'Fire Bill Belichick!' Trending as Lifeless New England Patriots Lose 10-6 to Colts: Live Updates From Frankfurt
Ich bin ein ... New Englander.
The New England Patriots hoped a study abroad would cure their recent woes as they faced the Indianapolis Colts in a Sunday morning tilt ... but alas, even with coach Bill Belichick sitting on a very public hot seat, the Pats were lifeless in a 10-6 loss, dropping this once-proud franchise to an NFL-worst 2-8 ... and causing "Fire Bill!'' to immediately start trending on social media.
How did the Patriots get here over the course of the morning? Follow along for our blow-by-blow description of how they blew it ...
New England is looking to recover from a dreary loss at home to the Washington Commanders as pressure steadily mounts against its personnel to perform. They'll face an Indianapolis group that earned a spark last week in Carolina, as a 27-13 victory thrust them into the 11-team logjam for the three Wild Card spots. New England will put its perfect international record on the line on Sunday, as they are one of five teams to post a 3-0 mark away from American soil (the last being a 2017 win over the Houston Texans in Mexico City).
This will be the 84th all-time meeting between the Patriots and Colts with the former leading the all-time set 53-30 to date. The two teams have met in each of the past two seasons with New England forcing a split with a 26-3 triumph at Gillette Stadium last year.
Live updates will commence after kickoff ...
Pregame
NE INACTIVES: CB Alex Austin, LB Ja'Whaun Bentley, OT Trent Brown, QB Will Grier (emergency 3rd quarterback), WR DeVante Parker, DE Sam Roberts
IND INACTIVES: G Jack Anderson, CB Julius Brents, G Arlington Hambright, LB Cameron McGrone, TE Andrew Ogletree
GAME TIME WEATHER: 46 degrees, mostly cloudy, Wind Southeast 3 MPH, 3 percent chance precipitation (Retractable roof stadium)
1st Quarter
Indianapolis won the toss and elected to defer to the second half
Ty Montgomery takes the opening kickoff 22 yards to the New England 20 out of the end zone.
On third down, Mac Jones finds Mike Gesicki for 11 yards and the first first down of the game
Consecutive runs for Rhamondre Stevenson net 12 yards and a first down at the cusp of mid-field at the New England 46.
Consecutive touches for Ezekiel Elliott (a 19-yard reception and 9-yard carry) pick up first downs and push New England into Indianapolis territory
A six-yard run on 2nd-and-1 for Elliott picks up a first down and puts New England in the red zone on their first drive
Timeout for an injured player as Kwity Paye is down for Indianapolis. 2nd-and-6 for New England at the Indianapolis 14 with 9:42 left in the 1st.
Stevenson is stopped for no gain and Jones is the sack victim of Dayo Odeyingbo to end New England's offensive momentum.
FIELD GOAL PATRIOTS: Chad Ryland's 37-yard field goal is good. New England's 13-play drive is its longest opener of the year. 8:11 to go in the 1st, Patriots 3, Colts 0
Ryland's kickoff is a touchback. Colts take over at the 25.
Indianapolis picks up 30 yards on third down with a Gardner Minshew scramble before he finds Isaiah McKenzie.
Four consecutive Jonathan Taylor carries net 22 yards and put the Colts in the New England red zone.
Three more Taylor runs sets Indianapolis up at the Patriots' 10 initiating a goal-to-go situation.
Minshew finds Michael Pittman for 10 yards but is stopped short on a potential sneak at the 1, bringing up 4th-and-goal. Timeout for an injured player, New England LB Mack Wilson.
TOUCHDOWN COLTS Taylor's version: the final yard is secured by Taylor, who gives the Colts the lead. The Matt Gay extra point is good. 0:58 to go in the 1st, Colts 7, Patriots 3
Gay's ensuing kickoff is a touchback.
Stevenson earns a seven-yard reception and a two-yard carry. Patriots will have 3rd-and-1 upon returning for the second.
END OF THE 1ST: COLTS 7, PATRIOTS 3
2nd Quarter
A direct snap to Stevenson gets three yards and the New England first down.
