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Winners and losers from Patriots’ embarrassing loss against the Colts

isaiah houde
·3 min read
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Momentum was not on the New England Patriots’ side in the embarrassing 27-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15.

Jonathan Taylor and the Colts controlled the clock and dominated in every facet of the game from the beginning. Taylor and Nyheim Hines manufactured an eight-play, 78-yard drive in the second drive of the night that showed a glimpse of what was to come.

On the Patriots’ ensuing drive, the Colts blocked a punt for a touchdown and that was the moment the game ended. Taylor eventually ended the game as he gashed the Patriots in the final two minutes with a 67-yard score.

The Patriots, now 9-5, will likely use this game to feed the underdog mentality they’ve carried throughout the season. There wasn’t many positive takeaways from the game, but here’s the winners and losers from New England.

LOSER: QB Mac Jones

Mac Jones dealt with some rookie pains, as Julian Edelman stated.

The rookie left points on the board at the end of the first half after throwing the first red zone interception of his career. The Patriots were down 17-0 and had a chance to score and close the gap, knowing they were getting the ball at halftime. They didn’t score, and then Jones followed that interception up with another pick in the opening drive of the second half.

He had a huge fourth quarter and did show some resolve, but it wasn’t enough to make up for his early mistakes. Jones finished the night throwing 26 of 45 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. In a way, it was promising to see Jones’ ability to overcome a hostile environment and put his team in position to win.

LOSER: FB Jakob Johson

Jakob Johnson’s inability to hold a block led the punt mishap in the first quarter. This was the play that broke the game open and the Patriots struggled to gain back any momentum after it.

WINNER: TE Hunter Henry

Henry continues to prove why he’s the Patriots’ most reliable pass-catcher and the best red zone target.

He finished the game with six receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns, one of which closed the gap on a third-and-6 play in the fourth quarter. Without Henry on this team, the Patriots would miss out on a lot of touchdowns in the red area.

LOSER: Offensive line

Including the blocked punt, the Patriots’ offensive line struggled the entire night.

The Colts, despite only having one sack, applied pressure most of the night and the offensive line had numerous back-breaking penalties. Michael Onwenu’s penalty on the two-yard line in the fourth quarter was one of the most impactful ones. The Patriots instead kicked a field goal and the score was 20-10 instead of the 20-14 that it could’ve been.

The Patriots missed Damien Harris, but Rhamondre Stevenson was only able to pick up 36 rushing yards — with 81 collectively from the team. The Colts entered the game as the No. 16 rushing defense and the Patriots weren’t able to cling on to the thing that led them to the seven-game winning streak.

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