New England Patriots tackle Trent Brown says the Indianapolis Colts are playing at a level that far exceeds their record: 7-6.
The Patriots are well-aware of how a record can be deceiving. Just before they ripped off a seven-game winning streak, they were 2-4. But they repeated the message that it didn’t represent who they were as a team. So it makes sense that New England is willing to look past Indy’s mediocre record. It helps, too, that the Colts have played three consecutive good games, with blowout wins over the Bills and the Texans and a narrow loss to the Buccaneers.
“When you turn them on whenever they play, you’d think they’ve got an undefeated football team,” Brown told reporters on Tuesday.
Trent Brown says the Colts record (7-6) isn’t a great indicator of how good they actually are: “When you turn them on whenever they play, you’d think they’ve got an undefeated football team.” pic.twitter.com/WXEi3Sgy4g
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) December 14, 2021
Here’s a quick look a where the Colts rank statistically around the NFL.
Offensive points per game: 28.5 (3rd)
Offensive yards per game: 368.1 (11th)
Defensive points per game allowed: 21.8 (9th)
Defensive yards allowed per game: 342.1 (13th)
Indy is better at defending the pass (12 fewest passing yards per game allowed) than it is at defending the run (17th fewest).
The Patriots defense, which ranks at No. 1 in points allowed per game, will have its hand full with the Colts offense, led by running back Jonathan Taylor. And then New England’s offense, which has thrown the ball 40 times in a game and run the ball 40 times in a game, could go any way with their game plan for Sunday. But it’ll probably start with the run game, which — by the way — the Colts say they’re planning on focusing their efforts on stopping.
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