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Colts survive Patriots, 27-17: Everything we know from Week 15

kevin hickey
·3 min read
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The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) made a huge statement with a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots (9-5) on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

On the back of some opportunistic takeaways on defense and the legit MVP candidate in Jonathan Taylor, the Colts found a way to close out a big win at home. Despite holding a 20-point lead for three quarters, the Patriots cut it down to three points.

However, Taylor put the team on his back with a 67-yard dagger to put the Colts up 27-17.

Here’s everything we know from the Week 15 win:

Final Score: Colts 27, Patriots 17

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Final

Patriots

0

0

0

17

17

Colts

14

3

3

7

27

It was over when...

AP Photo/AJ Mast

Running back Jonathan Taylor exploded through a loaded box for a 67-yard touchdown run to give the Colts a 10-point lead with two minutes remaining in the game.

Keys to the game

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

  • Sticking with the run game proved to be the difference-maker. Taylor was physical all game as was the offensive line. It got a bit tough for most of the fourth quarter against a stacked box but you can only keep Taylor down for so long. As a team, the Colts averaged 5.8 yards per carry.

  • Takeaways were key. Matthew Adams blocked a punt and E.J. Speed scooped it up for a touchdown. Darius Leonard had a crucial interception in the red zone just before the end of the first half. Bobby Okereke made an incredible diving interception on the first drive of the second half.

  • It was a tough and physical game for the most part but the Colts wound up winning through the trenches. They were physical in the run game and forced the Patriots to abandon their rushing attack as well.

  • The Colts were atrocious on third down, converting just 2-of-10 attempts. However, they converted all three of their fourth-down attempts—all of which came via the sneak.

  • The Patriots committed eight penalties as a team, some of which came at crucial points in their drives.

3 Stars of the game

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

  1. RB Jonathan Taylor: 29 carries, 170 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

  2. LB Darius Leonard: 10 tackles (eight solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 QB hit

  3. HC Frank Reich: He out-coached Bill Belichick, was aggressive all game and wisely moved away from Carson Wentz given the latter’s struggles. It was just another game that proves Reich is the right coach for this team.

Injuries

AP Photo/Aaron Doster

What's next?

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts hit the road for a matchup on Christmas against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 25 at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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