1. I wasn't among those who came into last night's game believing a Patriots-Colts matchup had lost some luster. Too much has happened between the rivals in recent seasons for it to be relegated to Just Another Game status simply because Tom Brady is two more infections away from having a peg leg and the Colts are supposedly mediocre. So count me among the apparent minority who is more frustrated than encouraged by the Patriots' hard-fought 18-15 loss at Indy last night. While there certainly are several plot developments to be optimistic about as the season hits the midway point -- primarily, Matt Cassel's steady and continued improvement at quarterback, and hey, who's blaming the Pats for not having a serviceable backup like Brad Johnson now? -- I guess it's just hard to consider a three-point loss to the teetering-on-the-brink-of-disaster Colts as a moral victory. Real victories are much more fun -- especially when you have a chance to hammer a few nails in your chief rival's coffin in the process. Yes, the Patriots played well, and there is reason to be hopeful. But in the end, I can't help but think of it as one that got away.

2. Jabar Gaffney sure picked a terrible time to borrow Ben Watson's hands. While I imagine my reaction to the drop was the same as yours -- a guttural groan followed by the punching of an inanimate object (like, say, a cat) and a string of creatively used curse words -- I also felt bad for Gaffney. He has been a very dependable receiver since arriving as a street free agent during the '06 season -- remember how quickly he won Tom Brady's confidence? -- and he's been something of a forgotten man this season as he's rarely the first option and Cassel still falls into the habit of locking on to his first or second receiver.

3. I realize the Patriots' ball-control game plan was effective, and I realize a big reason it was effective is because the Colts were so concerned with Randy Moss that they basically kept their safeties deep the entire game. Still, I can't help but wish Cassel and Josh McDaniels could find a way to get the ball in his hands more often. He's the lone game-changing weapon on the Patriots offense, and maybe some of those field goals would turn into touchdowns if Moss got more touches.

4. Bob Sanders wasn't the Human Tornado he usually is against the Patriots' running game -- mostly because he was on don't-get-beat-by-Moss duty all night -- but the safety did play a significant role in the Colts' win, and I'm starting to get annoyed that his annual litany of injuries always seem to heal just in time for him to return to play the Patriots. In a related note, the Colts took Sanders with the 44th pick in the 2004 draft -- 12 picks after the Patriots took Watson. I would like to petition for a do-over on that one.

5. I've long had high hopes for David Thomas. He's a more trustworthy receiver than fellow tight end Watson, and should he remain healthy this season, I expect he'll become an increasingly useful weapon in the passing game for Cassel. That said, I hope he's still walking home from Indianapolis as you're reading this. That penalty was so ridiculously inexcusable, even Bill Romanowski is wondering what he was thinking.