6 takeaways’ from the Patriots’ devastating loss to the Colts

The Indianapolis Colts flat out outplayed the New England Patriots in Week 15. The Colts stole the Patriots’ recipe for success and Indy won, 27-17.

The Patriots came after the Colts in the fourth quarter. But Indy finished off New England, thanks to running back Jonathan Taylor — and uncharacteristic mistakes from the Patriots.

Quarterback Mac Jones threw his first interception (of two) in the red zone. New England couldn’t do anything to stop Indy’s rushing attack, not even in the fourth quarter when Taylor iced the game with a 67-yard touchdown. The Patriots committed an astoundingly large number of mental mistakes. And the Colts capitalized upon many of them, with takeaways and elite special teams play. The Colts looked like the Patriots did over their seven-game win streak, which is officially over.

It will set up a massive matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. But for now, let’s dive into the takeaways from this game.

Bill Belichick's firm decision NOT to go for fourth downs will be the storyline of the week

Belichick doesn’t trust the Patriots offense to go for fourth downs. Belichick also trusts his defense to save his offense and create additional possessions. So it was not surprising to see Belichick elect not to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line with nine minutes left in the game. The coach has gone conservative and settled for punts and field goals all season, even when the analytics show it’s a losing decision.

And on Saturday, it did indeed end up being a losing decision.

Belichick has been consistent. He isn’t going to put the game on Jones’ shoulders. Belichick prefers to ask his defense to win the game. And in this game, they were 1 of 2 on fourth downs. That strategy worked in previous games. It didn’t work on Saturday.

To make things even worse, Colts coach Frank Reich had extremely trust in his ground game to convert 4th-and-short scenarios. (Admittedly, it’s not the same as the longer 4th down and distance that New England faced.) Reich is notoriously aggressive on fourth down. The Colts finished 3 of 3 on fourth down.

A 4-yard carry served as a siren warning for the Patriots

During the Colts’ second drive, they didn’t throw the ball once and ended up in the end zone. Technically speaking, Carson Wentz threw the ball. But, really, it was a handoff. But it wasn’t that play which served as a warning signal. It wasn’t even the 31-yard run on a jet sweep.

No, it was a 4-yarder. On first-and-10, Jonathan Taylor appeared to have nowhere to run, so he put down his shoulder pads and pushed the offensive line forward. The Colts got four yards out of a play New England seemed to have won. It was a sign that the Colts offense was going to get yards every time it ran the football — so that’s what they did for most of the night.

The Colts finished with 37 carries for 228 yards and a touchdown.

Even Wentz got involved, rushing for a pair of first downs on QB sneaks. His passing stats were unimpressive: 5 of 12, 57 yards, one touchdown, one interception.

The Colts were one step ahead of Mac Jones

The first interception helped show just how prepared the Colts were for Jones — and how they quickly got him uncomfortable.

Indy knew Jones wanted to go to Hunter Henry in the red zone. Surely, they studied the film and saw that Henry is Jones’ go-to option for touchdowns. To make it more obvious, Jones stared down Henry on a third-and-3 in the red zone. Linebacker Darius Leonard, who Jones didn’t appear to see, simply got in the way of the pass for an interception that wiped at least three points off the board.

This was the first of two interceptions, with the second coming from linebacker Bobby Okereke, who said the following before the game.

“We’re really going to try to make the game one-dimensional, see what (Jones) can do. We’re excited for the challenge.”

Not only did the Colts back up that game plan preview, but Okereke managed to play a massive role in it, with a diving interception for a sensational play. It felt like trash talk. But the Colts proved they were just … stating the truth.

To Jones’ credit, he fought back and did his best to fight through incessant errors from New England. The Patriots fought themselves back into the game, even after a brutal start for the rookie QB. That’s the silver lining. He finished 26 of 46 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Patriots committed a stunningly large volume of mental errors

The list is unfortunately long:

• Defensive offsides (which gave the Colts a chance to rekick and make a field goal they originally missed)

• Blocked punt allowed (for a touchdown)

• Unsportsmanlike conduct for fighting that led to Kyle Dugger getting ejected

• False start in the red zone in the third quarter

• False start on the 3-yard line in the fourth qarter

• Delay of game

• Block in the back penalty

• A continued inability to set the edge

• A dropped interception (from Jamie Collins)

• Two interceptions from Jones, including one in the red zone

The Patriots committed eight penalties for 50 yards. And they came at crucial moments. It was dumbfounding because New England could have — and probably should have — won this game. The Patriots haven’t played this sloppy in weeks, and yet it was the clear reason they lost.

LT Isaiah Wynn probably wanted to hit the restart button on his first quarter

Not only did Wynn commit a holding penalty in the first quarter, but he later tackled running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

The play spoke to a generally out-of-sorts offense. New England looked like a mess when they were running the ball, a place where they’ve been competent all season. When they’re running well, it helps Jones’ aerial attack.

Nothing was working for the Patriots. That intense confusion stemmed from their lack of production in the running game.

So now the Patriots are on to Buffalo, right?

New England fell to 9-5, and so they retain a lead in the AFC East over Buffalo, which enters Week 15 at 7-6. The Bills play the Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. And then both the Patriots and the Bills have a massive matchup.

If the Bills win, they’re 8-6 after this week. So a win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Week 16 would put Buffalo back in contention for the AFC East. A New England win, however, would put them in the driver seat in the division. And it could also bump the Bills out of the playoff bubble.

The top of the AFC is tight. The Patriots will get the Jaguars in Week 17, which should be an easy win. But they have the Dolphins in Week 18, which may be much more challenging than it initially appeared. Every win counts — but the win over Buffalo is most important.

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