New England
Patriots

Surely, the race isn't over yet, but given the inconsistencies of both the Jets and Dolphins, it's hard to imagine those two teams making a three-game swing in the standings with only eight weeks to go, or the Patriots playing poorly enough to allow them to do so.

With that said, the Patriots will face their toughest challenge of the season this weekend when they travel to Indianapolis to face the 8-0 Colts. A loss coupled with a win by either New York or Miami makes this is a tight race again, so it's imperative the Patriots find a way to cure their road woes in 2009.

Statistically speaking, the Patriots are 1-2 on the road, but that one "road" victory came on neutral turf in London against the then-winless Buccaneers. There were actually more Patriots fans packed in Wembley Stadium -- hardly the overwhelming road environment New England faced when it lost at New York and Denver this season.

What would really help the Patriots secure a true road win for the first time all season would be an improved effort in the red zone, where they've been so-so all year despite putting more than enough points in recent weeks.

The Patriots looked to better their numbers last weekend, but instead they failed to score touchdowns on drives in which they had first downs at the 24, 27, 11 and 12. Only two of those drives included legit red-zone possessions, but being inside the 30 is practically close enough, and the bottom line is the Patriots need to be better against the Colts, because Indianapolis won't let them get away with similar mistakes.

"It comes down to execution," quarterback Tom Brady said. "You've got to get the ball in the end zone. If you do, you don't kick those field goals and it's a much different game in the end. It's something we've been looking on all year, and some weeks it looks pretty good. (Sunday), we could have done a better job, and we need to do a better job."

"The nose, things happen a lot quicker than it does on the ends," Warren said. "I played a little nose against Tampa last week. It just happens a lot quicker, and you're probably subject to get cut a little more than you would on the end, on the backside. And on a fumble, it's a little dirtier."

--Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain nearly came up with a huge play when he forced an apparent fumble by quarterback Chad Henne that resulted in a touchdown for Adalius Thomas.

The Dolphins eventually challenged the rule, and it was determined that Henne's arm was moving forward, making it an incomplete pass.

"I thought it was a fumble," Banta-Cain said. "Watching the instant replay, it looked like he kind of shot-putted the pass out there a little. There's really nothing you can do about it. I wish I could have karate-chopped it a little harder. But, hey, we got the win. It sucks I didn't get the sack, but it's all good."

--The Patriots had to deal with Joey Porter's mouth during the week leading up to Sunday's game, but, surprisingly, Porter didn't have much to say once the time for kickoff arrived.

"He didn't talk that much," offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer said.

Vollmer doesn't speak much either, but he did break down the way he handled Porter, who had little impact on the outcome of the game.

"I didn't know what to expect. I'd never played against him," Vollmer said. "I watched this guy when I was in high school. He's a great football player. I was busy enough preparing myself to have a chance against him (to ignore the chatter). He's been doing this for a long time. He's a prolific pass-rusher, close to 90 (career) sacks, he's great."

--WR Wes Welker caught nine passes Sunday for 84 yards. He now leads the team with 55 catches and has caught 19 of the last 20 passes intended for him.

--OL Dan Connolly drew heavy praise from QB Tom Brady for his performance Sunday when he replaced C Dan Koppen after the injured starter left the game in the first half.

--WR Randy Moss came up with the play of the game when he caught a deep pass from QB Tom Brady, eluded the would-be defender and lumbered into the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown. That play followed a 10-minute drive by the Dolphins in which they took a short-lived lead.

--QB Tom Brady got sacked twice Sunday, but in general, he avoided most of the pressure the Dolphins threw at him and managed the game wisely. Brady's ability to control the pocket kept LB Joey Porter in check.

REPORT CARD VS. DOLPHINS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus -- Tom Brady was actually efficient in this game, completing 25 of his 37 passes, and Randy Moss had a big play with a 71-yard touchdown. Outside of that, the Patriots stalled often in the red zone and made the game a lot closer than it should've been.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus -- Laurence Maroney may be starting to turn the corner. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry Sunday for a total of 82 yards on 20 carries and also scored a touchdown. Kevin Faulk chipped in with his usual contributions in all phases of the game, and the team did enough to keep Miami off balance.

PASS DEFENSE: A -- Chad Henne was good but not great, and his 219 total yards were more of a byproduct of his 34 pass attempts. The Patriots failed to sniff out a touchdown pass by Ronnie Brown in the red zone, but overall they did a great job keeping Miami in check defensively.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus -- Pat White had a couple of big plays out of the Wildcat formation, and Brown managed 48 yards on 15 carries. Nothing too spectacular happened in this phase of the game, though there were some issues with poor tackling and missed assignments in the run defense that need to be corrected.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A -- Stephen Gostkowski made all four of his field-goal attempts, which was important considering the Patriots couldn't get much going in the red zone. They relied on him to salvage their failed drives. They also held Ted Ginn Jr. in check after the explosive kick returner had a monster game the previous week.

COACHING: B-minus -- It's tough to put too much blame on the coaching staff for not being able to defend certain Wildcat plays, but some mistakes are avoidable. At times, the Patriots looked more aware of what was happening than they did a year ago, though the Brown touchdown pass seemed more telegraphed than anything else. Some improvements can be made in game-planning for the rematch.