Colts Risers and Fallers in Exciting Victory Over Patriots

The Indianapolis Colts won a close game at Foxborough over the New England Patriots to keep playoff hopes alive.

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts won an exciting battle on the road against the New England Patriots, 25-24. With a hectic victory in the rearview mirror to move to 6-7, it's time to dive into the risers and fallers for Indianapolis as they approach a much-needed bye week.

Riser | Offensive Line

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) celebrates his touchdown with Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson (56) on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, during a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. / Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

After an atrocious performance against the Detroit Lions, the Colts' offensive line bounced back against the Patriots. Also, it was a patch job for the front, with Danny Pinter at center, Mark Glowinski at right guard and rookie Matt Goncalves at right tackle for Braden Smith.

The good news is this switching didn't deter Indy's offensive line with Bernhard Raimann returning; Quenton Nelson also played back to form. The lowest Pro Football Focus grade was Goncalves (67.3) with the highest going to Glowinski (81.3), showing the consistency was across the entire line.

Indy's protection will have a breather for week 14 with a bye but they need to get right back to this performance (or better) when they head to Mile High to face the Denver Broncos.

Faller | Missed Tackles

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) tackles New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Indy had another week of missed tackles taking the narrative for their defense. Seemingly on repeat, the Colts whiffed and allowed the Patriots to extend plays and gain extra yardage for better situations.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Colts missed on eight total tackles, with Jaylon Jones and DeForest Buckner leading at two. Given that New England's offense has been one of the worst in the league, this isn't encouraging.

Indy can't continue the trend of bad tackling if they want their defense to be taken seriously. With the Broncos being a 7-5 team, the Colts must shore up their tackling woes or risk multiple letups.

Riser | Jonathan Taylor

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor desperately needed a better game after back-to-back rough outings. While he didn't light the world on fire, he was relied upon to move a stagnant offense that lacked anything resembling a passing attack.

Taylor toted 25 carries for 96 yards (3.8 average) and added a seven-yard receiving touchdown.

Looked like the Patriots’ defense was still communicating when the ball was snapped. Nobody takes Jonathan Taylor and he caps an 8-play, 71-yard drive with a TD pic.twitter.com/BLzHZXBbQL

— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) December 1, 2024

Taylor is still the best offensive weapon for Shane Steichen to implement, so it's encouraging that he performed better. Expect Steichen to continue to emphasize the heavy use of Taylor to conclude 2024.

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Faller | Containing Tight Ends

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) tackles New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Colts' defense struggled to contain New England's tight end duo of Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper. Henry led the charge with seven catches for 75 receiving yards (10.7 average) on nine targets.

As for Hooper, he scored a receiving touchdown and hauled in all four targets for 42 receiving yards (10.5 average). These tight ends helped carry Drake Maye, accounting for 11 of 24 completions for the rookie field general.

We'll see if there are any defensive adjustments after an abysmal showing against New England's tight ends. If the Colts want to compete effectively, they must play better coverage against the position.

Riser | Anthony Richardson

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

While it wasn't pretty, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson did some heavy lifting to achieve victory despite multiple turnovers. Richardson finished 12/24 passing for 109 yards, two touchdowns and interceptions. Those numbers aren't clean, but context must be included.

Richardson saw two critical drops from AD Mitchell and Kylen Granson, both of which were possible game-changing moments. These instances must be cleaned up to finish the 2024 season strong.

AD Mitchell and Kylen Granson with brutal drops on this #Colts drive.

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 1, 2024

Richardson's legs accounted for taking the lead late in the fourth quarter on a two-point conversion after hitting Alec Pierce for a touchdown to go down one. Richardson has a clutch ability in quarter four, so there is a good likelihood he has to pull heroics again before the regular season concludes.

Faller | Run Defense

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) runs the ball while Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross (20) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Patriots ran the football at will against Indy on Sunday afternoon. Rhamondre Stevenson finished with 18 carries for 73 rushing yards (4.1 average) and Antonio Gibson had seven carries for 62 yards (8.9 average) and a touchdown.

Along with the running backs, quarterback Maye added 59 rushing yards on five attempts (11.8 average). Altogether, New England had 200 rushing yards on 31 carries (6.5 average) and consistently got key gains along with their rushing score.

Indy has had issues with run defense all of 2024, but this was a rough performance from Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed, as well as when considering the aforementioned missed tackles. There will be better offenses ahead, so the Colts can't afford to allow 200+ yards on the ground if they want to have good odds to win out.

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