After playing great for the past two months and winning seven straight games, your New England Patriots (9-5 overall, 6-1 away) were due for a letdown. Likewise, Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (26-of-45 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) had not really had a complete stinkbomb in a game this season (when he's been called on to pass the ball more than three times) so obviously that happened tonight as well as Indianapolis (8-6 overall, 4-4 home) beat the Patriots 27-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was a costly loss for New England too since they dropped from the top seed in the AFC (the only one that gets a first-round bye) into third-place behind surging Kansas City (10-4) and Tennessee (9-4). With only three games left in the regular season now, the Pats will likely have to win out to have a shot at that No. 1 spot.
Both teams were coming off a bye week but for some reason, the Pats could not do anything right for the first three quarters as they trailed 17-0 at halftime (1st time in 100 games that they were shut out in the 1st half) and 20-0 after three quarters. They made a decent comeback attempt in the fourth quarter but Indy is a good team and it is almost impossible to rally from down 20+ points in the NFL (that is unless you're playing the Falcons in the Super Bowl). Anyone could have told you coming into this hyped matchup that Colts running back Jonanthan Taylor (29 carries, 170 yards, TD) would be the main focus for Pats head coach Bill Belichick and they mostly held him in check until it really mattered.
New England had cut it to 20-17 with 2:21 left in regulation as tight end Hunter Henry (6 catches, 77 yards, 2 TDs-giving him a new career-high of 9 in his first season as a Patriot) caught a seven-yard touchdown from Jones that coupled with Nick Folk's point-after made it 20-17 Indianpolis. With a timeout plus the two-minute warning left, the Patriots had a chance to get the ball back with a chance to tie it or go for the win if their vaunted defense could get one stop but in this instance they failed epically. Taylor broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run and after Michael Badgley's PAT, it was all over 27-17 with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter. It's a quarterback-driven league so Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers will likely win the MVP this season but Taylor should get plenty of votes as well, he's been the best running back in the league especially with Derrick Henry out.
It was an odd game, how else to explain Patriots punter Jake Bailey getting blocked for the third time already this season and Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (perfect football name) returning it for an easy score? Badgley's point-after made it 14-0 with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. The Colts had gotten out to a 7-0 lead on running back Nyheim Hines' eight-yard touchdown pass from Carson Wentz (5-of-12 for 57 yards, TD, INT) with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Mac was awful in the first three quarters: he threw a brutal red zone interception to Indy's superstar linebacker Darius Leonard (8 tackles, 2 assists) and later another Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke made a spectacular diving pick. The only points in the second quarter came from Badgley's 25-yard field goal. He missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter but a false start penalty (1 of 8 infractions on New England in the game that totalled 50 yards, compared to just 2 on the home team) gave him another chance which he predictably made the most of when he was given a second chance.
Henry caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and Folk added the extra point to make it 20-7 Colts. He added a 25-yard kick on the next Pats possession which was a questionable decision by Bill since three points hardly mattered at that juncture with so few possessions left in the game (not to mention that Indy's defense is legit). Safety Devin McCourty had an interception after linebacker Jamie Collins tipped a pass from Wentz. Truthfully, the Pats should have had a few more picks since Wentz threw a couple right to them including one that cornerback J.C. Jackson dropped and another that Collins might have had a pick-6 on earlier in his up-and-down career. Patriots safety Kyle Dugger and Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman were both ejected for fighting with each other plus New England lost linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley (ankle) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) to injuries during the game.
Ultimately, the better team won this evening. If they meet again-particularly in chilly Gillette Stadium in January-I think the Patriots would win the rematch-but they made way too many mistakes (mental and physical) to beat one of the other sneaky contenders in the AFC. Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich is solid and without Brady, the Colts had waited a long time to beat the Pats (losing 8 in a row against them before this). New England will have an extra day to regroup and enjoy Christmas before they host the Bills (7-6) next Sunday (1, CBS) in a showdown that should decide who wins the AFC East in 2021. We were all riding high, overrating the team and Jones so this was a reality check that the Patriots probably aren't as good as we tried to pretend since they last lost on October 17 to Dallas (9-4) 35-29 in OT at Gillette.
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