For the fourth consecutive NFL season, the New England Patriots are playing in the AFC Championship game.

This time, the Patriots will take on the Indianapolis Colts in a familiar AFC rivalry. We've seen the Patriots and Colts do battle in the NFL playoffs four times since 2003, and this will be the second time Andrew Luck is leading the way for the Colts.

Although the Patriots are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and they are coming off a huge home victory in the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens, they still have a lot to fix, even on offense.

In the Patriots' thrilling 35-31 victory over the Ravens, the Patriots had just 14 rushing yards on 13 total carries.

After the game, quarterback Tom Brady expressed his frustration with the lack of balance on offense that the Patriots had shown. In that game, Brady threw the ball 50 times for 367 yards. This marked the fourth time this season that Brady was asked to throw the ball 50 times in a single game. With starting running back Stevan Ridley out for the season since Week 6, the Patriots have only rushed for 100 yards in a game four times in 12 games.

That's not a good sign.

Overall, the Patriots' rushing attack ranked 18th in the NFL this regular season.

The highlight of the Patriots ground game came in Week 11 against the Colts when Jonas Gray went off for a career-high 201 yards. Patriots fans are hoping Gray can duplicate that exact performance on Sunday. Since that incredible 200-yard performance, Gray has just 20 carries. Gray has reportedly been put in Bill Belichick's "dog house" for showing up late to practice because of oversleeping.

For the second consecutive season, LeGarrette Blount is a member of the Patriots, this time after the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to release him. Blount has powerful running abilities, but he lacks consistency. Against the Ravens Blount had three carries for just one yard. With Gray not getting many carries, and Brandon Bolden not showing huge signs of improvements, Blount has to have a big game against the Colts.

Shane Vereen is a very talented young back, but he is used more as a decoy and as an all-purpose player who can catch passes out of the backfield. Vereen had a very impressive 447 receiving yards this season, but just 391 rushing yards. For Brady and the Patriots offense to have a balanced attack against the Colts, they will have to win the battle at the line of scrimmage and get yards between the tackles.

The Colts' run defense ranks 18th overall.

For the Patriots to continue winning and have a chance at winning the Super Bowl, they have to take pressure off the quarterback. If opposing defenses see that the Patriots can't establish the running game, they will blitz Brady and get to him because they know full well that the pass is coming every down.

Running the ball effectively can and will also improve time of possession. Keeping the Colts off the field may be the best solution with the Patriots' defense, that is struggling. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense.

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