Skidding into breakdown lane

The empty feeling of Patriots fans following the team's playoff loss was matched at Gillette Stadium yesterday. (JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF)

Patriots players cleaned personal belongings out of their lockers yesterday at Gillette Stadium, the team's 38-34 loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship game Sunday night still stinging.

"We accomplished so much, but the bar is set so high here that even when you lose the AFC Championship, it's a tough feeling," said fullback Heath Evans. "We had a 21-3 lead and lost to a talented, well-coached, well-prepared team. For them to have the character and stamina to come back from that says a lot about them. They stood the test of time throughout the game."

And, uncharacteristically, the Patriots didn't.

Evans was part of a crucial breakdown, as the Patriots were penalized for having 12 men in the huddle late in the fourth quarter when they were attempting to build on a 34-31 lead. They were taking over on their 40-yard line with 3:22 left when there was an extra player in the huddle. It turned out to be Evans, and the penalty created a first-and-15 situation.

The penalty was one of four in the fourth quarter, all costly.

Defensive end Jarvis Green was flagged for a neutral zone infraction that led to a Dominic Rhodes 2-yard touchdown run on the next play. Receiver Jabar Gaffney was penalized for an illegal shift in the Colts' red zone that created a first-and-15 situation, and the Patriots ended up settling for a field goal. And outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain was hit with a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on the Colts' winning touchdown drive.

The Patriots also seemed to break down in what is an area of pride for them: situational football.

When the Colts ran the ball on first and 10 from the New England 11 with 1:53 left, the Patriots didn't call the first of their three timeouts. That led to 43 precious seconds being taken off the clock.

When the Patriots got the ball back, they had 54 seconds remaining, less than they could have had had they called that first timeout.

Evans is one of 14 Patriots scheduled for unrestricted free agency. He was signed to a one-year contract prior to the season, and hopes to return in 2007. A West Palm Beach, Fla., native, Evans and his wife Bethann now call New England their second home.

"The bottom line is, we love it here," he said. "It's a change for us, getting out of Florida in July. And fit-wise, to me, it couldn't be more perfect. I could care less about money. I'm a loyalist. They were good to me at a time the game of football wasn't.

"This year, they gave me another opportunity and I've done the best I can with it. I can't ever speak for Bill [ Belichick's] and Scott [ Pioli's] side, but they know my desires and I think I know theirs."

Leftovers from the Patriots-Colts game: The RCA Dome was hot, but Evans couldn't gauge any negative impact from that. "It was definitely warm, but I don't think it had an effect on the game," he said. "There weren't too many remarks about it." . . . Linebacker Mike Vrabel, asked whether the defense was tired at the end of the game: "We were tired, but that's by no means an excuse for the way we played on that last drive. They made the plays and converted and we didn't." . . . Punter Todd Sauerbrun was strong for the second week in a row, with a 51.4-yard average and 39.4 net . . . Rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski capped off his first career postseason in perfect form, going 2 of 2 on field goals (28, 43 yards) to finish the playoffs 8 of 8.

Belichick and the coaching staff will lead the AFC team in the Pro Bowl. The game takes place in Honolulu Feb. 10 . . . The Patriots dropped to 19-12 (.612) all-time in the playoffs . . . Belichick lost for just the third time in 16 playoff games as a head coach. His 13-3 playoff mark (.813) ranks second in NFL history, trailing only Vince Lombardi's 9-1 (.900) . . . The overnight television rating in the Greater Boston area for the game was 50.9, which puts it in the same neighborhood as the Patriots' five Super Bowl games. No. 1 for the Patriots is still the 2002 Super Bowl against the Rams at 56.1. When the Patriots played the Eagles in the 2005 Super Bowl, they drew a 53.2 . . . The Patriots signed tight end Matt Kranchick to a contract for 2007. The 6-foot-7-inch, 260-pound Kranchick was initially signed to the practice squad Dec. 15.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.