5 takeaways from Patriots’ last-second loss to Colts
The Colts scored a touchdown and the game-winning two-point conversion to beat the Patriots with 12 seconds left.
The Patriots had victory in their hands until the final seconds of their 25-24 loss to the Colts.
New England took a 24-17 early in the fourth quarter and Christian Gonzalez came up with an interception on Indianapolis’ ensuing possession, giving the Patriots the opportunity to put the game out of reach. However, they went three-and-out on their next drive.
That allowed the Colts the opportunity to snatch the game from the Patriots. They did just that, going on a 19-play, 80-yard drive over five-plus minutes and converted three fourth-down opportunities. The final fourth-down opportunity saw Anthony Richardson connect with Alec Pierce for a 3-yard touchdown reception that cut the Patriots’ lead to 24-23 with 12 seconds remaining.
Instead of settling for overtime, the Colts decided to go for the win. Richardson got the two-point conversion, running right up the middle and into the end zone to give the Colts a 25-24 lead.
The Patriots were able to move the ball to midfield with a second remaining. They opted to send Joey Slye out for a miracle 68-yard field goal attempt instead of having Drake Maye throw a Hail Mary pass. Slye’s kick was accurate, but fell a few yards short, giving the Colts the win.
With the loss, New England dropped to 3-10 on the season as it heads to its bye week. Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s game.
Patriots’ defensive front struggled.
For a large portion of Sunday’s game, the Colts were able to control the game on the ground. Indianapolis rushed for 144 yards throughout the day, with Richardson and Jonathan Taylor each using their legs to make plays.
Arguably the most damning sequence for the Patriots’ defense came at the start of the second half. The Colts ran the ball on 10 of their 12 plays from scrimmage on their first drive of the third quarter, moving within the Patriots’ 10-yard line before settling for a field goal.
The Patriots’ defense seemed to settle in later on in the second half, with Gonzalez making a key interception. But New England struggled to bring much pressure on Richardson throughout the game, recording just two QB hits and zero sacks.
The run defense nearly redeemed itself over the final few plays of the game. Richardson and Taylor were stuffed on back-to-back plays at the Patriots’ 2-yard line before the touchdown pass with 12 seconds left. The Patriots’ interior let Richardson run right up the gut for the game-winning score right after.
Red zone miscues proved to be costly.
The Patriots got the ball in the red zone in five of their first six possessions, arguably putting up their best offensive performance of the season as they finished Sunday’s game with 422 total yards. But they only had 16 points to show for those five red zone trips.
There were several reasons for the Patriots’ poor red zone showing on Sunday. Penalties were arguably the biggest one. Rhamondre Stevenson ran into the end zone on a wildcat run in the second quarter, but that was called back due to a holding. The Patriots were called for another holding on the next play, putting them at the Colts’ 22-yard line and forcing them to settle for three.
In the final moments of the first half, the Patriots had another chance to get in the end zone. But they wound up scoring zero points on their final possession of the half as they opted to run the ball twice in a row when they had a first-and-10 from the Colts’ 11-yard line with 41 seconds remaining and two timeouts left. They moved forward seven yards on those two runs, but Maye was sacked on the third-down play. Joey Slye’s 25-yard field goal went wide left.
They also had some bad luck on one of their red zone trips in the third quarter. Maye threw a pass to Hunter Henry that bounced off the tight end and allowed Colts safety Julian Blackmon to making a scooping interception.
The Patriots were able to put up 24 points after scoring on their red zone trip in the fourth quarter. But they could’ve had 42 points had they scored a touchdown on all six of their red zone trips.
Drake Maye added another impressive outing.
If there is one thing Patriots fans can take solace in after Sunday’s game, it’s that their rookie quarterback continued to impress.
Maye completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards, a touchdown, and an intercpetion to go with 59 rushing yards on Sunday. He played a near-flawless game, with his interception coming off a bad bounce more than a bad throw.
Maye’s most impressive play came in the second quarter when he took off for a 41-yard run to bring the Patriots well into Colts territory. As that play came off script, it does make you wonder if New England should call more designed runs for its quarterback like Indianapolis did with Richardson on Sunday.
There are obviously area where Maye can improve, but he seems to be the least of the Patriots worries right now.
Austin Hooper continues to be a reliable target for Maye.
The veteran tight end came up with a few receptions at pivotal moments during Sunday’s game. Of course, the big one was Hooper’s 16-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter when he jumped higher than the rest of the Colts’ defense to get a ball in front of the goal line before getting into the end zone. Not only did that mark the second straight week that Maye and Hooper connected for a touchdown, but it also made Hooper the first player to catch two touchdown passes from the rookie quarterback this season.
