Coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, the now 5-7 Indianapolis Colts are back on the road for what is essentially a must-win game against the Patriots if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The game will be played at Gillet Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kickoff will be at 1:00 PM ET.
The matchup will be aired on CBS with a very familiar crew calling the game. Spero Dedes will provide the play-by-play, Adam Archuleta will provide the analysis, and Aditi Kinhabwala will be on the sidelines. This trio has already been on the call for several Colts’ games this season.
Despite what the stat sheet had shown, Sunday’s game against Detroit was another very encouraging performance from Anthony Richardson. He was again in command of the offense, making good decisions and often playing within the timing and rhythm of the play.
The issue for the Colts, however, was the play around him, with penalties, dropped passes and a struggling offensive line unit far too much for the Indianapolis offense to overcome, especially against a very good Lions team.
The Patriots offense will enter Sunday’s game ranked 31st in points per game with only 16.4, although rookie quarterback Drake Maye has often impressed this season, but there has been a lot on his plate with him averaging over 35 pass attempts in these last four games and turnovers have been an issue.
The New England defense, meanwhile, ranks 19th in points per game allowed, and has held up well against the run and ranks highly in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric.
Also very much of note for the Colts is that they could be without their top receiver Josh Downs in this game as he navigates a shoulder injury.