Sack patrol had been grounded to a halt

D. FREENEY 2 sacks in playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS -- One byproduct of the Colts' poor run defense, which was the worst in the league during the regular season, was a reduction of opportunities for their pass rush. Indianapolis tied for fifth in the league in sacks in 2005 with 46, but dipped to a tie for 30th this season with just 25.

Defensive end Dwight Freeney's sack total went from 11 in 2005 to 5 1/2 this season, although he has racked up two in the playoffs.

"Our pass rush has been good when we've had the opportunity to rush," said coach Tony Dungy. "We just played a lot more games where teams were running the ball or they were either even with us or ahead. We didn't get the chance for many rush opportunities. In the games that we've gotten ahead and forced people to throw, our rush has been similar to what it has been in the past."

The Colts have registered six sacks in two playoff games, led by Freeney and defensive end Robert Mathis, who has 1 1/2 sacks. Freeney said it's important to apply pressure to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in tonight's AFC Championship game.

"Tom is a great quarterback, an All-Pro guy who has a lot of poise in the pocket. Our job as a defensive line is to create havoc and pressure, and it doesn't have to translate into sacks, necessarily," said Freeney.

Not that he needs it, but Freeney will have extra motivation for this game. Freeney was born in Hartford and resides in Bloomfield, Conn. He said he hears from a lot of Patriots fans. Despite his New England roots, Freeney didn't grow up a Patriots fan.

"No, I couldn't stand the Patriots. I was a Giants fan. Back in the day, the Patriots weren't that good," said Freeney.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning doesn't put much stock in the notion that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has his number. Manning is 3-7 against the Patriots since Belichick became coach in 2000. Manning said he doesn't believe in player-coach matchups. "I don't know if that makes quite great sense to me," said Manning. "I even heard Belichick say one time, 'I'm not out there making any tackles.' Believe me, I probably wish he were out there making tackles as opposed to [Mike ] Vrabel or [Tedy ] Bruschi and all these other great players that they have because those are the guys that I'm going to keep my mind on. They execute Coach Belichick's or Coach [Dean] Pees's system to a tee."

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne said he and his fellow receivers can't be concerned about physical play from the Patriots' secondary. On the Colts' website Tuesday, president Bill Polian expressed concern about the lack of defensive passing penalties being called in the playoffs. Polian spoke of "rough stuff down the field" being allowed. "New England is going to do what they do," said Wayne. "It's a contact sport. They're doing what they're taught to do. I just have to fight through whatever they do. I've got enough stuff to worry about on my end before worrying about how many flags the officials throw."

Dungy has cautioned his team against getting caught up in the "Patriots mystique," a byproduct of winning three of the last five Super Bowls. "You have to play them and not their mystique," said Dungy. "But that's hard to do because all you hear about is their mystique and you see the rings and you know how good they are, but every game is different." It might serve as a motivating factor. "Those guys, they pretty much have a dynasty going, so you don't want to be another part of that dynasty," said Wayne.

A potential factor tonight could be kickoff and punt returner Terrence Wilkins. He ranked tied for 13th in the league in punt returns (9.2 yards per return) and tied for 15th in kickoff returns (24.5 average) during the regular season, but he had two long kickoff returns in Indianapolis's 27-20 win over the Patriots Nov. 5. Wilkins had a season-long 70-yard return in the first half and later broke off a 43-yarder before being stripped by Artrell Hawkins.

The Patriots take on the Colts at the RCA Dome in 2007. Under the NFL scheduling formula, the Patriots play on the road against the team with the corresponding finish in the AFC South next season . . . Today will be another test for the Patriots' stellar red zone defense. Last week they took on San Diego, which had the best red zone offense in the NFL (the Chargers were 3 for 3). The Colts were second in TD percentage in the red zone during the regular season, converting on 41 of 62 trips. (66.1 percent). Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.