nfl single game rushing record

New England: Tom Brady has 30 touchdowns this season. Seven teams had 30 or fewer touchdowns in 16 games last season. Peyton Manning has the NFL record of 49 touchdown passes in a season.

Indianapolis: Peyton Manning, who has 13 touchdown passes and three interceptions this season, has averaged 332 yards passing in the past three games against the Patriots, and the Colts have averaged 35 points.

RB: INDIANAPOLIS

New England: Laurence Maroney has made three starts, has missed three games, has no touchdowns and has one 100-yard rushing day this season.

Indianapolis: Joseph Addai (592 yards, seven TDs) could be the key to the Colts' chances because the Patriots allowed 6.2 yards per carry against Dallas and 6.0 yards per carry against the Miami Dolphins.

WR: EVEN

New England: Jerry Rice's best season was 1995 when he had 122 catches -- tied for third in NFL single-season history -- an NFL-record 1,848 yards and an NFL-record 22 receiving touchdowns. Randy Moss has 47 receptions for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Indianapolis: Eight-time Pro Bowler Marvin Harrison has a bruised left knee that has forced him to miss two of the past three games. But Reggie Wayne (44-668-5) and tight end Dallas Clark (32-388-6) have taken up the slack. Clark has lined up at seven positions this season.

OL: NEW ENGLAND

New England: The Patriots have allowed only eight sacks and are averaging 4.2 yards per rush. Left guard Logan Mankins, a first-round draft choice in 2005, has more game balls than any player on the team. The Patriots award game balls to players after a victory.

Indianapolis: The Colts have allowed only five sacks and are averaging 4.4 yards per rush. But rookie left tackle Tony Ugoh is the weakest link on either team's offense. Ugoh has allowed only one sack in six games and has only one penalty, but he lacks experience.

DL: NEW ENGLAND

New England: Richard Seymour, a five-time Pro Bowler, returned from a knee injury last week that had kept him on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the first seven games. He played 22 of 57 snaps against the Redskins, though he had no stats.

Indianapolis: Dwight Freeney is one of the top defensive linemen in the game. He has 18 tackles, 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Undrafted rookie tackle Ed Johnson, a 296-pounder, has allowed the Colts to forget about Anthony McFarland, who is out with a season-ending injury.

LB: NEW ENGLAND

New England: Adalius Thomas, who played outside with the Ravens, has played inside with the Patriots. The move has allowed Mike Vrabel to move back outside, where he has 7.5 sacks, 42 tackles and four forced fumbles.

Indianapolis: The Colts are better off without Cato June, who might have led the league in missed tackles. Second-year players Freddy Keiaho and Tyjuan Hagler can cover sideline to sideline and are hard hitters and sure tacklers.

DB: INDIANAPOLIS

New England: Asante Samuel, who led the NFL with 10 interceptions last season, is being paid to be one of the league's elite corners. He is living up to his $7.79 million franchise tender with three interceptions and nine passes defensed, leaving teams to pick on the other corner, Ellis Hobbs.

Indianapolis: The Colts replaced Nick Harper and Jason David with Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, both of whom are perfect fits for the Cover 2 defense. Safety Bob Sanders, who missed most of the 2006 regular season, is the defensive player of the year in the league so far. He has 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception.

ST: NEW ENGLAND

New England: Ellis Hobbs has a 29.2-yards-per-kick-return average and one touchdown. Wes Welker is averaging 10.1 yards per punt return. And kicker Stephen Gostkowski is second in the NFL with 12 touchbacks.

Indianapolis: Nobody knows better than the Patriots that Adam Vinatieri is the best clutch kicker in the NFL. He is a big reason New England has three Super Bowl titles. But since the start of 2006, the Colts have allowed five touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns.