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Let’s take a look back at the Colts vs Patriots Week 13 matchup with the best photos from Sunday.
Thanks to a final 19-play, 80-yard drive by Anthony Richardson, along with a successful two-point conversion attempt, the Indianapolis Colts escaped New England with a needed win in Week 13.
Let’s take a look back at this matchup with the best photos from Sunday’s game:
The Colts announced that they’ve brought back LB Liam Anderson, signing him to the practice squad as the team heads into the bye week.
Coming off of a Week 13 win over New England and now heading into the bye week, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they have signed linebacker Liam Anderson to the practice squad.
Anderson had spent the majority of this season on the Colts practice squad before being added to the 53-man roster in Week 11.
However, this past Saturday, prior to the team’s Week 13 matchup with the Patriots, Anderson was released from the active roster in order to make room for guard Atonio Mafi, who was signed from the practice squad to bolster the Colts’ interior offensive line depth as they navigated a few injuries.
The decision to release Anderson likely came down to numbers. As mentioned, the Colts found themselves thin along the interior offensive line, while Anderson was, at that time, one of six linebackers on the 53-man.
During Weeks 11 and 12, when active on game days, Anderson didn’t play any defensive snaps, but he did see 27 snaps on special teams, playing across three different phases.
After signing Mafi from the practice squad to the active roster, the Colts already had a practice squad opening–so a corresponding cut did not have to be made in order to make room for Anderson.
Anderson went undrafted in 2023 out of Holy Cross. He spent his rookie season with the Colts, mostly on the practice squad, but did appear in one game on special teams.
Let’s take a look at what PFF deemed as the best and worst performances from the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 13 win vs. the Patriots.
Pro Football Focus has now handed out their individual players’ grades following the Indianapolis Colts’ last-second win over the New England Patriots.
So, which players on offense and defense received the highest marks, and which players did not?
But before we fully dive into those numbers, I always want to point out that while PFF’s grades are helpful in quantifying a player’s performance, they are not the be-all-end-all when it comes to player evaluation. It is one of many metrics that are out there and should be treated as such.
Here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor
Below you will find which Colts’ players did not receiver high grades from PFF. However, if you would like a more optimistic outlook on the game, you can find a full breakdown of the Colts highest graded offensive players here, and their highest-graded defenders here.
PFF grade: 44.3
Over 36 offensive snaps, Mitchell had just two targets. Neither pass was caught and one of the incompletions was a crucial drop on the Colts’ final possession of the game.
PFF grade: 46.5
Overall, it was a rough showing for the Colts’ run defense as a whole, surrendering 200 yards on the ground to the Patriots. Of course, it’s a group effort when it comes to giving up that kind of yardage, but stat-wise, it was a quiet day in the middle for Stewart, who had one solo tackle.
PFF grade: 48.8
PFF did think that Granson held his own as a run-blocker in this game, with a positive grade of 70.1. But as a pass-catcher, he was targeted three times, had no receptions, and like Mitchell, had a crucial drop on the final possession.
Here are the three Indianapolis Colts’ defenders that received the highest PFF grades from the team’s Week 13 win.
Following the Indianapolis Colts last-second win in Week 13 over the New England Patriots, Pro Football Focus has had the opportunity to review the tape and hand out their individual player grades.
So, which members of the Colts’ defense received the highest marks?
But first, as always, we will begin with the caveat that, while PFF’s grades are helpful in how they can take a complicated thing like player evaluation and quantify it, they are not the be-all-end-all. These grades are one metric out of many that are out there.
However, having said that, typically if a player performs well, the PFF grade reflects that.
Here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor
To see who the Colts highest-graded players on offense were, click here.
PFF grade: 92.3
In his second game back since returning from IR, Lewis played 23 snaps as the the fourth member of the defensive end rotation in terms of playing time. Lewis didn’t record any pressures, but PFF through he was excellent against the run with a grade of 94.5, making four tackles, one of which was a stop. When it comes to playing defensive end, setting strong edges so the ball carrier can’t bounce outside is an important element when it comes to run defense that isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet.
PFF grade: 82.2
As he does, this was another all-around solid performance from Buckner. He got after the quarterback with three pressures and a sack, while in the run game, he was in on five tackles, four of which were stops. Another game with high impact plays from Buckner.
PFF grade: 76.1
The stat sheet was pretty light for Moore, but at the cornerback position, that’s often a good thing. He made two tackles and was targeted only once in the passing game, giving up a catch but for only eight yards.
Honorable Mentions
S Julian Blackmon: 72.2
LB Grant Stuard: 70.6
S Nick Cross: 67.9
Here are the three Colts players on offense that received the highest PFF grades from the team’s performance vs. the Patriots.
The Indianapolis Colts left New England with a victory in Week 13, thanks to an Anthony Richardson-led 19-play, 80-yard drive, along with a successful two-point conversion attempt.
Now that the dust has settled on this game, Pro Football Focus has had the chance to review the tape and handed out their individual player grades. So, which Colts’ players on offense received the highest marks?
Of course, the caveat to all of this is that while PFF’s grades are helpful by quantifying each player’s performance, it’s also important to keep in mind that this isn’t the be-all-end-all when it comes to player evaluation. But with that said, when a player performs well, the grade reflects that.
