News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page C8

THE Wes Welker eturns after missing three games with a concussion. Read about it at nfl.usatoday Back for Broncos ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY SPORTS Welker has a career-high 10 TDs this season. USA SNAPSHOTS Longest NFL postseason overtime games Miami 27, Kansas City 24 Kansas City Kansas City 1971 82:40 Dallas Texans 20, Houston Oilers 17; 1962 77:54 Cleveland 23, N.Y. Jets 20; 1987 77:02 76:42 Baltimore Ravens 38, Denver 35 2013 Source NFL.com KEVIN GREER AND PAUL TRAP, USA TODAY SPORTSLINE FIRST WORD I THINK FINALLYREACHED A OMFORTLEVEL WHERE WE AN REALLYFOCUS ON JUST HAVING FUN WITH THE Ic dancer Meryl Davis, after she and partner Charlie White won the short dance at the U.S. Figure Sk ating Championships.

They are the reigning world champions. NAMES TO KNOW JEFF BROHM, DONTRELLE ILLIS, KELVIN BENJAMIN MAGIC NUMBER 43 Consecutive years Dan Dierdorf spent in the NFL as a player and a broadcaster. Dierdorf will retire fr om CBS after the Colts-Patriots game tonight. TWEET OF THE DAY MAN I OWIMPORTANTTHE INTERNETWAS UNTIL ITWENT UTIN MYHOUSE! FOR 4 DAYS I FELTLOSTAND IN THE DARK Lions running back Reggie Bush ALMOST THE LAST WORD THEYDID MONO TESTS, THEY DID ALL THE TESTS YOU COULD DO. HE JUSTHAS THE LU BUG OR IS SICK, MAYBE TIRED.

ALL THE BAD THINGS HAVE BEEN RULED OUT, SO Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, on the illness keeping guard Tr avis Trice out of the lineup. LAST WORD IS A SPECIAL PLACE. A PECIAL, SPECIAL PLACE. HEN YOU SAYTHE WORD EVERYBODY NOWS ABOUTMICHIGAN Doug Nussmeier, after being named offensive coordinator of the Wolverines. He had held the same job at Alabama.

Edited by Reid Cherner WINSLOW TOWNSON, USA TODAY SPORTS Davis and White compete in Boston. NUSSMEIER BY CARLOS OSORIO, AP DIERDORF BY MARY SCHWALM, GETTY IMAGES NEWORLEANS SAINTS (12-5) ATSEAT TLE SEAHA WKS (13-3) Today, 4:35 p.m. ET, Fox, Kevin Burkh ardt, John Lynch, Erin Andrews The line: Seahawks by 8 Streaking: Seattle has won i ts last home playo games. The Saints defense has held op- onents to fewer than 300 yards i three consecutive games. Sputtering: In their last four games, the Seahawks aver- a ged 303yards a game, 29th in the NFL.

Seattle, which ourth overall in rushing, ranked 1 5th in that span while generating less than 4.0 yards a carry. QB ussell Wilson had a 300- ard passing game since his ncounter with the Saints on ec.2. Weather woes: The Saints on their postseason road amewith a strong running at- ack led by RB Mark Ingram, who umbled for 97 of the 185 round yards at the Philadelphia Eagles. QB Drew Brees, who at- empted 38 passes in the 34-7 oss to Seattle in Week 13, might forced to keep calling running lays with the weather forecast alling for heavy rain and winds hat could gust over 50mph. Need to know: On a day hen it could be especially di ult to hold onto the ball, turn- vers could be the deciding actor.

New Orleans and Seattle ied for the fourth-fewest give- a ways in the league (19). The Seah awks, however, were in akeaways with 39 while the aints 29th with 19. INDIANAPOLIS COL TS (12-5) AT NEWENGL AND PATRIO TS (12-4) Today, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS, Greg Gumbel, an Dierdorf, Allie LaForce The line: Patriots by 7 Streaking: In his last two ames, Colts WR T.Y. Hilton has 2 4catches for 379yards and two ouchdowns.

His 13 receptions a nd 224yards against the Kansas ity Chiefs were the second and hird most, respectively, in the layo s. The Patriots are 14-4 at home in the postseason and ere 8-0 in the regular season. Ground control, not ma- or Tom: After falling to the Mia mi Dolphins in Week 15 in their rst game after TE Rob Gronk owski (knee) was lost for the eason, the Patriots rebounded or two big wins, with QB Tom rady dinking and dunking his ay to fewer than 175passing ards in each game. RB LeGar- ette Blount scored four TDsand otched 265 of the 4 09combined rushing yards in eeks 16 and 17. The 26th- anked run defense has given up a least 150yards on the ground i four of its last six games.

