The last time LeGarrette Blount faced the Indianapolis Colts, he made NFL history as the only running back ever to generate at least 150 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a playoff game.
Blount produced a convincing fascimile in Sunday's AFC Championship Game, establishing a Patriots record with 30 carries while becoming the only player in NFL history with at least three touchdowns in two different playoff games.
In between those twin postseason pummeling's, the Colts were the victims when Week 11 one-game wonderJonas Gray became the first player in over 70 years to rush for as many touchdowns as the rest of the NFL combined on a given Sunday.
The latest Colts capitulation is further evidence that this roster needs an infusion of talent to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender.
The Patriots have averaged an incredible 47 points in four meetings between the two teams during the Chuck Pagano-Andrew Luck era, scoring at least 42 in every game.
Facing the AFC's lone peak-strength superpower on Sunday, the talent differential was glaring.
Look no further than the last two first-round draft picks devoted to Trent Richardson and Bjoern Werner, both of whom were banished to the inactives list at New England.
Luck was certainly part of the problem versus the Patriots, laying the biggest egg of his nascent career. It has been evident, however, for three years running that this is five-win team without the game's best young quarterback.
Behind a shaky offensive line featuring several draft picks yet to develop, Luck has played without a consistent ground attack. Since Reggie Wayne's midseason triceps injury, the aerial attack has also taken on opponents with one wide receiver tied behind its back.
A shell of his former Pro Bowl self, Wayne managed just one catch on five targets as an every-down receiver in three playoff games this January.
If the offense has been held hostage by Wayne and the failed Richardson trade, the defense sorely needed Werner to emerge as a second difference-maker to pair with two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis.
The onus is on the Colts to stop pretending and start responding to teams that punch them in the mouth. To compete with the Patriots, general manager Ryan Grigson must replenish his roster with another home-run draft class after whiffing on too many recent trades and signings.
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