The New England Patriots came within two defensive stops of sending the Indianapolis Colts home with a loss on Sunday.
However, the defense failed to stop quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Colts offense from scoring a touchdown on a critical fourth-down situation late in the fourth quarter.
The Colts then went for a two-point conversion with Richardson holding onto the ball and sneaking it into the end zone to put the game out of reach. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led the team down the field with only 12 seconds left on the clock for a 68-yard field goal attempt by Joey Slye.
No good.
The Patriots dropped their third straight loss, and the Colts managed to keep their playoff hopes alive. It was a disappointing performance for the Patriots considering how well Maye played on offense. He was seeing everything the defense was doing and carving the unit up in the pocket.
The rookie quarterback went 22-of-27 passing for 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His only turnover came on a pass dropped by tight end Hunter Henry that got deflected into a defender’s hands.
The biggest issue for the Patriots against the Colts was once again penalties. They looked completely undisciplined throughout the game and continued to ruin positive plays by moving backward. Their inability to execute in the red zone was the real backbreaker for the team in this matchup.
This one hurts considering it was a game the Patriots should have won. They had every opportunity to put the Colts away and failed to do so. They’ll now head into a much-needed bye week sitting at 3-10 and fourth place in the AFC East.
