Colts vs. Patriots: What We Learned from New England's 31-24 Win over Indy

The Patriots were 20-point favorites heading into the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium; they won by a touchdown.

It was a poor performance, but it was a win. 

Dan Orlovsky and company put on a show in New England and kept the fans at the edge of their seats. It was another thriller between two storied clubs who have a heated rivalry. 

Here is what we learned from the Dec. 4, 2011 meeting.

Rob Gronkowski Is a Beast

Aside from Jimmy Graham, Gronk may be one of the best tight ends in the game right now. He is a huge factor to the Patriots' success and makes being Tom Brady that much easier. 

In this game against the Colts Gronkowski had five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Amazingly, he also had a 2-yard run for a score. 

If any defense has a shot at stopping the Patriots' offense, it might want to focus on the 265-pound monster who's tearing up fields all across the country. 

The Patriots' Defense Is Bad

This unit is not very good—at all. I can't even sugarcoat it because there is no way to.

The Pats' defense is ranked last in defending the pass and let Dan Orlovsky go 30-of-37 with 353 yards and a touchdown. 

Yes, this is the same guy who ran out of the end zone! 

To make matters worse, the 24 points the winless Colts put up on the Pats matches their highest point total this season; they put up 24 against the pitiful Kansas City Chiefs back in Week 5. 

This unit has been receiving criticism and rightfully so. This was a bad performance. 

Orlovsky Deserves Some Credit

Now, it wasn't all the Patriots' fault; Dan Orlovsky played his heart out.

This was his best game all year. He put up a 113.2 QB rating and scored twice while only throwing one pick, but that isn't what really matters. 

Orlovsky never gave up. 

With his team down 31-3 going into the fourth quarter, Orlovsky never once thought that this game was over. He led the Colts to 21 unanswered points and ate up the clock. He never even gave the Pats' offense a chance to score. 

I never thought I would say this, but Dan Orlovsky played one heck of a game! 

Where Is the Running Game?

The Patriots are a one-trick pony. The defense is nonexistent, and the running game got lost on its way to Gillette Stadium. 

The Patriots had a not-so-great 73 rushing yards, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis had only 14 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run. Stevan Ridley added 33 yards, but couldn't find the end zone. 

The Patriots attempted 24 runs. While that's an improvement, it is still not good enough, as New England will need a run game come January. 

3rd Downs Are Crucial

Ask anyone: To win a game, you need to convert your third downs.

Third downs are the difference between handing the other team the ball or keeping it yourself. You need to have the ball to score, and third downs keep drives alive. 

That being said, the Patriots were not at the top of their game today on third down. They went 6-of-11 (54 percent).

That can't happen.

The Patriots needed to keep the ball in Brady's hands, but they were only able to hold on to he ball for 24 minutes of the game. A big reason for that was the fact that they were unable to convert third downs. 

The Bottom Line

This wasn't the Patriots' best game. 

But everyone has off-days. I don't want to rip New England because a win is a win no matter how sloppy, but they just won't motivated today. Bill Belichick has to get his team motivated in order to finish the regular season strong. 

I'm putting today behind me, and as a fan I'm looking forward to the remaining stretch of games. New England plays Washington, Denver, Miami and Buffalo to close the season; all these games are winnable and will put the Patriots in good standing for the playoffs. 

While today wasn't a good performance, I'm confident the Pats will be able to muster up some magic when the snow starts to fall in Foxboro.