by By IAN R. RAPOPORT , The Boston Herald

The Pats cleared up some of the mystery last night, announcing that Morris did not travel with the team to Indianapolis and was downgraded to out for the game.

What's not clear is who else will help the Patriots take on the Colts tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Coach Bill Belichick has spoken cautiously but not specifically about his injury situation, saying some players would be gametime decisions.

``If the game was today, I'm not sure if all those players would play,'' Belichick said on Friday. ``The game is Sunday, so we know we've got another 48 hours plus.''

The status of Koppen (who hasn't missed a game), Morris, Light and Edelman has been up in the air. Koppen's role would be handled by Dan Connolly, while Light will have to battle rookie Sebastian Vollmer to reclaim his spot.

On Friday, 10 players were listed as questionable.

Three players - running back Fred Taylor (ankle), receiver Brandon Tate (knee), and defensive end Jarvis Green (knee) - were all declared out before the team left for Indianapolis.

For the Colts, receiver Anthony Gonzalez (knee), cornerback Kelvin Hayden (knee) and kicker Adam Vinatieri (right knee) have been ruled out.

According to the NFL's definition, doubtful means a player has a 25 percent chance of playing, while questionable puts the percentage at 50 percent.

Special teamer Eric Alexander, defensive end Ty Warren and safety Brandon Meriweather all indicated they would play, while tight end Chris Baker worked out in a red, noncontact jersey because of a shoulder injury.

``We prepare for their best,'' Colts quarterback Jim Caldwell told reporters Friday, ``and they typically show up on game day.''

Neck and neck

The Patriots and Colts each enter the game with exactly 109 regular-season wins since 2000 (including the final game of the 1999 season played on Jan. 2, 2000), meaning the winner of tonight's game will emerge as the winningest team of the decade . . . for at least one week.

Both teams also have a shot at setting the record for most wins ever in one decade. The 49ers of the 1990s established the mark with 113 wins.

Taz-team partners

Patriots guard Logan Mankins has seen plenty of film on Colts defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. And he can only come up with one comparison for the pass-rushing duo which has 16 sacks combined.

``It's all speed and those two guys on the edge, they're like the Tasmanian Devils,'' said Mankins, comparing the Indy tandem to the ``Looney Tunes'' character. ``How they spin so fast, they look like they're in a cartoon. Not many guys can do what they can do.'' . . .

Asked for his reaction to the first time he played against Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Meriweather had a question in return: ``You want me to be completely honest?''

The third-year defensive back then allowed some insight into life as a rookie back in 2007.

``I was scared as hell,'' said Meriweather, laughing. ``Excuse my French. But I was nervous. The couple plays I did get, I was nervous. Last year, I was nervous until I got into the flow of the game. I'm more settled this year, I hope.''

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