‘Certainly a lot better than the last time we played the Colts’: Bill Belichick on Sunday’s 26-3 victory
Belichick had considerable praise for his defense following Sunday's win.
The Patriots’ defense put on an incredible performance on Sunday, recording nine sacks, a blocked punt, and a pick-six in a 26-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Following the game, head coach Bill Belichick shared his thoughts on the showing, telling reporters that Sunday’s contest was, “certainly a lot better than the last time we played the Colts,” in reference to last season’s 27-17 loss in Indianapolis.
“Great gameplan by the defensive coaches, and well-executed – we put a lot of pressure on the Colts and were able to take advantage of those situations,” Belichick said.
He pointed to both New England’s pass rush and secondary as being responsible for the team’s nine sacks of Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger, saying that the groups worked in tandem to create pressure all day.
“Any time you have a good pass rush, you have good coverage, and any time you have good coverage, you’re going to have a good pass rush,” Belichick explained. “So, some of those sacks looked like coverage sacks where there is nobody to throw to, and some were great rush sacks that [the Colts] just didn’t have to time to execute the passing game.”
Belichick also praised cornerback Jonathan Jones, who blocked a punt that led to a New England touchdown in the second quarter, and returned an interception for a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth.
Asked about Jones’s development, Belichick noted that he began his NFL career as a special teams contributor and is now “one of [New England’s] best players.”
“He started out as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn, came in here and lit up things on special teams with his speed, his toughness, his intelligence – he’s a smart football player. Worked his way into a big role defensively.”
While Jones and the defense put on their best performance of the season, the Patriots’ offense again struggled at times.
Quarterback Mac Jones faced pressure all day, taking four sacks while completing 20 of 30 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
When asked how Jones handled the pressure from the Colts’ defense, Belichick answered that it was the team as a whole that had trouble.
“[The Colts] have a good defense – the front’s tough, they gave us some problems. So just, collectively as a team, we had some trouble with them for sure.”
Despite starting the game at left guard, 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange was replaced by Isaiah Wynn in the first half before returning to the game in the fourth quarter.
Belichick had a characteristic response when asked to offer some insight into the situation.
“We play a lot of people in every part of the game – on the offensive line, skill positions … we play a lot of people. That’s what we do.”
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