INDIANAPOLIS – Areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ Sunday meeting with the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
*Kickoff: 1 p.m.
*Broadcast: CBS4.
*Spread: Colts by 2 1/2.
*History lesson, Part I: The Patriots lead the overall series 53-31. That includes a 4-1 record in the postseason, but that lone playoff win was a doozy. Peyton Manning rallied the Colts from a 21-6 halftime deficit to a 38-34 victory in the 2006 AFC Championship Game. That was the final stepping stone to Indy’s 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
The Colts have won two of the last three – 10-6 last November in Frankfurt, Germany and 27-17 in 2021 in Lucas Oil Stadium. They’ve dropped six straight in Foxboro. The last win at Gillette Stadium: 27-20 in 2006.
*History lesson, Part II: Sunday belongs to the young. The NFL’s two youngest starting quarterbacks – each 22 – will share the stage at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots’ Drake Maye is the youngest: born Aug. 30, 2002. The Colts’ Anthony Richardson is next: born May 20, 2002. Until Maye replaced former Colt Jacoby Brissett in week 6 at Houston, Richardson had been the league’s youngest QB since starting as a rookie in week 1 of 2023.
*History lesson, Part III: The Colts visiting Foxboro isn’t a unique experience. Sunday is their 43rd trip in a series that began in 1970 and was against the Boston Patriots. But it will be the first time Bill Belichick hasn’t prowled the opposing sidelines since 1999. That season, it was Pete Carroll. The Colts squandered a 28-7 halftime lead – three Peyton Manning TD passes, an Edgerrin James TD run – and lost 31-28.
The Patriots’ future is in the hands of Jerod Mayo.
*Playoff picture: The Colts either rekindle their playoff hopes with a win over the Patriots, or they’ll take a massive hit with a loss. Indy (5-7) enters Sunday as the No. 8 seed and with the tiebreak over Miami (5-7) based on their week 7 win. Denver (7-5) holds the 7th and final spot with five games remaining. The Colts must flash a strong closing kick. A 4-1 record might earn them the final wild-card spot, but only if that includes a Dec. 15 win over the Broncos in Denver.
With the Colts losing four of their last five, The Athletic has them with a 23% chance of earning a postseason spot.
*O-line shuffle: Anthony Richardson needs to continue to stack competitive games and the Colts must get Jonathan Taylor going. We’re in the camp that believes Richardson played much better in the loss to Detroit than his stat line indicates: 11-of-28, 172 yards, 10 rushes for a career-high and team-best 61 yards. Taylor? He’s averaged just 63.5 yards per game and 3.7 per attempt over the past four games.
Whatever level of success Richardson and Taylor achieve against the Patriots is directly related to the level of success of an offensive line that once again is undergoing a major adjustment. Position coach Tony Sparano Jr. is turning to a sixth different starting combination because of injury and a personal issue that will force right tackle Braden Smith to miss his first game of the season.
It’s certainly a plus that Bernhard Raimann returns at left tackle after missing two games with a knee injury. But rookie center Tanor Bortolini, who was playing in place of injured Ryan Kelly, is out with a concussion. That opens the door for Danny Pinter to play for the first time since the 2022 season finale. He missed last season with a broken ankle and has only handled 35 snaps this season on special teams. The Colts also are considering replacing rookie right guard Dalton Tucker.
The starting group versus the Patriots? Raimann at left tackle, Quenton Nelson at left guard, Pinter at center, either Mark Glowinski or Tucker at right guard and probably rookie Matt Goncalves or Blake Freeland at right tackle. Goncalves has started three of the last four games in place of Raimann at left tackle.
The Patriots defense hasn’t exactly been the ’85 Bears. It ranks No. 22 in yards per game (347.5), No. 18 against the run (123.1), No. 22 against the pass (224.4) and No. 19 in points (23.5). New England is tied-No. 21 with 21 sacks – end Keion White and Deatrich Wise Jr. share the team lead with 5 – and has just nine takeaways, tied for the 3rd-fewest in the league.
*Help for AR: The o-line isn’t the only area dealing with significant injuries. Leading receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) and backup/special teams standout Ashton Dulin (ankle) are out. That places a heavy burden on Michael Pittman Jr., who’s been dealing with a back injury, and Alec Pierce, who missed practice time this week and is questionable with an ankle injury. We expect Pierce to play.
If the Colts are going to get Taylor going, they’ve got to show a reliable pass attack. That’s going to require rookie AD Mitchell to play a heavier role in support of Pittman and Pierce.
We would be remiss if we didn’t point out that Richardson has completed more than 11 passes just three times in his 12 starts and passed for 200 yards or more only five times.
*Get after the rookie: Drake Maye is giving Patriots Nation hope. Maybe the No. 3 overall pick in the April draft is the franchise’s long-term answer. In his seven starts, he’s completed 66% of his passes and averaged 205.1 yards per game with 10 TDs and seven interceptions. Maye’s mobility has been an added boost to the offense. Although he’s been sacked 21 times, including seven times in the past two weeks, Maye has eluded pressure often enough to pile up 286 yards on 33 attempts. That’s a fat 8.7 yards per carry.
“One of the coaches made a stat, I think (Maye has) more rushing yards or has gained more rushing yards than any quarterback as far as scrambling ability,’’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “So, he can make plays. He’s a guy that has no fear. He’s very accurate . . . he’s got good poise. Nothing seems to bother him.
“We expect to see a good version of him.’’
The Colts have had trouble defending tight ends, and Maye has two high-yield players at the position. Hunter Henry is the Patriots’ leading receiver (51 catches, 535 yards and one TD) while Austin Hooper has 27 catches, 295 yards and two TDs.
*Speaking of tight ends: Since we mentioned the Patriots’ tight end tandem, it offers further perspective to how unproductive the Colts’ tight ends room has been this season.
Henry and Hooper each have more receptions than the Colts’ tight ends combined (26 for 299 yards, 2 TDs). Moreover, 22 tight ends across the league have more receptions than Indy’s group and 25 have more yards.
Remember the pre-draft speculation linking the Colts’ first-round interest in Georgia’s Brock Bowers? The Raiders selected him with the No. 13 overall pick – four spots ahead of the Colts, who grabbed edge rusher Laiatu Latu – and he’s having an All-Pro season with 84 receptions, 884 yards and four TDs.
*And the winner is: Colts 24, Patriots 17. The injuries are a concern, but desperation should be a good motivator. Only a strong finish can salvage an otherwise rocky season. Win, and talk to us about your playoff hopes, Lose to a 3-9 team that’s failed to score more than 25 points and things could spiral out of control.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.