson forced a fumble from Edgerrin James at the Patriots' 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter. In the closing seconds Willie McGinest sacked Manning for a 12-yard loss, pushing Mike Vanderjagt back enough so he missed a final 48-yard field goal attempt. The Patriots got the win, but Brady knows they can do better.
"We're not where we need to be," he said. "We've been preparing for this game for weeks, and it's good to get it behind us. You don't want it to come down to big plays at the end. We made too many mistakes tonight. The idea is to win and move on, and that's what we're going to do. We'll study the film, we'll learn from it, and we'll go from there."
