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AFC Championship Patriots vs Colts: GIF of the Week

The Patriots secured their Super Bowl berth with a shellacking of the Colts. Here are the plays of the day.

By Rich Hill
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Well hasn't this been a wonderful ride? There will be one more game for the Patriots to play this year. It will be their biggest test in the past four seasons as they face a historically strong Seahawks defense- but that can wait until later.

Let's digest this past game. We've seen back-to-back games called by Josh McDaniels that have been nearly flawless. New England scored on seven out of eight drives, the lone scoreless drive the result of a Tom Brady underthrow and Colts interception. Six of those drives were touchdowns. The Patriots were marching into the Colts end zone at will.

We've seen Matt Patricia rebound from a shaky game against the Ravens to completely crush the NFL's 6th ranked offense. The Colts only scoring drive benefit from two first downs from penalties- Vince Wilfork's bad elbow to the head that negated a 3rd and 6th opportunity and a bad illegal contact penalty on 3rd and 7 against Jamie Collins:

The drive also saw a perfect throw and catch to T.Y. Hilton, on his only reception of the game. Basically, the Colts needed three miracles to happen on the same drive in order to score once.

This is a Super Bowl offense and defense and special teams unit and coaching tree. This is a team that isn't as fatally flawed as the 2011 Patriots, with their bendable defense, or holding telamonic weight upon their shoulders like the 2007 Patriots. This is one that is built to win now. They'll get their chance in two weeks.

For this edition of GIF of the week, I needed to combine all of LeGarrette Blount's plays into one section because, well, he was just nasty.

LeGarrette Blount is a Jaw Dropper

(Here's the arguably more impressive standard camera angle)

How many of these left you breathless? Blount made five plays that shouldn't be physically possible for anyone, never mind a linebacker sized running back.

He cut. He bulled. He shook. He stopped on a dime. He spun around. He dove. He won this game and showed an electricity in the backfield that has been missing since, well, the last time the Patriots played the Colts.

You can see Blount getting skinny through the hole, and sizing up when hitting the defender. He uses his blockers to get what's in front of him, yet he undeniable forges his own yardage.

Blount runs with the swagger on offense that infects the whole team; every time he issues a hit, the offense reacts as if Brandon Browner laid the boom on defense.

There's no way to separate these GIFs. This is Blount at his very best.

Nate Solder is a Former Tight End

Hey, did you know that Julian Edelman used to be a college quarterback? Did you also know that Nate Solder was recruited to college as a tight end, before ultimately adding weight and developing into a top flight tackle?

Solder has received plenty of grief this season for his roller coaster production. That's all deserved. He's also been asked to play with a left guard position in flux, where Logan Mankins departs, and where Jordan Devey, Marcus Cannon, Dan Connolly, Josh Kline, Cameron Fleming, and Ryan Wendell have all played a snap or two.

If the offensive line is a fist with five fingers (or four, depending on the sneaky, sneaky play), Solder as the thumb is being held responsible for a broken pointer finger. He can only do so much, and seeing him shine when his number is called is a testament to his preparation.

This is the Best Fan

Literally everyone watching the broadcast saw this and laughed. It's amazing. This isn't a reaction to a play. It isn't a dare from a friend. It isn't anything beyond the sheer excitement of being on television in the pouring rain during one of the most impressive games in Patriots history.

It's also probably Alec Shane's spirit animal, so I had to post it.

Darrelle Revis says NO

The Dikembe is one of the best celebrations due to its simplicity. Revis isn't the creator, but he offers a certain degree of seriousness that intimidates. It's his way of letting the opposition know that they can try all they want, but he's calm as can be and will continue to shut you down.

Revis was targeted twice, with one interception and one pass defended. That's it. That's lock down coverage against a potent passing offense.

He ranks in the top five out of all of Bill Belichick's player acquisitions, right? Absolutely has to, along with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Rodney Harrison, and Corey Dillon.

Brandon Bolden's Contract Extension

Ouch. Hope the Colt is okay. This was brutal.

Jamie Collins Owns Andrew Luck

No one else on the Patriots owns as much a claim of Andrew Luck's mental struggles as Jamie Collins. Collins has made this pick in pretty much every game. He's a physical nightmare, but also he's really good in coverage. See how he remains in contact with the receiver's hip? If Luck throws a good ball, Collins is in position to knock it down.

Instead, the ball is poorly thrown and Collins has his hips open to Luck so he can attack the ball down the field and get the pick that just blows the game out of the barn.

Collins had a great game and the Patriots have the best linebackers in the league right now.

Tom Brady WOOOOO

Fully expect this to be a part of all future celebratory threads. That's all.

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