The Patriots are at home this week against a struggling Indianapolis Colts who have lost their previous 2 games heading into Sunday and have not won a game by more than 7 points all year. For all the Quarterbacks struggles the Patriots seemed to have been in this year the Colts have had problems as bad, as they will start 3rd year QB Sam Ehlinger this Sunday in his second ever start.
After last week's impressive performance against the red hot Jets in New Jersey, the Patriots are looking to carry that momentum into a statement win against the Colts. On paper, the Patriots matchup well against the Colts especially when it comes to stopping the Colts' offense. The Colts rely on their running game behind their very talented and physical offensive line and superstar running back Jonathan Taylor. Great news for Patriots fans, Taylor has missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday meaning his participation on Sunday is doubtful. The Patriots are set up to make good running teams have to pass the ball, which will turn ugly for the Colts quickly with their new signal caller.
On the other side of the ball, Mac Jones has made it clear to everyone that he will be the starter in New England for the foreseeable future. He had a good-not-great game against the Jets but was able to stay focused and keep driving his team down the field. This week may be a bit tougher, as the Colts actually have one of the best defenses in the league this year ranking 8th in passing yards per game allowed and total points per game allowed. The Colts are much more average in their run defense as they allow 120 yards per game, so look for Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris to see a lot of carries.
Indy is 3-4-1 this year and after losing their last two matchups to the Titans and Commanders, may be throwing in the towel early this season. With the announcement that Sam Ehlinger will start for the rest of the season in place of Matt Ryan, the Colts are sending a clear message that they want to play games safe and not take risks. The Patriots defense should be able to easily handle that game plan and limit any big plays the Colts may attempt.
This game has another over/under sitting relatively low at 40.5 at the time of this article. With the Patriots still having offensive struggles getting the ball in the end zone, and the Colts on the verge of getting shutout from every aspect offensively, look for the under to hit this week in our pick of the week. This game will likely look a lot like last week's win in the Meadowlands as the Patriots scored several field goals and limited the Jets to a very quiet second half. If Jonathan Taylor does play this week that may even the tides for these teams but sources are saying that that will be a longshot.
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-Z.D.
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