Here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor
PFF grade: 84.5
All three of the Colts’ tight ends played heavily in this game, which included Ogletree seeing 32 snaps. He caught 1-of-2 passes for a big 22 yard gain and PFF graded him out well as a run-blocker as well, where the Colts, as a unit, saw more success compared to previous games over the las month.
PFF grade: 82.9
Filling in at center, Pinter had a very good game. He allowed only one pressure in 28 pass-blocking snaps, and received high-marks as a run-blocker. Per PFF’s metrics, Taylor averaged over 5.0 yards per rush when running to either Pinter’s right or left.
PFF grade: 81.5
Raimann didn’t allow any pressures over his 28 pass-blocking snaps and had the fifth-best run-blocking grade out of any tackle in Week 13.
Honorable Mentions
LG Quenton Nelson: 79.6
QB Anthony Richardson: 79.3
RG Mark Glowinski: 67.8
Mark Glowinski got the start at right guard for the Colts vs the Patriots and provided the run game with a needed boost.
The Indianapolis Colts made a change to their starting lineup on Sunday, benching rookie Dalton Tucker and starting veteran Mark Glowinski, who was elevated from the practice squad the day prior.
Glowinski is an experienced player, coming into Sunday’s game with 124 appearances in his NFL career, nearly half of which came with the Colts from 2017-2021.
He had just joined the Colts’ practice squad less than two weeks earlier after not being on an NFL roster and provided some much-needed stability, specifically against the run, where Indianapolis was in need of that.
Glowinski was so-so in pass protection, allowing three pressures, but he was quite effective in the ground game, carving out running lanes for Jonathan Taylor.
According to PFF’s metrics, when running behind Glowinski, Taylor averaged 4.5 yards per rush on seven attempts in Sunday’s game.
Coming into this game, the Colts had struggled in the run game for the last month-plus. Since Week 9 against Minnesota, if we take away Jonathan Taylor’s 58-yard run against Buffalo, he was averaging only 2.9 yards per carry during that four-game stretch.
The trickle-down effect of a struggling run game is that the offense then falls behind the sticks, can become one-dimensional and pass-heavy, putting an added burden on the passing game.
However, against New England, that wasn’t the case. While the Colts’ passing game was disjointed and out of rhythm for much of the day, the run game gave them something to lean on, with Glowinski providing an upgrade at right guard.
Shane Steichen told reporters on Monday that there is a “good possibility” that Colts’ center Ryan Kelly returns after the bye week.
When meeting with reporters following Sunday’s win over New England, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that there is a “good possibility” that center Ryan Kelly could return from injured reserve coming out of the bye week.
Kelly was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury prior to the Colts’ Week 10 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Once a player is put on IR, they have to miss at least the next four weeks, so the Colts’ pivotal Week 14 matchup with Denver is the first game that Kelly is eligible to return to.
Without Kelly, the Colts turned to rookie Tanor Bortolini from Weeks 10-13. Overall this season when called upon, Bortolini has held his own, allowing seven pressures and no sacks on the year, ranking 14th in pass-blocking efficiency among all centers. By PFF’s run-blocking grade, Bortolini ranks 19th.
However, Bortolini entered concussion protocol after the Detroit game and missed this past Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots. So down both Kelly and Bortolini, the Colts turned to veteran Danny Pinter.
Pinter would surrender just one pressure on 28 pass-blocking snaps, and the combination of him and new starting right guard Mark Glowinski helped carve out running lanes to finally get the ground game going for Indianapolis–an element that has sorely been missing over the last month.
Prior to being placed on injured reserve, Kelly had surrendered one sack and seven pressures. By PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric, he ranked 15th among centers going into Week 10 and was 26th in run-blocking grade.
Consistency for this Colts’ offense as a whole down this final stretch of the season begins with more steady play along the offensive line, something we saw from this unit against the Patriots.
The Colts escaped Week 13 with a win, but what else happened around the AFC South on Sunday? Let’s take a look.
The Indianapolis Colts escaped New England with a win to improve to 6-7 on the season, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
But what else happened around the AFC South in Week 13? Let’s take a look.
Houston would face the Jaguars on the road and left Jacksonville with a 23-20 win following a late touchdown by the Jaguars.
After the late Jacksonville touchdown, the Texans got the ball back with 3:31 left in the game but never gave the ball back to the Jaguars, picking up the needed first downs and running out the clocks.
The usual one-two punch of Joe Mixon on the ground and Nico Collins through the air was again a powerful combo for the Houston offense. Mixon would rush for 101 yards, and Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards. CJ Stroud, meanwhile, was 22-of-34 passing for 242 yards and a score.
However, the score and outcome of this game isn’t what will be talked about. Instead it was the late hit by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on quarterback Trevor Lawrence as he sliding and giving himself up. The hit would knock Lawrence out of the game and Al-Shaair was ejected.
The Titans, after beating Houston last week, would fall back to earth in Week 13, losing at Washington 42-19.
