New England Patriots: Week 9 not so bold prediction vs Colts
The 4-4 New England Patriots, last in the AFC East, play the 3-4-1 Indianapolis Colts, second in the AFC South, Sunday at Foxborough. The Patriots will try to climb above .500 before their bye week. No question, that would be a good way to settle into the vacation. The question is, can they?
The Patriots took out the revivified New York Jets away last Sunday in a solid if not spectacular win. They could have put the game away early but settled for field goals rather than touchdowns, limiting their point production. It’s a limitation that could prove costly if it continues.
Quarterback Mac Jones stepped into the starting role again and was adequate if not really firing on all cylinders. This space had advocated for Bailey Zappe to start against the Jets but Mac performed well enough, if unspectacularly.
Expect Jones to again be at the helm and Pats fans will see if he can start to elevate his game to what was expected of the young quarterback before the season began. His first games have been less than impressive.
Unfortunately, the Patriots did nothing at the trade deadline at all to improve. Nothing. It’s a poor expression of intent, at best.
Nonetheless, let’s take a look at who will emerge with a win this Sunday at Foxborough.
The New England Patriots need to play mistake-free ball
There’s no secret that whoever makes the fewest mistakes has a good chance to win on any given Sunday in the NFL. Turnovers are poison to winning football games. Make too many and you lose, simple as that.
It’s therefore incumbent on the Patriots to limit turnovers against the Colts, to preferably none. That’s on Jones and company to protect the ball at all cost. Allowing six sacks as last week isn’t exactly the way to do that. David Andrews and Marcus Cannon being ruled out Sunday won’t help matters much, though Cannon has been anything but stellar in his return to New England.
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Regardless, it will be on Jones, his offensive line, emerging star running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and the ever-solid (yet, still unsigned) wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to get the Pats on the board.
In addition, it will be incumbent upon the Patriots’ defense, hopefully with major asset Christian Barmore back (he’s questionable) to snuff out the Colts’ offense which will be without their two best offensive players, quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Jonathan Taylor.
The Pats will face quarterback Sam Ehlinger who will lead the Colts’ offense. Here’s a comment about last week’s game from si.com,
"Out was Matt Ryan, the 15-year, former NFL MVP who struggled in seven games to start the year. In was Sam Ehlinger, a sixth-round pick out of Texas in 2021 who had yet to make his first career NFL start. That time would come this past weekend as the Colts took on the Washington Commanders.Unfortunately, the Colts could not get the victory in Ehlinger’s first career start, falling to the Commanders 17-16. It was not for lack of trying on Ehlinger’s part, as the young quarterback went 17-of-23 (74%) for 201 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a QB rating of 100.1."
Those are not bad stat lines for a young quarterback. Sackman Matt Judon and Barmore if he’s ready to go should provide ample pressure on Ehlinger along with the surprising Dietrich Wise Jr who’s having a nice year thus far.
New England Patriots: prediction vs. the Colts
With this brief overview in mind and the New England Patriots playing at home, it’s not a difficult decision to predict a New England win Sunday. There’s a lot riding on the game for New England.
Next. Patriots on to Indianapolis: Keys to stampeding Colts in Week 9. dark
They need to keep pace with the three teams ahead of them in the ultra-competitive AFC East. They also have to achieve some consistency on offense. They can’t always rely on the field goals of super-underappreciated Nick Folk to win them games.
It’s time for Jones to throw for some touchdowns or step aside for Zappe. There’s no entitlement in the NFL, none. A win keeps the Pats in contention for a Wild Card playoff berth. A loss won’t help at all. Yet, the call here is an easy one, New England wins, by a score of about 31-17.