Hunter Henry fumbles a four-yard pass from Jones but the ball is recovered by David Andrews
Another New England drive ends via sack, as Jones is taken down by Odeyingbo again. New England will punt.
Baringer's punt goes 49 yards to the Colts' 13, where McKenzie fair catches. 12:33 left in the half.
Three consecutive Minshew incompletions will lead to a punt.
Rigoberto Sanchez's punt goes 69 yards after a bounce is downed at the New England 18 after the Patriots did not put a returner back. 12:03 left in the second.
Jones goes down a third time as Odeyingbo gets to him yet again
The Patriots get 12 of the 14 yards back, 11 on a pass to Gesicki, but they will punt.
Baringer's boot goes 57 yards to the Colts' 18. McKenzie returns it 11 yards to the 29. 10:10 left in the half.
On 3rd-and-1, Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings stuff Taylor for no gain. Sanchez's punt is fair caught by Demario Douglas at his own 20. 8:20 left in the second.
Demario Douglas gets the Patriots seven yards but another sack, this one for Tyquan Lewis forces yet another three-and-out/punt.
Baringer's 79-yard kick goes into the end zone for a touchback. Indianapolis at the 20 with 6:28 left in the period.
The Colts break the streak of three-and-outs with a 21-yard hook-up between Minshew and Alec Pierce.
A four-yard Taylor run and nine-yard pass to Pittman puts the Colts in Indianapolis territory.
A third-down incompletion yields the first penalty of the day, as Will Fries was an ineligible man downfield. New England accepts the penalty, and the down is replayed at their 43. 3rd-and-7.
The gambit pays off as Minshew's pass falls incomplete. Sanchez's punt goes out of bounds after 30 yards. New England at its own 13 with 3:34 left in the half.
Jones finds Douglas and Henry for a combined 15, breaking New England's own three-and-out streak.
New England is flagged for the first time today, a false start on JuJu Smith-Schuster.
An eight-yard dash for Jones leads into the two-minute warning.
The Patriots get four more yards on a Stevenson carry but Jones is brought down by Paye for no gain. Indianapolis takes its first timeout with the fourth down looming with 1:18 left in the half.
A 65-yard punt for Baringer is a touchback. Colts at the 20 with 1:10 to go.
In the hurry-up after a four-yard Taylor gain, Minshew finds Pittman for 14. He gets out of bounds with 41 seconds left.
New England charged a five-yard penalty, defensive holding against Shaun Wade. Colts move to their 43.
Minshew finds Taylor for six yards on 3rd-and-10. Timeout Indianapolis, its second, with 11 seconds remaining.
Patriots call their first timeout as Indianapolis plans to go for it.
Minshew finds Josh Downs for a 12-yard gain and a first down to the New England 39. The Colts call their final timeout.
A 57-yard field goal try for Matt Gay, one that closes the half is no good. Indianapolis will begin the second half with the ball.
HALFTIME: COLTS 7, PATRIOTS 3
3rd Quarter
Ryland's opening kickoff goes for a touchback.
After a four-yard run for Taylor, Minshew finds Pittman for 14, the first first down of the second half.
On the ensuing first down at the 43, Minshew finds Pittman for 29, but the latter is called for offensive pass interference. 10-yard penalty.
Minshew's pass is intercepted by Myles Bryant at the New England 42 and he takes it eight yards to midfield. New England takes over at the 50 with 12:35 remaining in the third.
New England takes advantage of the turnover, as Elliott musters 14 yards on two carries to press forward into enemy territory and pick up a fresh set of downs.
A 10-yard gain for Stevenson sets up another first down at the Indianapolis 24.
Stevenson picks up seven more yards but Jones' pass to him falls incomplete, setting up a three-yard fourth down at the Colts' 17.
The Patriots opt to kick, but Ryland's field goal is no good, as it falls wide right. Colts takeover, 8:38 to go in the third.
