Colts' Last-Ditch Effort Stuns Patriots Late in 25-24 Win
Any hope that the Indianapolis Colts (6-7) had of taking advantage of a generous final stretch of their schedule to sneak into the playoffs was nearly dashed at Gillette Stadium on Sunday as they eked past the New England Patriots (3-10) late by a score of 25-24.
Trailing by seven points with five-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game, the Colts engineered a 19-play, 80-yard drive to usurp the Patriots on the road, punctuating the drive with a short touchdown throw from Anthony Richardson to Alec Pierce, followed by a Richardson run up the middle to add a two-point conversion with just 12 seconds remaining.
It's the second time in the last three games that Richardson and the Colts offense have put together a come-from-behind, game-winning drive in the final minute to beat a fellow AFC team.
The Colts started out the game strong offensively, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, while the defense struggled from start to finish.
The Patriots — one of the bottom three teams in the AFC — were allowed to look like a vastly improved version of themselves on offense. They entered the game last in the NFL in total offensive yards per game (280.0), second to last in points per game (16.4), last in passing yards per game (167.3), and 19th in rushing yards per game (112.8).
They exceeded each mark against the Colts on Sunday, getting 422 yards of offense, 24 points, 222 yards passing, and 200 yards rushing. The total yards and rushing yards were both season highs for New England, while the points were their second-most and passing yards were their third-most.
If it weren't for the Colts forcing stops in the red zone (New England was 2-of-6) and making the Patriots' offense settle for field goals, then this could've been a drastically different outcome.
Offensively, this was an interesting line configuration for the Colts, but it largely worked. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with a knee injury. Rookie center Tanor Bortolini missed the game with a concussion and was replaced by Danny Pinter. Mark Glowinski, who left the Colts in free agency in 2022, was re-signed to the practice squad two weeks ago and replaced undrafted rookie Dalton Tucker as the starting right guard. Right tackle Braden Smith missed the game with a personal issue and was replaced by rookie Matt Goncalves, who had been filling in on the left side for Raimann.
The offensive line performed at a higher level than they had in recent weeks, as Richardson was only hit twice and not sacked at all. The Colts' 144 rushing yards were their most since late October. Running back Jonathan Taylor finished with 96 yards on a season-high 25 carries (3.8 avg.) and a seven-yard receiving touchdown, while Richardson added 48 yards and a touchdown on nine carries (5.3 avg.).
While the Colts ultimately came out on top, they were fortunate to do so. The defense's performance was horrendous, and the offense was nearly unable to make the comeback happen. Richardson threw an interception with eight minutes left in the game, while late drops deep downfield by AD Mitchell and Kylen Granson, along with a catchable deep target to Pierce, nearly played spoiler to the effort.
The Colts will now enter their bye week.
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