Now at 5-7 coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions, the Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a must-win game against the 3-9 New England Patriots.
Although the stat line won’t show it, last week was another encouraging performance from quarterback Anthony Richardson. However, there was minimal help around him between the penalties that negated big plays, a struggling offensive line, and some dropped passes.
Given the opponent this week, this could be one of those games where we see the Colts having to lean on the passing game. With offensive line issues, running the ball against the Patriots front may not come easy, but the secondary has been susceptible to giving up yards, allowing 7.2 yards per pass attempt, ranking 26th in that category.
The New England offense, meanwhile, has struggled put up points this season but the overall play of rookie quarterback Drake Maye has been encouraging. However, he’s had a lot on his plate with a so-so run game, an offensive line that has surrendered a lot of pressure, along with often playing from behind and being put in predictable passing situations.
For a closer look at the 2024 Patriots, you can preview the matchup here.
As we all know, the Colts and Patriots have had some fantastic matchups since the year 2000 and the two teams will have played each other in what is now four straight seasons after Sunday’s game.
But before kickoff, let’s take a look back at the recent matchup history between these two teams.
Nov. 12, 2023: Colts 10, Patriots 6
Nov. 6, 2022: Colts 3, Patriots 26
Dec. 18, 2021: Patriots 17, Colts 27
Oct. 4, 2018: Colts 24, Patriots 38
Oct. 18, 2015: Patriots 34, Colts 27
Jan. 18, 2015: Colts 7, Patriots 45
The Patriots lead the all-time series between these two teams with a record of 53-31-0.