The New England Patriots’ 26-3 Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts bore little resemblance to some of the classic matchups between the two franchises over the past 20-plus years.
The quarterback play of the Patriots' Mac Jones and the Colts' Sam Ehlinger left fans of both franchises longing for Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and both teams’ pass protection was lacking in a game dominated by New England’s defense and special teams.
Offensive spotlight: There really weren’t any true standout performances from either team on offense. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson scored the lone offensive touchdown on a three-yard pass from Jones. Stevenson picked up 42 of his 60 rushing yards after contact on 15 carries. He also forced three missed tackles on the ground. He caught three passes for 10 yards, and seven of those came after contact.
Ehlinger completed less than half of his passes but did make a big-time throw. Jones never looked comfortable in the pocket while averaging less than five yards per passing attempt.
Defensive spotlight: The Patriots sacked Ehlinger nine total times. Matt Judon and Josh Uche came away with three sacks apiece. Judon also registered a quarterback hit on 21 pass-rush snaps. Uche also tallied a hurry on just 14 pass-rush snaps. The Patriots pressured Ehlinger 16 times on 39 dropbacks. The Colts pressured Jones 15 times on 34 dropbacks.
Rookie spotlight: As a whole, the pass protection Sunday was rough, but Colts rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann let up just two pressures on PFF’s first review — a sack and a hurry. Patriots first-round pick left guard Cole Strange was benched early for Isaiah Wynn after allowing a hurry on just three pass-blocking snaps.
Offensive line spotlight: It wasn’t all bad for the Patriots’ offensive line. Center James Ferentz, filling in for David Andrews (concussion), didn’t allow a single pressure. Right guard Michael Onwenu let up just one hurry, and left tackle Trent Brown allowed just two hurries.
Right tackle Yodny Cajuste, who earned his first start of the season with Marcus Cannon on injured reserve and Wynn moving to guard, allowed a sack and four hurries.
Colts right tackle Braden Smith struggled, allowing three sacks and three hurries.
Box Score
Passing
| Indianapolis Colts | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Comp/Att | Yds | YPA | TD | Int |
| Sam Ehlinger | 7.02 | 15 / 29 | 103 | 3.6 | 0 | 1 |
| New England Patriots | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Comp/Att | Yds | YPA | TD | Int |
| Mac Jones | 9.68 | 20 / 30 | 147 | 4.9 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing
| Indianapolis Colts | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Car | Yds | YPC | TD | Long |
| Sam Ehlinger | 7.02 | 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 0 | 19 |
| Jordan Wilkins | 6.8 | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 0 | 5 |
| Deon Jackson | 5.6 | 11 | 23 | 2.1 | 0 | 5 |
| Parris Campbell | 3.6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Phillip Lindsay | 0.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kylen Granson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Car | Yds | YPC | TD | Long |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 16 | 15 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| Mac Jones | 9.68 | 1 | -2 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Jakobi Meyers | 8.4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 4.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| J.J. Taylor | 2.7 | 10 | 9 | 0.9 | 0 | 5 |
Receiving
| Indianapolis Colts | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Tgt | Rec | Yds | YPT | TD |
| Jordan Wilkins | 6.8 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Deon Jackson | 5.6 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman Jr. | 5.2 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 3.7 | 0 |
| Parris Campbell | 3.6 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| Alec Pierce | 3.3 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 |
| Mo Alie-Cox | 3.3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jelani Woods | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.7 | 0 |
| Phillip Lindsay | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kylen Granson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | ||||||
| Player | Fantasy | Tgt | Rec | Yds | YPT | TD |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 16 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 1.4 | 1 |
| Hunter Henry | 9 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 0 |
| Jakobi Meyers | 8.4 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 7 | 0 |
| Jonnu Smith | 5.1 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 5.2 | 0 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 4.2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 2.8 | 0 |
| J.J. Taylor | 2.7 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Tyquan Thornton | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1.2 | 0 |
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.