On a two-yard pass to McKenzie, the Colts pick up 15 more yards when Jahlani Tavai is flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Indianapolis gets to the New England 49 but punts. Sanchez's boot goes 43 yards and is downed at the 6, where New England takes over with 5:48 remaining.
A couple of Stevenson carries get the drive started, totally 17 yards to get the Patriots out of the shadow of their own end zone.
After two more Stevenson carries set up 3rd-and-1, Conor McDermott is flagged for a false start.
Jones finds Smith-Schuster for nine yards on the lengthened third down, and the drive stays alive.
Stevenson and Elliott carries put the Patriots at midfeld and grant them another set of downs.
Jones goes on the run and picks up 15 yards, setting up another first down, this one in Indianapolis territory.
Two more rushes, nine for Elliott and two for Jones, close out the third quarter. New England has 1st-and-10 at the Colts' 24 when the fourth opens.
END OF THE 3RD: COLTS 7, PATRIOTS 3
4th Quarter
The Patriots get in the red zone on a 15-yard pass from Jones to Elliott, which goes to the 9.
After Elliott gets four more and is stopped for no gain, Jones' would-be touchdown pass fails to find Hunter Henry. New England has fourth-and-goal at the Colts' 5.
FIELD GOAL PATRIOTS: This time Ryland nails it, scoring on a 24-yarder to narrow the gap to one. 12:44 to go in the 4th, Colts 7, Patriots 6
Ryland's kickoff is caught by McKenzie at his 6 and he races back 41 yards. Indianapolis takes over at its own 47.
On a three-yard third down, Pittman picks up 14 yards and gets the Colts to the Patriots' 32.
After a four-yard Taylor rush, Minshew and McKenzie lose five before an incomplete pass brings up fourth down at the New England 33. Timeout for an injured player, New England's Christian Barmore.
FIELD GOAL COLTS: Gay successfully converts a 51-yard field goal, countering the Patriots' triple and re-establishing a lead beyond three. 8:54 to go in the 4th, Colts 10, Patriots 6
The ensuing Gay kickoff is a touchback.
Kayshon Boutte earns his first NFL reception at 11 yards and 15 more are added with an unnecessary roughness penalty against Zaire Franklin.
Elliott picks up 18 yards but an illegal Smith-Schuster shift renders the play null-and-void.
On a nine-yard pass to Douglas, McDermott is injured. 3rd-and-6 for New England at the Indianapolis 45 with 7:45 to go in regulation.
Needing 6, the Patriots get 21 on a reception for Douglas, who takes it to the Indianapolis 24 before he's taken out of bounds.
On 3rd-and-5 from the 19, Stevenson earns six with a carry up the middle. Fresh set of downs for New England at the Colts' 13.
A Jones pass intended for Gesicki is intercepted by Julian Blackmon at the 2, ending the potential scoring drive. Blackmon gets back to the 5, where the Colts take over with 4:16 remaining.
Two Taylor carries net nine yards. But a false start against Wesley French pushes them back five.
Minshew converts the third down with a 28-yard pass to Downs. New England calls its first timeout with 2:38 remaining.
Back in the game, Barmore brings down Minshew for a three-yard loss. Timeout No. 2 for New England at 2:35.
Taylor gets two back before he's taken down by Devon Godchaux. Third and final timeout for New England at 2:30.
A nine-yard pass from Minshew to Pittman leads the game into the last two-minute warning. 4th-and-2 for the Colts at their own 46.
The Colts opt to punt and Sanchez's boot goes out of bounds at the New England 14.
Bailey Zappe has entered the game for the Patriots. His first pass goes five yards to Stevenson.
Zappe finds Henry for 11 yards to the 30.
After consecutive incompletions, Zappe finds Douglas for nine. 4th-and-1 at the 39.
Stevenson gets the one yard necessary but the clock dips under a minute.
Zappe's pass is intercepted by Rodney Thomas, effectively ending the game. Indianapolis will get to kneel it out as the Patriots have no timeouts left.
Minshew kneels, ending the game.
FINAL: COLTS 10, PATRIOTS 6
