Marc Wilson Leads Patriots Past the Colts : New England: Former Raider quarterback completes key passes to set up winning touchdown.

Fighting a stiff wind, Marc Wilson completed critical passes down the stretch and Jason Staurovsky kicked five field goals as the New England Patriots blew Indianapolis’ playoff hopes off course Sunday.

John Stephens scored the Patriots’ only touchdown on a 10-yard run with 25 seconds left, giving the Patriots a 22-16 comeback victory.

“I’m glad we scored the touchdown but I was ready to make a field goal,” Staurovsky said.

New England (5-8) is out of playoff contention, realistically if not mathematically. The Colts (6-7) still have a shot at a postseason berth, although it is a very slim one. They are in third place in the AFC East.

“I’m not ready to concede anything,” Indianapolis Coach Ron Meyer said. “We’ve got a lot of football left.”

So did the Patriots, even though they hadn’t scored a touchdown and there was only 1:59 remaining after an eight-yard pass play from Jack Trudeau to Eric Dickerson gave Indianapolis a 16-15 lead.

The Colts’ defense wasn’t Wilson’s only adversary when the Patriots got the ball back at their own 37-yard line. There also was a wind-chill factor of about minus 30.

“That’s the coldest I’ve ever been,” Wilson said. “The wind was really howling down the field. It was a big factor.”

But after an offside penalty kept the winning 63-yard drive alive, Wilson completed passes of 30 yards to Eric Sievers and 17 yards to Irving Fryar. Stephens, who ran 27 times for 124 yards, scored two plays after Fryar’s catch.

“It was hard to throw the ball in that wind but it was just as hard to catch it,” Wilson said. “The ball was moving like a forkball or a knuckleball.”

Wilson, the former Raider who signed with the Patriots during the offseason, made his first start since Dec. 27, 1987. He is the fourth starting quarterback the Patriots have used this season.

After Stephens scored, the Colts moved to a second-and-10 at their own 47 with four seconds left. But Trudeau’s desperation heave was intercepted at the eight-yard line by Maurice Hurst on the final play.

On the winning seven-play drive, the Patriots got pushed back to their 21 when Jon Hand sacked Wilson for a 16-yard loss. With a third-and-26, Wilson’s pass was incomplete, but the Colts were penalized for being offside.

On third and 21 from the 26, Wilson heaved his 30-yard completion to Sievers.

After an incompletion, Wilson threw the 17-yarder to Fryar, and Stephens ran 17 yards to the 10. Stephens raced around the left end for the touchdown.