FOXBORO – The incredibly shrinking team made Peyton Manning come up small. No Ty Law, no Tyrone Poole, no Richard Seymour, was that snow blowing around Gillette Stadium or Bill Belichick blowing smoke to go with the mirrors by which he and Romeo Crennel have made Manning come up small here six straight visits, including last year’s AFC title game?

Coming in yesterday, the defending champions had never lost a playoff game at Gillette Stadium, or under Belichick. Manning had thrown a record 49 touchdown passes this season, for more than 300 yards by the half in last week’s demolition of Denver, came in armed with three 1,000 yard receivers, a 2000 total yard running back and more weapons than it appeared the defending champions had starters left on the field.

New England won regardless, more decisively than a year ago, 20-3, with the help of two Colt fumbles and so many Patriots in deep coverages that Belichick had to be pulling them out of the stands.

If many figured that the resourceful and willful Patriots would figure out something, many wondered if it would be enough this time. The Pats went as expected with the Cover Two, either in anticipation of being down to two guys, or because they were determined to take away Manning’s multiple quick-strike options and force him to dink. For most of the first half it seemed like a slam dunk.

The Colts went three and out on their first two series, finally got something going their third time with the ball, but after two completions, Eugene Wilson blasted Brandon Stokley on a slant and Tedy Bruschi broke up another one for Stokley and the Colts had to punt.

After the Patriots had driven 89 of 90 yards, getting only a field goal but, almost more importantly, 9:07 with Manning wearing a cape on the sideline, he was sacked on the first play of the Colts’ next possession, then with another rush coming, was forced to throw one into the feet of Edgerrin James on third down.

After the punt, the Patriots moved 48 yards in six plays to another Vinatieri field goal. When Manning responded with first-down passes to Stokley, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison and finally had the Colts moving, Jake Scott got called for holding and Bruschi ripped the ball out of Dominick Rhodes’ hands on a dump-off.

Finally, on the last possession of the half, the Colts were able to sustain a drive. Slants, outs, taking what the Patriots were giving them, was all Manning could accomplish but Stokley’s third catch of the drive put the ball on the five.

Manning, missing seeing a wide-open Stokley, tried to hit Wayne over the middle and was lucky when Wilson couldn’t hold the ball. Thus, an 11-play drive ended up getting Indianapolis only three points, and the Patriots, going to the locker room up three points, would happily take that and their second possession of the second half 15 plays to a touchdown that really put Manning and the Colts up against it now.

On third and 10 at his own 41, he rolled out, where the Patriots wanted him, held and held again waiting for someone to get open, and finally threw incomplete giving the ball back for New England’s put-away drive.

Leagues get accused of trying to manipulate championships for television ratings, of conspiring against small markets, of telling officials to do everything possible to allow stars to star. The paranoia gets ridiculous, but the NFL actually changed the defensive rules of engagement after the Colts complained about the tactics of Pats’ defensive backs last year.

The Pats said they weren’t changing a thing about the way they would defend, only left the field uncovered in the rain in mid-week, not that doing so would make much sense since a soggy or slick field always favors the offense anyway. It certainly seemed to favor the Patriots’ offense while Manning was foiled again.