Key Areas to Watch in Colts vs. Patriots Showdown

The rivalry is back on.

That’s the phrase that Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard uttered the night New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spurned the Colts after verbally agreeing to become Indy’s next head coach. That was February 6, 2018.

Just five days later on February 11, 2018, the Colts announced Frank Reich as their head coach. And the rest is history.

Saturday night will mark the first time since that night that the Patriots will be traveling to Indianapolis. The Colts sit at 7-6 amid a fierce battle for an AFC Wild Card spot. The Patriots, on the other hand, are tied for the top seed in the AFC and looking to separate themselves.

With a playoff atmosphere expected at Lucas Oil Stadium, let’s take a look at the key areas to watch as the Colts try to get their revenge.

Keep Taylor Involved

One of the specialties of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is his ability to take away the opposing team’s best offensive player and make them beat them in other areas. For the Colts, that would be running back Jonathan Taylor.

It’s no secret what Taylor has meant to the Colts this year. His 1,348 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns both lead the league. His performance has even garnered some MVP consideration for the second-year back.

Belichick knows that the Colts will want to run the ball with Taylor and try to establish the ground game. It’s expected that the Patriots will dedicate extra resources to put a stop to Taylor and the run game.

The key will be keeping Taylor involved while still finding ways to be productive. Reich knows that when Taylor has the ball in his hands, good things are bound to happen.

“There is a balance. There is a pulse that you’ve got to take in the game – that can vary from game-to-game,” Reich said when asked about Taylor’s usage. “Some games you’re going to stay more patient. Some games we’re going to mix it up sooner. It depends on field position. It depends on how the defense is doing, the flow of the game. Those are all the intangibles that go into it that slide the scale one way or the other.”

While the Patriots will be trying to eliminate Taylor all night, expect the Colts to keep JT involved all evening.

Offensive Multiplicity

The Colts will obviously want to get the running game going with Taylor. However, how the Colts perform in the passing game may be just as important.

The Patriots are the third-best pass defense in the league, allowing only 195.5 yards a game through the air. Quarterback Carson Wentz knows that he’ll be in for a challenge Saturday night.

“It’s a good defense,” Wentz said this week. “Obviously, coached very well. Everyone knows that – for a very long time. They’re very specific I would say within each game and how they want to stop an opponent. For us, it will be, hey, come out early, let’s get a feel for what’s the flavor of the day? How are they trying to stop us? A lot of respect, a lot of respect. They’re super disciplined on defense and do a great job. So, we got our work cut out for us.”

While the Patriots’ pass defense has been outstanding, Wentz has had success against the league’s best pass defenses in 2021. Wentz has played four games against top 10 pass defenses in 2021, going 65-of-106 (61%) for 793 yards and seven touchdowns to two interceptions.

Wentz and the Colts’ passing game will need to play well if the Patriots are going to zone in on stopping Taylor. Two matchups to watch on the outside will be Michael Pittman Jr. vs. J.C. Jackson and T.Y. Hilton vs. Jalen Mills. Colts’ receivers will be counted on to win their matchups.

Confuse Mac Jones

A surprise to some this season has been the performance of Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones. While Jones was the fifth quarterback taken in the 2021 NFL draft, he has been the best of the bunch on the field. In 13 games, Jones has a 70.3% completion percentage, 2,869 yards, and 16 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

While Jones has played well and shown to be a very smart quarterback, he is still a rookie. Rookie quarterbacks can often be fooled by disguising defenses and giving different looks that haven’t been seen before.

The Colts’ defense has shown that they can execute this. Against the Buffalo Bills, the Colts routinely showed a particular defense pre-snap and switched to a different defensive look post-snap. This confused Bills quarterback Josh Allen, causing him to have one of his worst games of the year.

If the Colts can cause some confusion for Jones, it could lead to opportunities for this defense to add to their league-leading 29 forced turnovers. Look for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to implore this strategy on Saturday night.

Have thoughts on the key areas to the game for the Indianapolis Colts' matchup against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!

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