2015 AFC Championship 1.18 New England Patriots vs Indianapolis Colts

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• published: 14 May 2016
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AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots 45, Indianapolis Colts 7 New England blew out the Colts, massively outgaining them in total yards (397 to 209), first downs (28 to 17), and time of possession (37:49 to 22:11), while also forcing three turnovers and scoring touchdowns on their first four drives of the second half. This was the most lopsided AFC championship victory since the Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Raiders 51–3 in the 1990 season. Both teams had to punt on their first drive, but Colts returner Josh Cribbs muffed the kick and Patriots linebacker Darius Fleming recovered the ball on the Indianapolis 26-yard line. Five plays later, LeGarrette Blount scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Patriots up 7–0. The Colts responded with a drive to the New England 33-yard line, but the drive stalled there and Adam Vinatieri missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. New England took over on their 41-yard line, and mounted an 8-play, 59-yard drive, including Tom Brady's 30-yard completion to running back Shane Vereen, to score on Brady's 1-yard pass to fullback James Develin. In the second quarter, New England threatened to score again with a drive to the Colts' 26-yard line, but this time they came up empty when Brady threw a pass that was intercepted by linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. Andrew Luck then led the Colts 93 yards in 10 plays, featuring a 36-yard completion to T. Y. Hilton on the right sideline, on a drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Zurlon Tipton, cutting their deficit to 14–7. New England responded with a 15-play drive to score on Stephen Gostkowski's 21-yard field goal, putting them up 17–7 with 9 seconds left in the half. In the second half, New England completely dominated the game. On their opening drive, Brady completed a 23-yard pass to receiver Julian Edelman and Blount ripped off a 22-yard run as the team drove 87 yards to score on Brady's 16-yard touchdown pass to tackle Nate Solder, who had checked in as an eligible receiver for a 3rd and 1 situation. After forcing the Colts to punt, Brady completed a 22-yard pass to Edelman, and eventually finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown toss to tight end Rob Gronkowski. On the Colts' next drive, Luck was intercepted by cornerback Darrelle Revis, who returned the ball 30 yards to the Colts' 13-yard line, and Blount ran the ball into the end zone on the next play. Indianapolis had to punt on their next possession, and Edelman returned the ball 45 yards to the Colts' 45-yard line, setting up Blount's 2-yard touchdown run with 10:05 left in the game. The Colts' final three drives after this would result in an interception by Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins, a punt, and time expiring in the game. Brady threw for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns, with an interception, while Blount rushed for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns. Edelman was the top receiver of the game with 9 receptions for 98 yards, a 12-yard carry, and returned 3 punts for 71 yards. Luck finished the game 12-for-33 for 126 yards. This game marked another round of milestones for several members of the Patriots. Brady surpassed John Elway for the most Super Bowl appearances ever by a quarterback (6), and tied Mike Lodish for the most by any player. New England coach Bill Belichick tied Don Shula for the most Super Bowls ever reached (6) and set a new record for most postseason wins (21). Blount set new franchise playoff records for carries in a game (30) and career rushing touchdowns (7). For the Colts, Vinatieri set a new NFL record for most postseason games played (30), surpassing the old record of 29 set by Jerry Rice. After the game, claims emerged that the Patriots had used under-inflated footballs. The results of the NFL's investigation, and possible sanctions against the Patriots, concluded with Brady's four-game suspension (which was later overturned in court) and the Patriots forfeiting their first and fourth round draft picks in the 2016 and 2017 NFL Drafts, respectively.