The Patriots and Colts battled back and forth on Sunday, trading big plays and leads for four quarters in a game that came down to the very end.
Drake Maye and the Patriots offense had one of their most productive days of the season both on scoreboard and in the box score, though red zone stumbles and penalties in key moments continued to be obstacles. Maye completed over 80 percent of his passes, throwing for over 200 yards but it was not quite enough.
On the other side of the ball, a turnover-needy defense produced two against the Colts but couldn't deliver a game-sealing stop as Indianapolis reeled off a 19-play, 80-yard game-winning drive that ate up most of the game's final five minutes.
Here's how the back-and-forth game unfolded.
1. Promising First Drive Stalls
The Patriots received the opening kickoff and strung together one of their better first drives of the season, sparked by a well-blocked 32-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson on the game's second play. Hunter Henry also played a key role on the drive with two catches for 23 yards that included a well-designed shovel pass that set New England up with a 1st-and-Goal from the Indianapolis seven-yard line.
Despite the solid execution out of the gate, the drive stalled when Drake Maye took a third-down sack. New England was forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
Rookie Layden Robinson started at left guard as the Patriots adjusted their offensive line for the first time in recent weeks. The rookie landed a key block on Stevenson's explosive run
2. Indy Quickly Responds
The Colts wasted little time in responding on the scoreboard, riding running back Jonathan Taylor to the end zone with four rushes for 24 yards and one catch for seven yards that Taylor scored on. The Patriots appeared to bust a coverage on the score as Taylor was left alone in the right flat.
The Patriots got the Colts into just one third-down situation, while quarterback Anthony Richardson was a perfect 3-for-3 on the opening drive, which included a 23-yard strike to tight end Drew Ogletree as Indy matched New England's explosive play on their first possession.
It was 7-3 Colts with 5:03 to play in the first quarter after the eight-play, 71-yard scoring drive.
3. Back-to-back Red Zone Holds Cost Pats Points
The Patriots got another explosive play on their second possession of the game, a 41-yard scramble by Maye, but once again the drive would stall in the red zone, forcing the Pats to settle for three instead of seven. Back-to-back holding penalties on Michael Onwenu and Layden Robinson backed New England from the Colts two-yard line back to the Indy 22, as the penalties led to a 31-yard field goal by Joey Slye to make it 7-6 Colts.
Mistakes haunted the Pats early in this one, as a blown coverage led to an easy Indy score while two ill-timed penalties canceled out a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown from a wildcat formation. Still, the Pats showed good ability to move the ball even as their red zone struggles (29th in the NFL coming into the game) continued.
4. Pats Pick Three
The Patriots got a takeaway in their second-straight game late in the first quarter as Jahlani Tavai tipped a Richardson pass that Christian Elliss intercepted. The big play set up the Patriots offense up at the Indy 42 as the second quarter began.
However, the offense couldn't pick up a first down and was forced to settle for another field goal attempt. For a third possession in a row, Slye delivered, this time nailing a 54-yarder right down the middle to give New England back the lead at 9-7.
The turnover was a positive sign for the defense as the Patriots entered the game 28th in turnover differential. After getting just one takeaway in a five-game stretch this season New England suddenly has takeaways in back-to-back games.
5. Colts Respond
Down by two points, the Colts put together another scoring drive that looked roughly the same as their first scoring drive of the game, swapping out the 23-yard pass from their first possession for a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Tavai that took Indy into New England territory on this possession.
The Patriots red zone defense couldn't come up with a takeaway or stop this time, as Richardson finished the drive off with a one-yard QB draw that handed Indy back a 14-9 lead.
While the first drive went 71 yards in eight plays, this one went 70 yards in eight plays as New England struggled to slow down the Colts well-balanced attack that featured Richardson's arm and legs with a heavy dose of Taylor, who averaged nearly five yards-per-attempt in the first half.
6. Pats Offense Keeps Piling Up Yardage
The Patriots offense continued their strong first half on their fourth possession, with Maye leading the best drive of the day that he finished off with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Austin Hooper to give New England back a 16-14 lead, the third lead change of the half.
Stevenson and Antonio Gibson were particularly effective on the drive as New England continued to reel off successful plays one after the next. On one three-play stretch, the running backs had gains over 10 yards as New England quickly moved down the field and within scoring range.
This time the Pats overcame their red zone struggles with Maye's strike to Hooper. This was the most effective the Patriots offense has looked all season long with four straight scoring possessions to open the game. The drive mimicked the Colts' scoring drives, lasting eight plays and 70 yards.
