Patriots-Colts Pregame Notebook: Roster Notes, Game Prediction and More

Can the Patriots make it eight straight wins in 2021 with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night?

The New England Patriots have arrived in Indiana for a Saturday night showdown with the Indianapolis Colts. Saturday’s Week Fifteen matchup will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana at 8:15pm ET. This pivotal contest between two long-time Conference rivals has the potential to be a deciding factor in New England’s quest, not only for the division title, but also the top spot in the Conference.

The Patriots enter this Week Fifteen with a record of 9-4, currently first in the AFC East, and one notch in the win column behind the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the Conference. The Pats and Colts are each coming off of their bye weeks. They are meeting for the first time since Oct. 4, 2018, when New England captured a 38-24 victory at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots have won the last eight games against the Colts, including six regular season games and two postseason games.

Viewing/Listening:

TELEVISION:

This week's game will be broadcast by The NFL Network and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Kevin Burkhardt will handle play-by-play duties with Greg Olsen as the color analysts. Pam Oliver and Kristina Pink will work from the sidelines.

STREAMING:

Streaming will be available via patriots.com or via the Patriots mobile app. For information on how to stream the game please visit the Ways to Watch guide, via Patriots.com

RADIO:

98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello.

Patriots Roster Notes:

The Patriots officially ruled out running back Damien Harris on Friday afternoon. The 24-year-old had been limited in practice all week with a hamstring injury. In his absence, New England will likely look to rookie Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden to help mitigate Harris’ loss. Per sources, practice squad running back Devine Ozigbo made the trip to Indianapolis, and is expected to be elevated for Saturday's matchup. However, there has yet to be official confirmation.

The Patriots also have ruled reserve offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste out for Week Fifteen, as he tends to an illness.

Colts Roster Notes:

The Indianapolis Colts added defensive tackle Grover Stewart to the injury report due to an illness and is listed as questionable, the team announced Friday. Stewart is a key component along the Colts’ defensive line, especially on run defense. If the Colts’ hope to make the Patriots ‘one dimensional’ on Saturday, Stewart would be a big part of that gameplan.

Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods was a new addition to Indy’s report on Thursday, listed with a calf injury. While it has yet to be confirmed whether Woods suffered the injury during practice, the injury will keep him from suiting up against the Patriots on Saturday.

Despite being a full participant for Wednesday’s practice, center Ryan Kelly is listed as questionable, dealing with a knee injury and illness, and a personal matter. He did not participate in Thursday’s practice session.

Patriot Maven Game Prediction

Essential On Offense: Own the “One Dimension”

The Colts may want to re-think their ‘one dimensional’ strategy for Week Fifteen against quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots. In Week Twelve, the Tennessee Titans attempted a similar game plan in prioritizing the stoppage of the Patriots’ run game. Jones put in a solid performance, throwing for 300-plus yards, tossing two touchdowns and contributing 11 yards rushing. The rookie completed 71 percent of his passes, including 11-of-11 of his play-action throws for 169 passing yards.Against Indianapolis on Saturday, Jones may find success by targeting the middle of the field. This is an area in which the Colts’ defense is particularly susceptible to yielding yards, especially when covering tight ends. Indy’s defense has allowed a league-high 70.8 receiving yards-per-game to tight ends thus far in 2021. As a result, look for tight end Henry to play a major role on Saturday. Receiver Kendrick Bourne also has the chance to be a receiving option in the intermediate area of the field. He has also demonstrated an ability to be a threat in the running game; logging 81 yards on seven rushes. However, when deployed as a receiver (his natural, and best fit) Bourne has aligned in the slot, and on the outside. Assuming the Patriots get sold blocking from their offensive line (with some assistance from fullback Jakob Johnson and receiver N’Keal Harry), Jones should find ways to break down the Colts’ defense.

Essential on Defense: Yield the Yards, Stop the Score

While completely stopping Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor is highly unlikely, marginally disrupting his rhythm will be a focus for the Patriots. Taylor averages 5.6 yards per carry and has 16 rushing touchdowns. They must remain physical up front to keep him from breaking for big yardage. Still, the ultimate goal for the Patriots defense will be to keep the Colts out of the endzone. In my opinion, this is why the Pats might employ the ‘bend, don’t break’ strategy that wreaks havoc on the nerves of the fan base. However, when considering that the Colts are ranked 22nd in red zone scoring efficiency this season, it begins to make more sense; especially when realizing that the Pats are number one in red zone defense. Therefore, they may be wise to utilize their three-safety nickel package to help neutralize the intermediate passing game; even if it means that the Colts run the ball more frequently against lighter personnel. Taylor may get his yards, but the Pats defensive backfield will have a greater ability to prevent big-yardage gains, while the front seven can limit Indy’s effectiveness in the red area.

Final Analysis:

While these two teams match up well on paper, the Pats should hold the slight advantage on both sides of the ball. The key factor, however, is Taylor, who arguably will be the most talented and explosive player on the field on Saturday. Again, ‘marginally disrupting’ him will be key for the Patriots defense. If the Pats linebackers are not careful in their coverage, they could create cutback lanes for the Colts’ star running back; which would lead to a long night in Indy for the Patriots. However, if New England can successfully take away Indianapolis' top offensive threat, they should be able to neutralize the Colts’ effectiveness on offense. This one will be close, as it may come down to the reliable leg of kicker Nick Folk, yet again.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Patriots 24, Colts 21