Falling behind 21-0 quickly, forced the Titans to become one-dimensional, as they handed the ball off only nine times, and resulted in Will Levis throwing the ball 37 times. He would complete just 18 of those passes but for 212 yards and two touchdowns, but that imbalanced attack isn’t going to be a recipe for success most weeks.
The Washington offense, as the 42 points indicate, would do pretty much whatever they wanted, with quarterback Jayden Daniels putting together a very efficient performance while Brian Robinson rushed for 103 yards.
In Week 14, the Colts will be on their bye week while the Titans are at home taking on the Jaguars, with Houston at home against Miami.
AFC South Standings
Houston 8-5
Indianapolis 6-7
Tennessee 3-9
Jacksonville 2-10
The Colts still find themselves in the AFC playoff mix and will likely have their eyes on the Monday night game between the Browns and Broncos.
With their last second win on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts keep their playoff hopes alive and will likely be watching the Monday night matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos very closely.
Now at 6-7 on the season, the Colts still find themselves in the AFC playoff hunt. The current seventh seed in the AFC are the 7-5 Broncos.
The Browns are just 3-8 on the season and will be on the road for this game, but if they can win, dropping Denver to 7-6, the Colts will only be one game out of a playoff spot.
And guess what–coming out of the bye week, the Colts face the Broncos, who will be on an upcoming bye week as well.
All of a sudden, a win by the Colts in that game and they then hold the same record as the Broncos and have the head-to-head tie breaker over them.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, I’m getting ahead of myself–and certainly I am. There’s a lot of ifs in those scenarios. However, the Colts’ are still in the playoff mix, and the path to getting there is easier with a Broncos loss to the Browns on Monday night.
According to NFL.com, the Colts playoff odds at the moment sit at 31 percent, but those could increase heading into the bye week depending on the outcome of the Monday night game.
To preview this matchup between Denver and Cleveland, Jon Heath, the managing editor of Broncos Wire, has five things to watch for in tonight’s game.
Let’s take a look back at the Indianapolis Colts last second win over the Patriots with the good, bad and ugly of it all.
With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Indianapolis Colts escaped New England with a win on Sunday, thanks to a really impressive final drive from Anthony Richardson.
Now at 6-7 on the season, the Colts head into their bye week on a high note and still in the AFC playoff hunt.
However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look back at their performance against the Patriots with the good, bad, and ugly of it all.
The final drive: 80 yards and 19 plays later, Anthony Richardson found Alec Pierce for a touchdown. Richardson then pushed his way into the end zone to convert the two-point attempt, giving the Colts the lead. Richardson did a bit of everything on that drive for Indianapolis: he overcame dropped passes, converted fourth downs, carried the ball when needed, and, most importantly, played his best when the game and season were on the line. It wasn’t a great day for the passing game or the defense, but Richardson wiped all that away by taking control in the final minutes.
Run game: For over a month now, it had been tough sledding in the run game for Jonathan Taylor. However, a change at right guard, along with some nifty play-calling and motions from Shane Steichen from condensed formations–among other things–led to a turnaround on Sunday. Taylor carried the ball 25 times for 96 yards and Richardson was again a factor on the ground as well. While the passing game struggled, the run game gave the Colts’ offense something to lean on.
Red zone: This was the difference in the game. While the Patriots offense moved the ball with ease, visiting the Indianapolis red zone six times, they only left with touchdowns on two occasions, oftentimes due to their own self-inflicted mistakes rather than the Colts making plays. But nonetheless, the defense held New England to just 2-of-6 in the red zone, while the Indianapolis offense was an efficient 3-of-4.
Steichen going for two: I love the play call and aggressiveness. Even if the Colts had failed, I was a fan of the approach. Going to overtime was a huge risk, given how poorly the Colts defense was playing, and in short yardage situations, Indianapolis has the ultimate chess piece in Richardson.
Defending the Patriots tight ends: Leading up to the game, I wrote about how the New England tight ends could be an issue for the Colts. For one, Indianapolis has struggled to defend tight ends in the passing game this season. In addition to that, the duo of Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are featured heavily in the Patriots offense. This just wasn’t a good matchup for the Colts. The two tight ends would finish the game with 11 receptions for 117 yards and a score.
Colts’ passing game: The stat sheet last week didn’t do Richardson’s play justice at all. But this week, it was a more accurate representation of the struggles the passing offense had. Richardson’s decision-making took a step back and the timing and rhythm within the play that he had been playing with often wasn’t present.
Drops: Once again, drops were a major issue for the Colts, particularly when they occurred, taking place on that final possession. As was just described, Richardson wasn’t his best, but he again wasn’t getting a ton of help from those around him in the passing game.
The run defense: Basically the entire defensive performance was rough, but in my opinion, the troubles all started here, in a performance that looked quite similar to what we saw from this unit in Weeks 1 and 2 of this season. New England would rush for 200 yards as a team, averaging a whopping 6.5 yards per attempt with contributions from Drake Maye. Success on the ground for the offense creates a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of that unit, setting up manageable down-and-distances and opening up opportunities in the passing game. With a run game to lean on, the Patriots were extremely efficient on third downs as was Maye as a passer. Through four quarters, the Colts defense really had no answers.
