The Indianapolis Colts defeated the New England Patriots for their first victory in Foxborough in quite some time.
The Indianapolis Colts came into Sunday’s game needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. While it was far from pretty, the Colts managed to come away with a victory. Indianapolis now heads into their bye week before a massive game against the Denver Broncos in two weeks.
QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON OVERCOMES MISTAKES IN LEADING COLTS TO THRILLING WIN OVER PATRIOTS
For a second time in three weeks, Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson led a clutch, game-winning drive to help Indianapolis come away with a victory. On Sunday, trailing 24-17 to the Patriots, Richardson orchestrated a 19-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Richardson not only found wide receiver Alec Pierce for the game-tying touchdown, but he would also bulldoze his way in the endzone for a game-leading two-point conversion, ultimately giving Indianapolis the victory.
Richardson finished Sunday’s outing 12-of-24 for 109 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Richardson also added nine rushes for 48 yards and a rushing touchdown to his up-and-down afternoon. Running back Jonathan Taylor was equally impressive, with 103 yards from scrimmage, including 96 rushing yards and a seven-yard touchdown reception. The changes made along Indy’s offensive line certainly aided Taylor and Richardson in their rushing efforts, especially early on and late in the game.
The second-year quarterback was far from perfect, however, completing 12 of his 24 pass attempts for 109 yards with two passing touchdowns to go along with two interceptions. But it’s fair to expect those kinds of mistakes from one of the league’s youngest NFL signal-callers. If you’re the Colts, you can live with a not-so-great passing performance from Richardson when he makes up for it with explosive plays on the ground/red zone and his poise late in games.
Despite being vastly outgained by a below-average New England offense, 422 to 253, it was the key plays from Richardson that made the difference for Indy. While there’s certainly still a long way to go for the 22-year-old Richardson, overcoming his two giveaways and some drops in key moments in a win should provide him and the rest of this Colts’ offense with a boost of confidence going forward.
COLTS’ HORRENDOUS DEFENSIVE SHOWING NEARLY COSTS THEM CLOSE VICTORY
Sure, for the Colts, a win is a win. But context is key, and Indianapolis’ defensive performance was arguably their worst of the 2024 season. Against a New England offense that had entered Sunday’s contest averaging less than 17 points per game, Indianapolis’ defense allowed them to have one of their strongest offensive output in both points (24) and total yards (422).
Although the Colts’ defense did sack rookie quarterback Drake Maye four times, the consistent pressure against a below-average New England offensive line wasn’t there. Issues stopping the run also reappeared for Indy, as the Patriots rushed for 200 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per attempt. It goes without saying that the Colts have invested far too many resources along their front seven to be allowing such performances from their opponent.
The Colts’ rush defense has arguably been their most disappointing part of this season. Indy’s defense was fortunate that alone didn’t end up being their undoing in what would’ve been a disastrous loss. Additionally, tackling, for whatever strange reason, has continued to be an issue for this Colts’ defense. That, too, was noticeable on Sunday. Far too many times were Patriots’ playmakers able to turn a quick run or catch into a larger gain due to poorly timed tackle attempts.
To top it all off, Maye carved up the Colts as a passer, completing 24-of-30 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown with one interception. The rookie led the Patriots’ offense up and down the field for most of the game, with New England punting just once. Granted, that stop ultimately led to the Colts’ game-winning touchdown drive. Still, their defense’s overall performance was inexcusable, and they should feel fortunate their offense was able to overcome such an atrocious outing to come away with a win.
