COLTS 35, PATRIOTS 34

INDIANAPOLIS - The game was not even a quarter old, and the Patriots were already down a pass-rusher. Outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain left last night's battle at Indianapolis with a rib injury, crumpling to the turf on the kickoff following the Colts' first touchdown. It was a tough loss for a team that was already missing previously starting ends Ty Warren and Jarvis Green. The injuries didn't stop there in the 35-34 loss to the Colts. In Banta-Cain's place went Rob Ninkovich, who is mostly a special teams player. On his second play, Ninkovich pressured Peyton Manning, causing a third-down incompletion. But then Ninkovich went down with a knee injury, causing Adalius Thomas to play defensive end. Receiver Sam Aiken suffered a hip injury, guard Stephen Neal had a head injury, and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis vomited on the sideline and exited the game for a period of time. ``You can't worry about the injuries, those are going to happen in the game,'' cornerback Leigh Bodden said. ``We just moved forward. We have people backing them up. We had people in different spots, and I think we handled it well.'' Emotions run deep Following the devastating loss to the Colts, the mood was understandably down in the Patriots locker room. The talk was of bouncing back, but players said it wouldn't be easy. ``When you lose the game, you're never excited,'' running back Kevin Faulk said. ``But hey, worry about next week.'' Added safety Brandon Meriweather, ``It's a long season.'' Belichick spoke of some positives, including dominating an undefeated team for roughly 55 minutes. Players agreed. ``Of course everybody's down,'' Bodden said, ``but we definitely got to keep our heads up. We played a great game. They're a great team. We didn't make enough plays, but I don't think anybody should have their head down.'' No factor Amid the sorrows of the loss was a shot on the plus side for the offensive line. Rookie left tackle Sebastian Vollmer shut down Colts pass-rusher Dwight Freeney, giving up no sacks. But Freeney's sidekick Robert Mathis gave right tackle Nick Kaczur fits, recording two sacks and a forced fumble. . . . The Patriots game-planned all week to stop Colts tight end Dallas Clark, an obvious goal considering Clark is coming off a 14-catch game last week. The preparation didn't help, as Clark finished with four catches for 65 yards. To attempt to slow down Clark, linebacker Gary Guyton jammed him off the line, then passing him off to safety Brandon McGowan. Other times, the Pats covered him with a cornerback, a technique that slowed him down. Key inactives Belichick cleared up some of the injury question marks, announcing that left tackle Matt Light was out with a knee injury, but that center Dan Koppen's knee injury wouldn't prevent him from playing. Meanwhile, receiver Julian Edelman's broken arm has healed enough to face the Colts, but defensive back Shawn Springs was a healthy scratch. Edelman finished with two catches, including a 9-yard touchdown that gave the Pats a 24-7 lead.. Also of note was the fact that Isaiah Stanback was active, after being promoted from the practice squad Saturdau night. He took reps at receiver, as opposed to his listed position of quarterback, and ended up making two receptions for 9 yards. Pregame stunt As if the atmosphere needed to be any more charged up than it was, the Colts engineered a crowd-pleasing stunt. A streaker ran onto the field with red paint on his back and Tom Brady's No. 12. He ran right into the arms of the Colts mascot, Blue, who executed a perfect form tackle. The crowd went nuts, as security members pretended to escort the streaker off the field, only to release him from ``custody'' once they entered the tunnel and were almost out of site. In addition, the fans were all handed signs to waive, while a field-long American flag draped across the field during the national anthem. After Joseph Addai's touchdown, there was streamers and fireworks on the field, with embers landing on the 50-yard line. . . . The Patriots defense was on the field for most of the fourth quarter, and they spent most of it chasing down the Colts offensive weapons. But players said fatigue wasn't a factor. ``We played four quarters,'' defensive end Derrick Burgess said. ``You're going to get tired, but that's not the reason this happened.''