Insider: Colts defense just good enough to make up for Gardner Minshew in win over Patriots

FRANKFURT, Germany — A rivalry that used to be defined by quarterback play instead turned into a defensive showcase in front of an international crowd at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday.

The Colts made more big plays defensively, knocking off the Patriots 10-6 to get back to 5-5 and put themselves firmly back in the AFC playoff race.

Dayo Odeyingbo makes Patriots one-dimensional early, Julian Blackmon makes them pay late

An Indianapolis defensive line that has long needed somebody to step up outside of DeForest Buckner, made its presence felt in the pass rush almost right away, and the big plays came from Buckner’s running mate on the inside, third-year pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo.

Odeyingbo — who got an assist from Buckner’s consistent early pressure — sacked Mac Jones three times in the first half, repeatedly putting New England behind the chains, and as the half wore on, the Patriots quarterback didn’t have any more time in the pocket.

Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye, who both left the game briefly with injuries in the first half, each recorded sacks at the end of the half, and Indianapolis finished the game with nine quarterback hits despite a run-heavy game plan by New England.

Jones completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards, but the pass rush’s effects paid dividends in key situations. Inside the red zone, the New England quarterback missed badly on two chances that would have given the Patriots the lead in the second half.

Colts strong safety Julian Blackmon wasn’t in great coverage on either play, but Jones threw it to his hands twice.

Blackmon dropped the first pick in the end zone, holding New England to a field goal.

When Jones underthrew a wobbly floater of a ball into Blackmon’s chest on the next series, though, he didn’t miss, taking away New England’s best scoring chance on a day when scoring opportunities were almost impossible to convert.

Rodney Thomas II picked off Bailey Zappe on the final series, clinching the win.

Gardner Minshew can’t make Patriots pay, but Colts receivers did just enough

The blueprint against the Colts offense is simple, and it’s obvious.

Stack the line of scrimmage to slow down Jonathan Taylor, who rushed 23 times for 69 yards against a New England front clearly focused on slowing down the Indianapolis star. Dare quarterback Gardner Minshew to make throws.

Minshew hasn’t been able to take advantage.

When he’s let it rip downfield, the way he did against Jacksonville, Minshew has thrown too many interceptions. When he’s been careful with it, the Colts haven’t been able to move the ball.

For most of Sunday’s game, Minshew was making the latter mistake. Facing a New England pass rush that produced zero sacks and one quarterback hit, Minshew repeatedly bailed out from the pocket or scrambled around in the back end, even though there were open receivers.

When Minshew did get completions on a day he finished 18 of 28 for 193 yards, it was often his receivers making the play.

Alec Pierce made a leaping, contested grab for a 21-yard gain, one of the team’s only explosive plays of the day. Michael Pittman Jr. fought off a Patriots defensive back for a 14-yard grab on a play when Minshew scrambled around, unable to see open receivers, before finally throwing one to Pittman.

Rookie Josh Downs, who was battling a knee injury coming into the game, made the biggest. Facing a third down deep in his own territory, Minshew scrambled around a clean pocket, unable to see an open Pierce, then lofted the ball downfield to an improvising Downs.

Downs laid out for a 28-yard catch, giving Indianapolis breathing room to get the clock down to the two-minute warning and put the pressure on a New England passing game that struggled as much as the Colts.

Patriots play bully ball

New England hasn’t thrown the ball well this season, limited by the mistakes of Jones and a wide receiving corps that lost leading receiver Kendrick Bourne to a season-ending knee injury and didn’t have DeVante Parker due to a concussion.

Making matters worse, the Patriots couldn’t block the interior of the Colts defensive line.

New England responded by abandoning the throwing game almost entirely, lining up and pounding the ball down the throats of a Colts defensive line that has missed nose tackle Grover Stewart during his suspension.

The strategy almost worked.

Patriots running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott bullied their way for a combined 28 carries for 132 yards, putting together a couple of long drives.

But the Colts interior was able to make key stops in the red zone and force field goal attempts. New England kicker Chad Ryland made two and missed one, allowing Indianapolis to hold the lead deep into the fourth quarter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Patriots: Defense allows Colts to hold on in Germany