New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts Snaps & Grades: Offense F-Minus?

Patriots Country breaks down the numbers and implications behind the Pats’ playing time in New England’s Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Mike D'Abate | Nov 16, 2023

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New England Patriots

As the New England Patriots prepare to move forward from their 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, (dropping their record to 2-8 for the first time since 2000) they continue to take stock into their performance on both sides of the ball.

Heading into their bye week, there are plenty of areas in which the Patriots will seek improvement. While game-film analysis will be the main focus, a look at playing time may assist the Pats in helping to devise effective strategies moving forward.

Here is a look at the Patriots offensive and defensive snap counts from last Sunday’s loss, along with a grade for each positional group.

OFFENSE

On offense, the Pats snap count was 69 versus the Colts

QUARTERBACKS

In the opinion of most fans and medial alike, Mac Jones’ performance may have precipitated the end of his tenure as the Pats starter. The third-year quarterback completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards, while having absorbed five sacks and one costly fourth-quarter interception.

Jones’ interception was a short-armed fade thrown from his back feet intended for an open Mike Gesicki in the end zone. Instead, his throw landed in the waiting hands of defensive back Julian Blackmon. In relief of Jones on New England’s final drive, second-year passer Bailey Zappe completed only 3 of 7 passes for 25 yards, with an egregious interception thrown into triple coverage to end the Pats comeback attempt.

Despite Jones taking snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday’s practice — New England’s only scheduled session of the bye week — his position as their Week 12 starter against the New York Giants has far from been solidified. Still, neither he, nor Zappe,

Grade: D+

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RUNNING BACKS

New England's running game was one of the few bright spots for the Patriots in Week 10. Despite Rhamondre Stevenson briefly exiting Sunday's loss to the Colts, he returned to the game and finished with season-highs in carries (20) and rushing yards (88) on his way to 102 total yards. Ezekiel Elliott logged 13 carries for 54 yards and caught both his targets for 34 yards. The Patriots ground-heavy game plan allowed Elliot to set a season-high 88 scrimmage yards. While the Pats runners were unable to find the end zone, their performance was the main reason why the team remained competitive on offense for much of the game.

Grade: B

RECEIVERS

Once again, New England was devoid of playmakers at receiver, outside of rookie Demario Douglas. The Liberty product caught six of nine targets for 84 yards, leading the Patriots in catches, targets and receiving yards in his best performance to date. Though he led the positional group by taking 68 out of 69 snaps on offense, JuJu Smith-Schuster caught only one pass for nine yards. Rookie Kayshon Boutte earned his first NFL reception for 11 yards, which was also his only catch of the game. Douglas' performance clearly raised the positional mean, with the others in need of vast improvement.

Grade: C

TIGHT ENDS

Hunter Henry caught three of five targets for 21 yards, tying Stevenson for second on the team in targets behind Demario Douglas' nine. While Mike Gesicki contributed two catches for 22 yards, his performance may be primarily remembered for being open on Jones' pass attempt, which was intercepted in the game's waning moments. For the second straight week, Pharaoh Brown did not log a reception, and was surprisingly not targeted in the game.

Grade: C

OFFENSIVE LINE

With Trent Brown having remained in Foxboro due to both personal reasons, as well as an ankle injury, practice squad elevation Conor McDermott took the starting spot at left tackle. The remainder of the line was comprised of Cole Strange at left guard, David Andrews at center, Sidy Sow at right tackle and Mike Onwenu at right tackle. After protecting Jones from being sacked just one week earlier, the unit surrendered five against the Colts, four of which came on third-down attempts. The line fared much better in run-blocking duties. Their collective ability to move the line of scrimmage helped facilitate some of the gap running plays which allowed the Pats to rush for 167 yards.

Grade: C

New England Patriots QB Mac Jones vs. Indianapolis Colts, 12 Nov. 2023, Frankfurt, Germany / Credit: AFP via Getty Images

DEFENSE

On defense, the Pats snap count was 57 versus the Colts.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Aside from Colts' running back Jonathan Taylor's first-quarter touchdown drive, the Pats defensive line held Indy's impressive running back tandem in check. The Colts rushed for 70 yards on 26 carries, including only one carry for two yards for Zack Moss. Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux led the team with eight tackles. Christian Barmore was the standout performer along the line, who parlayed his 39 defensive snaps into a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss with a handful of quarterback pressures.

Grade: B

LINEBACKERS

With team captain Ja'Whaun Bentley inactive for Week 10, the Pats linebackers rose to the challenge y controlling the middle of the field. Practice squad elevation Calvin Munson helped to mitigate Bentley’s absence, while middle linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. played an off-ball role. Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai each logged seven tackles, with the latter also contributing a pass break-up while taking all 57 snaps on defense. Overall, New England's front seven turned in a solid game, with the linebackers playing a major role in doing so.

Grade: B+

CORNERBACKS

In an uneventful day for New England's secondary, slot corner Myles Bryant delivered the play of the game for New England by intercepting a pass from Colts' cornerback Gardner Minshew intended for receiver Michael Pitman. Bryant returned the pick for six yards, giving the Pats the ball at midfield. However, the Pats' offense was unable to capitalize. Shaun Wade, playing in place of the absent J.C. Jackson, led all corners with three tackles (one for loss) while Jonathan Jones contributed one. Jack Jones, in his final appearance as a member of the Patriots, logged two tackles.

Grade: C

SAFETIES

The tandem of Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger played 100 percent of the team's snaps on defense. Peppers finished the night with five tackles, while Dugger stepped into the role of defensive traffic director, earning four tackles, as well as a key run stuff on a second-quarter third-and-1 which forced a Colts punt. In spite of the uncertainly surrounding much of the Patriots roster, both Peppers and Dugger continued to demonstrate their prowess in an overall solid performance from the defense.

Grade: C+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Despite being a team known for placing a premium on special teams prowess, New England continues to exhibit futility in the game’s third phase. While attempting to block a punt using a planned rush with nine players at the line of scrimmage, the Colts were able to extend Rigoberto Sanchez’s punt to 69 yards by taking full advantage of the absence of a Pats returner in the deep part of the field.

Rookie kicker Chad Ryland also missed a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter, ensuring that the Pats would not capitalize on cornerback Myles Bryant’s interception of Colts quarterback Gardern Minshew. Lastly, the coverage team surrendered a 42-yard kickoff return by a former AFC East rival Isaiah McKenzie to open the fourth quarter, leading to a 51-yard Matt Gay field goal for Indianapolis.

Grade: D

Published Nov 16, 2023

MIKE D'ABATE