Hooper also made another big grab in the fourth quarter, hauling in a seven-yard reception on a third-and-3. That preceded the touchdown score that gave the Patriots a 24-17 lead.
Antonio Gibson provided a spark.
The Patriots’ secondary running back perfectly spelled Rhamondre Stevenson on Sunday, giving the team juice throughout the game. Four of his seven runs went for at least 10 yards, carving up the Colts’ defense on the ground throughout the day. He ran for 24 yards over two consecutive plays in the second quarter, which helped set the Patriots up for their first touchdown drive of the day.
Gibson later found the end zone in the fourth quarter, helping the Patriots make up for a lost touchdown when they were called for an illegal shift on the previous play. His shiftiness at the line of scrimmage on the run created room for him to get right by the Colts’ defense.
That touchdown marked Gibson’s first with the Patriots as he also had one of his best performances of the season.
Here is everything that happened in Sunday’s game.
3:54 p.m.: Colts go on 19-play touchdown drive and take lead with two-point conversion with 12 seconds remaining.
The Colts answered the call in their final possession. They went on a 19-play, 80-play drive that included three fourth-down conversions, including a 3-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Richardson to Alec Pierce for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 12 seconds remaining.
Instead of kicking the extra point to go for the tie, the Colts opted to go for two to take the lead. Richardson ran right up the middle and into the end zone to convert the two-point try and give the Colts a 25-24 lead.
3:33 p.m.: Christian Gonzalez comes up with big interception, but the Patriots weren’t able to build their lead.
Anthony Richardson gave the Patriots the ball back after New England took a 24-17 lead, throwing a pass that was intercepted by Christian Gonzalez on the second play of the ensuing drive. The turnover gave the Patriots the ball at their own 48-yard line.
However, the Patriots went three-and-out, sending Bryce Baringer on the field for his first punt of the day. The punt put the Colts at their 20-yard line.
3:21 p.m.: Patriots find the end zone again to take a 24-17 lead
After forcing the Colts to go three-and-out after the goal line interception, the Patriots were able to move the ball down the field again. Drake Maye made a couple of big completions, first connecting with Kendrick Bourne for an 18-yard gain before hitting Austin Hooper for a seven-yard connection on a third-and-3. The Patriots found the end zone when Maye threw a touchdown pass to Bourne, but that was wiped off the board due to an illegal shift penalty.
The penalty didn’t matter, though. On the next play, Antonio Gibson rushed for an 11-yard touchdown. Maye hit Kayshon Boutte on the two-point conversion that gave the Patriots a 24-17 lead with 8:43 remaining.
3:03 p.m.: A promising Patriots drive ends with a tough interception
New England continued to move the ball down the field on its first drive of the second half. Antonio Gibson ran for a solid 15-yard gain on one run while Drake Maye completed a 12-yard pass to Hunter Henry. Facing a third-and-1 at the Colts’ 15-yard line, Maye scrambled to get a first down and was initially called short. However, Jerod Mayo won the first challenge of his coaching career to give the Patriots a first down.
The luck ended there for the Patriots, though. Two plays later, Maye tried to squeeze a pass at the goal line to Henry. But Henry was able to fully grasp it, causing the ball to ricochet to Colts defensive back Julian Blackmon for an interception.
2:47 p.m.: Colts run down the field to take lead on opening possession of second half
Indianapolis dared New England to stop the run on the opening drive of the second half. The Patriots mostly struggled as the Colts were able to get down the field by running the ball on 10 of their first 12 plays of the second half. As the Colts got down to the Patriots’ 7-yard line, they were able to make a key run stop when they needed to, forcing a third-and-6. Richardson’s second pass of the drive fell incomplete, forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal to take a 17-16 lead as the drive took just over half of the third quarter.
2:22 p.m.: Joey Slye badly misses chipshot field goal before halftime
The Patriots had another promising drive before the half, but they weren’t able to get any points out of it. Maye helped New England drive down to Indianapolis’ 4-yard line as part of an impressive two-minute drill. Facing a third-and-3, Maye was sacked as he tried to scramble out of the backfield.
Joey Slye wasn’t able to connect on the ensuing field goal, missing wide left on the 25-yard chipshot. The Colts kneeled out the clock to end the half as the Patriots took a 16-14 lead into the break.
2 p.m.: Drake Maye and Austin Hooper connect to give the Patriots the lead again
The Patriots continued their streak of scoring drives to open up Sunday’s game on their fourth possession. This time, though, they found the end zone.
Antonio Gibson rushed for 24 yards while Drake Maye completed all five passes he threw on the drive, with the final pass being a 16-yard connection with Austin Hooper for a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 16-14 lead with 4:02 remaining in the first half.