Which Indy Indianapo- fortunes might depend on its ekyll-and-Hyde defense. The olts have swung wildly from ominant with games of olding opponents to 10 points or ewer (second best in the league) to a doormat surrendering at east 33 points times, includ- i ng last wild-card win. Need to know: Brady needs hree touchdown passes to tie Joe ontana for the most all time in he postseason (45). After the wo regular-season games in hich they gave up 40 or more oints, Indianapolis allowed 14 a nd three points, respectively, to i ts next opponents. Pete Divisional round JOE NICHOLSON, USA TODAY SPORTS Seahawks quarterback Russell ilson has a 1-1 playo record.

Consider the path the Indiana polis Colts have taken to adv ance to the AFC divisional layo and there is no denying he statements they made along he way with victories against uality opponents. he Colts won at the San Franc isco 49ers. They beat the Seattle eahawks. They handed the Denver Broncos their loss. A nd they defeated the Kansas ity Chiefs twice including last epic comeback.

ow comes the biggest chal- enge yet: The New England Pat riots, in Foxborough, Mass. Margin of error shrinking, ob- Colts coach Chuck Pagan told news reporters this week. You beat yourself. We talk a bout it all the time. You in games in the NFL, you lose ith a trip to the AFC title ame at stake, the Colts might eed a perfect game tonight to pset the Patriots, who ost at home this season and have ad two weeks to prepare.

I the past, during the Peyton anning era in Indianapolis, the olts twice ran into major playo oadblocks at Gillette Stadium, nable to handle the wintry ele- ents or Bill defense. et these new-era Colts, led by agano and second-year quarter- ack Andrew Luck, were suppose dly built in a new image, with an mphasis on power football and a tyle that can win outside of their ome at Lucas Oil Stadium. see. The Colts were lown out at The Razor last seas on, when Luck was victimized by wo pick-six interceptions. This atchup looms as a major litmus est to illustrate how far they ave come since then and to how whether these Colts are any i erent from their predecessors hen matched against Tom Brad in the elements at Gillette Stad ium.

The forecast, by the way, alls for rain and high winds, with emperatures in the 50s. This is a new Colts def ensive end Cory Redding said his week, when asked about the playo history in New ngland. is the Colts 2013 eam. Those teams, they have heir history. They have their eals in the past.

This here is new. his is our time. This is their ime. These are two di erent eams, opposite of what the past as shown. not a whole hoopla about i the Patriots, this, that and the ther.

We played great teams this ear and we beat them. This is ust another opportunity for us to lay against a great team and go ut there and try to beat them to et to the championship. hat all A fter overcoming a 28-point against the Chiefs in the ild-card round, the Colts are iding with a boost of matched up against some the best teams in the league, a nd helped themselves by comm itting the fewest penalties (66) a nd fewest turnovers (14) in the FL. A nd these the same Pat riots. Although New England as 8-0 at home this season, the atriots have been eliminated rom the playo on their own urf three times in the past four ears.

Still, as Pagano mentioned, here is no room for error. an the Colts spring the upset? wo essential keys: Keep the game close: This ould not be the week to fall be- ind by four touchdowns. But ith Luck having demonstrated ate-game heroics repeatedly ike, uh, Brady they have to like heir chances in a tight game. Esp ecially if it comes down to a kick Adam Vinatieri. Play better run defense: The atriots might dictate the of he game with a power rushing a ttack behind physical back Le- arrette Blount matched against I 26th-ranked run efense.

3-4 defense has een a work in progress since his a rrival, and the 4.5-yard av- rage allowed per carry was an i mprovement over the 5.1-yard lip of last season. But they have een inconsistent. This could be he make-or-break factor in the ed zone. he Colts have a chance to ake their biggest statement yet a gainst the Patriots. I not, they might out ex- a ctly how far they have to go in rder to become a legit Super owl contender.

ANDREW WEBER, USA TODAY SPORTS Andrew Luck led the Colts back from a 28-point in their wild-card victory vs. the Chiefs. COLTS BRACING OR LITMUS TEST Facing Patriots on road all BRIAN SPURLOCK, USA TODAY SPORTS The Donald Brown had 1 02 yards from scrimmage a nd two TDs last weekend. Jarrett Bell SA TODAY Sports FOLLOW NFL COLUMNIST ARRETT BELL for in-depth analysis, ommentary and breaking news..