CONNECTIONS
- Patriots quarterbacks coach John Hufnagel was the Colts' quarterbacks coach in 2001.

• Patriots special teams coach Brad Seely got his first NFL coaching job as the special teams and tight ends coach of the Colts. He spent five years with the organization.

• Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his first NFL start against the Colts and completed 13 of 23 passes for 168 yards in a 44-13 victory on Sept. 30, 2001.

• Patriots tackle Brandon Gorin was born on July 17, 1978, in Muncie, Ind., and earned first-team all-state honors as a defensive tackle at Southside High in Muncie. Gorin was a three-year starter at right tackle for the Purdue Boilermakers.

• Patriots defensive back Antwan Harris was credited with his first defensive tackle in the NFL at Indianapolis (10/08/00). Four passes later, he had his first NFL interception, which he returned for 11 yards.

• Patriots quarterback Damon Huard's brother, Brock Huard, is a quarterback for the Colts. While playing for Miami, Damon Huard's start against the Indianapolis Colts coupled with Brock Huard's start for Seattle vs. Denver marked the first time in NFL history that two brothers had started at quarterback on the same weekend (11/26/00).

• In 13 games played against the Colts, Patriots cornerback Ty Law has had 71 tackles and four interceptions, two of which were run back for touchdowns.

• Patriots tackle Matt Light earned four letters at Purdue University (1996, 1998-2000), earning All-Big Ten conference first-team honors in 2000.

• Patriots cornerback Tyrone Poole spent three seasons with the Colts (1998-2000), starting in 41 of the 45 games he appeared in and notching 150 tackles and four interceptions.

• Patriots rookie cornerback Eugene Wilson was born on Aug. 17, 1980 in Merriville, Ind., and attended Merriville High. He earned an All-Duneland Athletic Conference selection, Conference MVP, two all-Indiana selections and Defensive Player of the Year.

• Colts strength and conditioning coach Jon Torine played football at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he received his bachelor's degree in exercise science.

• Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney was born in Hartford, Conn., and attended Bloomfield High School, where he was a SuperPrep, Prep Football Report, USA Today, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant and Blue Chip Illustrated All-American selection.

PUTTING UP POINTS
The Patriots have scored 38 or more points against Indianapolis in each of the last three times the teams have played. New England has also scored 20 or more points against the Colts in 12 of its last 13 meetings with Indy.

SERIES SUPERLATIVES
Below is a list of the top individual performances in the series between the Patriots and the Colts:

Rushing Yards
Patriots: Curtis Martin 35-141-1 TD (11/24/96)
Colts: Randy McMillan 16-146-2 TDs (9/6/81)

Passing Yards
Patriots: Steve Grogan 28-46-355, 1 TD, 2 INTs (10/29/89)
Colts: Bert Jones 19-30-340, 3 TDs, 0 INTs (12/18/77)

Receiving Yards
Patriots: Stanley Morgan 5-170-1 TD (11/26/78)
Colts: Roger Carr 6-187-2 TDs (9/18/78)

HOME SWEET HOME
The Patriots will host their seventh home playoff game in club history this week against the Colts. It is the second time the Patriots have hosted the AFC Championship Game (1996). New England has won five consecutive home playoff games and has not lost at home in the playoffs in more than 25 years, dating back to Dec. 31, 1978. This week's game will mark New England's sixth home playoff game since the 1996 season. Including this week, six of the franchise's seven home playoff games have taken place since Robert Kraft purchased the team 10 years ago.

PATRIOTS AT HOME IN THE PLAYOFFS (5-1)

PATRIOTS – COLTS QUICK HITS
- Patriots RB Antowain Smith has recorded three 100-yard rushing games against the Colts

• Smith has recorded 10 touchdowns in his 10 career games against the Colts

• Patriots CB Ty Law has recorded four interceptions against Peyton Manning and has returned two for touchdowns

• Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is 3-0 against the Colts as the head man in New England and is 5-1 against Indianapolis as a head coach overall.

• Belichick-coached teams are 3-0 against Colts teams led by Peyton Manning.

• Patriots QB Tom Brady is 3-0 against the Colts and owns a completion percentage of 70.5 percent in his three games against Indianapolis.