The hottest team in the NFL is heading to Indianapolis. Winners of seven straight, the New England Patriots will face the host Indianapolis Colts, who have won four of five with dynamic running back Jonathan Taylor leading the way. Two opportunistic defenses and two top-10 rushing attacks highlight a Saturday night showdown with massive playoff implications. After a year hiatus from the postseason, Bill Belichick and the Patriots could end Week 15 with their playoff ticket punched, while Frank Reich’s Colts are looking to cling to the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. Two teams playing their best football down the stretch will lock up in prime time on Saturday evening.
Here are three things to watch for when the Colts host the Patriots on NFL Network:
- New QBs, new eras in Pats-Colts rivalry. Once a perennial matchup between AFC heavyweights, this Patriots-Colts clash will be the first without Tom Brady or Peyton Manning playing since Week 14, 1997 when Drew Bledsoe’s Pats got the best of a Jim Harbaugh-led Indy squad. New eras are upon the Colts and Patriots, with Carson Wentz in his first season with Indianapolis and Mac Jones aiming to lead New England back to the playoffs while possibly garnering AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors along the way. Jones has a shot at history on Saturday as he can become the first rookie quarterback to win seven road games since QB starts were first tracked in 1950, per NFL Research. Leading the Pats to a 6-0 road record, Jones has shown that he’s up to the task in all weathers, whether that’s attempting just three throws as he did in a Week 13 victory or throwing for 300-plus yards as he did in a Week 12 win. In Indy, Wentz’ offseason addition via trade was seen as a risky proposition by many, but he’s had an excellent season for the most part, throwing for 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions (third-best TD-INT ratio in the NFL). With four games still to play, Wentz has already surpassed the amount of wins, yards passing and touchdowns thrown he had in his final, dreary season with the Eagles in 2020.
- Can Patriots’ stingy defense stop Jonathan Taylor? The Colts RB leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,348), rushing touchdowns (16), scrimmage yards (1,684), scrimmage TDs (18) and Pro Bowl voting, pacing the NFL’s No. 2 rushing offense. But how will Taylor fare against a sturdy Patriots defense piloted by Bill Belichick? This will be the 21st time Belichick has coached against a player with 1,000-plus rushing yards entering a matchup and the Hoodie is an amazing 18-2 in such encounters, per NFL Research. The Colts, the No. 3 scoring offense, will face the No. 1 scoring defense, which is armed with a bevy of individual defensive talent such as pass rusher Matt Judon (12.5 sacks) and cornerback J.C. Jackson (AFC-high seven interceptions). Taylor has scored a touchdown in 10 consecutive games. He’s also rushed for more than 100 yards in seven games this year, with the Colts having gone 7-0 in those instances. How Taylor fares against Belichick’s defense might well tell the tale in this one.
- Will Colts D take away a win? The Patriots’ defense will rightfully get attention aplenty heading into this one, but the Darius Leonard-led Colts are no slouches either. Indianapolis leads the NFL with 29 takeaways this season and is thus far the only team to force a turnover in every game. Not to be overlooked has been the excellent play of former Patriots defensive back Kenny Moore II, who leads Indy with four interceptions and 11 passes defended. So far, the Colts are 2-0 against rookie QBs this year. If they can rattle Jones and force the fundamentally sound Patriots into some sloppy play, a big win might be in store for Indy.