1:50 p.m.: Colts regain the lead
It didn’t take long for Indy to find itself back in front. The Colts again moved the ball methodically down the field, getting some help from Jahlani Tavai on a 29-yard defensive pass interference. Four plays later, Anthony Richardson took a designed run into the end zone for a 3-yard score that gave the Colts a 14-9 lead with 8:31 remaining in the second quarter.
1:40 p.m.: Patriots take the lead back
New England was able to capitalize after intercepting Anthony Richardson, but maybe not in the way it would’ve liked. Facing a third-and-1, Rhamondre Stevenson was stuffed in the backfield, forcing the Patriots to kick a field goal. Luckily for them, that was within Joey Slye’s range as he nailed a 54-yard kick to give the Patriots the lead.
1:35 p.m.: Patriots end first quarter with a highlight play
It didn’t take long for the Patriots to get the ball back after kicking their second field goal of the game. On the second play of the Colts’ ensuing drive, Anthony Richardson pass was tipped and intercepted by Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss. The interception gave the Patriots the ball back at the Colts’ 42-yard line at the end of the first quarter.
1:30 p.m.: Patriots drive deep down the field again before having to settle for another field goal
Drake Maye made one of the most impressive plays of his young career on the Patriots’ second drive. The rookie quarterback took off for a 41-yard scramble that put the Patriots deep into Colts territory.
A few plays later, Maye completed an 11-yard pass to Hunter Henry that brought the Patriots to the Colts’ 2-yard line. New England began moving back from there, though. Rhamondre Stevenson ran into the end zone on a wildcat run, but his touchdown was ruled back due to a holding call on Mike Onwenu. Another holding penalty was assessed against the Patriots on the next play. Those penalties cause the Patriots to settle for another field goal to make it 7-6 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
1:19 p.m.: Colts find the end zone on their opening drive
Indianapolis went up-tempo on its opening possession, making quick work of New England’s defense. Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor diced up the Patriots’ defense before the quarterback hit the running back for a 7-yard touchdown pass that gave the Colts a 7-3 lead with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
1:10 p.m: Patriots have promising first drive, but have to settle for three
New England didn’t have trouble moving the ball on its opening drive. A 32-yard run by Rhamondre Stevenson brought the Patriots into Colts territory. Drake Maye completed a pair of passes to Hunter Henry for a total of 23 yards.
However, the drive began to stall out when the Patriots faced goal-to-go. On a third-and-goal play from the 5-yard line, Maye was sacked by DeForest Buckner for an 11-yard loss. Still, the Patriots were within Joey Slye’s range to take a 3-0 lead less than six minutes in.
1 p.m: Colts win the toss and defer, giving Patriots the ball first
12:45 p.m.: Jabrill Peppers appears to have lost captain status
While Peppers returned for Sunday’s game against the Colts, he wasn’t wearing the “C” captain’s patch. That’s a likely sign that he’s been stripped of his captaincy as he awaits trial on assault charges.
12:30 p.m.: Patriots rocking Bruins uniforms ahead of Centennial celebration
The Patriots aren’t the only game in town on Sunday. The Bruins are celebrating their 100th anniversary when they host the Canadiens at 3 p.m. Drake Maye, David Andrews, and other Patriots players saluted the Bruins by wearing their uniforms when they arrived for their game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
12:15 p.m.: Patriots debuting new offensive line
Once again, there will be a different combination of offensive linemen in front of Drake Maye. Layden Robinson will make his first start at left guard, replacing Michael Jordan. It’ll be Robinson’s first start at left guard. The fourth-round rookie previously started at right guard earlier in the season.
The rest of the Patriots’ offensive line remains the same from last week. Vederian Lowe will tart at left tackle. Ben Brown will start at center. Mike Onwenu will be at right guard while Demontrey Jacobs is at right tackle.
11:30 a.m.: Jabrill Peppers active for Patriots
Peppers seems likely to play in Sunday’s game after being removed from the commissioner’s exempt list earlier in the week. The veteran safety wasn’t listed among the Patriots’ inactive ahead of Sunday’s game. Peppers has missed the Patriots’ last eight games following his arrest for assault allegations in October.
The Patriots’ inactive for Sunday’s game are wide receiver K.J. Osborn, safety Marte Mapu, quarterback Joe Milton III, guard Lester Cotton, guard Tyrese Robinson, defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, and defensive end Titus Leo.
For the Colts, they’ll be without standout receiver Josh Downs. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger, wide receiver Ashton Dulin, safety Darren Hall, defensive end Isaiah Land, guard Tanor Bortolini, and offensive tackle Braden Smith will also be inactive.
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