The stage is set; 2:08 remains in the ballgame. You are leading your biggest rival in their house, 34-28, facing a 4th-and-2 from your own 28-yard line. You have one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game under center. All you need is two yards to seal the victory; you go for it, right?

Wrong—well, maybe not entirely...

Now, according to all the so-called experts out there, no, you don’t go for it there in that situation.

This call might have changed the tempo of the game and ultimately the outcome, but it was not this one play that lost the game for the Patriots or won it for the Colts. No, there were several other more crucial plays that led to New England's demise on Sunday night.

First, let’s look at the play at the 12:46 mark of the third quarter.

Tom Brady looks in the end zone for Randy Moss, who, up until this point, was pretty much tearing into the Colts secondary at will to put the Patriots up 31-14. However, Indianapolis safety Antione Bethea undercut the route and picked Brady off in the end zone, eliminating a would-be Patriots touchdown.

If that play converts, it would put the Pats up 31-14 in the third quarter and put even more pressure on Manning and the Colts offense to try and score to keep pace and not fall too far out of reach for a comeback.

However the score remains 24-14 in favor of the Pats.

Now fast-forward just a little to the 3:23 mark of the same quarter. The Patriots, again knocking on the door of the end zone with 1st-and-goal from the Colts 2-yard line, hand off to Lawrence Maroney, who fumbles the ball off right tackle before crossing the plane, and the ball is recovered by Gary Brackett for a touchback, Colts ball from the 20.

Now if Maroney doesn’t fumble and punches it in here, the score would be 38-14 Patriots and the game looks a lot different from that point on. Instead, the score remains 24-14 heading into the final quarter of play.

Now we come to the fourth quarter, more specifically 2:23 to go in the fourth quarter. At 4th-and-2 from their own 28-yard line, Belichick decides it’s time to put his trust in his three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback's hands and makes a gutsy call that would have all but ended the game for Indy, as the Colts only had one timeout remaining. “The Call,” as it will forever be known in this game.

Of course, the call backfires, as Kevin Faulk juggles the ball after he catches it and fails to pick up the two yards needed for the first down. The Patriots turn the ball over on downs.

Another major point in this play is the fact the Patriots used their final timeout right before this happened. That eliminated coach Belichick from being able to challenge the play as well.

It was not under two minutes to go so there would be no booth review either.

Now that gives Peyton Manning and the Colts the ball on the Patriots 28-yard line with two minutes to go in the game.

A short field, Manning, one timeout remaining for the win.

Woops! Did that just happen?

Yes.

Well, by now we all know the outcome. Manning takes the Colts down the shortened field in 1:47 and finds Reggie Wayne for the second time on the night for a 1-yard touchdown grab to tie the game with the extra point pending.

Matt Stover comes on and bangs the PAT through to give the Colts the lead for the first time since the first quarter, 35-34, and ultimately the victory.

Now having said all of this (coming from a Colts supporter, as well), the 4th-and-2 “call” was NOT the call that lost the Patriots the game.

Yes, in hindsight it looks that way from the casual observer, but if you actually go back and look at the misses the Patriots had in the end zone to cost themselves two scores earlier in the game, you will see the fourth down call was not what cost New England the game.

Both of these teams proved that they are the class of the AFC, in my eyes (no offense to the Bengals), and neither team has any reason to hang their heads down, win or lose.

One thing is certain now after the win for the Colts. They move to 9-0 on the season, and it looks more and more like the road to the AFC crown and ultimately the Super Bowl will go through Indianapolis.

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