After the Pats defense forced their first punt of the game, the offense got another possession before halftime. Maye continued his impressive first half, overcoming a Layden Robinson holding penalty by throwing a dime to Kendrick Bourne that picked up 16 yards and a new first down.
Then Maye overcame a Tre Jacobs holding penalty with a 29-yard completion to Kayshon Boutte that took New England to the Indy 11.
But for a third time the Patriots drive would flame out in the red zone, with Slye missing the 25-yard field goal. The Patriots offense had one of their best halves of the season, but it was still punctuated by multiple holding calls. Maye was 17-of-20 for 169 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while the Patriots offense posted an impressive 279 yards of offense.
7. Patriots Red Zone Defense Steps Up
The Colts once again executed a methodical drive to open the third quarter, finding more success on the ground while they continued to ride Taylor and Richardson's rushing ability. Taylor was the centerpiece, with 8 carries for 45 yards, including two runs for eight yards and one for nine yards. Those nice chunk gains seemed available for most of the game.
But this time, New England would get a red zone stop, forcing Indy to settle for three points and a 17-16 lead. The 13-play, 68-yard drive ate up over half of the third quarter.
Maye and the offense would keep rolling on their first possession of the second half. Antonio Gibson delivered another big play with a 15-yard run through traffic that got the drive started.
Maye again found Hunter Henry with a key third down conversion on 3rd-and-6 for 12 yards with Maye throwing the ball well before Henry was out of his break. The play illustrated the chemistry that continues to grow between the rookie QB and the veteran TE. Maye also delivered a third-down conversion with his legs to give New England a fresh set of downs inside the red zone.
That's when the Patriots recurring turnover problem reared its ugly head. Maye threw to Henry along the goal line but the ball was batted in the air and intercepted by the Colts. It was a second-straight red zone flameout for the Patriots as their poor execution inside the Colts 20-yard line had a major impact on the scoreboard. Drives that reached the Indy four-yard line and seven-yard line both came away with no points. The offense's 1-for-5 performance in the red zone was the key element that hampered a season-high in yardage output.
8. Patriots Re-take Lead
The Patriots offense fixed those red zone problems on their next drive, with Maye leading another impressive drive that still had to overcome an illegal shift penalty that backed them up 10 yards inside the red zone.
It was a nine-play, 54-yard drive with Maye's 16-yard strike to Kendrick Bourne on a third down play sticking out as one of his most impressive connections of the day, coming in a "gotta-have-it" moment with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter. Maye also converted a third down with a seven-yard connection to Austin Hooper.
Gibson plowed into the end zone from 11 yards out and Maye hit Boutte for a successful two-point conversion that gave the Patriots back a 24-17 lead with 8:43 to play.
9. Gonzo Picks Off Richardson
Down by a touchdown the Colts came out throwing after falling behind but Richardson picked the wrong target as Christian Gonzalez stepped in front of Alex Pierce and came down with his second interception of the season and the team's second takeaway of the day. Gonzalez also had a fumble recovery last week and kept the streak going against the Colts.
But the offense couldn't put the game away with a score, going three-and-out and punting for the first time in the game with just 6:04 left to play.
10. Can't Get Last Stop
The Patriots defense made the Colts earn their way down the field during their final possession, clinging to a seven-point lead. Indy converted two fourth downs, one with Richardson throwing and another with him throwing, then they'd convert a third down with a pass interference penalty on Alex Austin as they kept inching closer to the end zone.
After a relentless 18-play drive by Indy, the game came down to a final 4th-and-goal from the Patriots three-yard line and Richardson found Pierce for a touchdown to make it a one-point game.
Indy passed up overtime and went for two to decide the game and Richardson kept it and went up the middle for the two-point score, handing Indy a last-second 25-24 win. A final 68-yard field goal attempt by Joey Slye fell just short, ending the game.
11. Patriots are now 3-10
With the hard-fought loss, the Patriots fall to 3-10 on the season and enter their bye week with a disheartening last-second defeat. Offensively it was the best performance of the year, though some of the red zone and penalty problems continued to hurt the team in some key instances. Improvement in those areas might've translated to a victory at the end of the game.
Defensively it will be a hard pill to swallow after allowing a 19-play drive that cost the game.
After a week off the Pats will hit the road for back-to-back trips to Arizona and Buffalo before returning home for their final two contests of the year against the Chargers and Bills. Four games against three playoff contenders should provide New England with some tough competition to reveal exactly how they stack up.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
