6 rings: 3 matchups to watch in Patriots vs. Colts in Germany
Despite a 2-7 record and plenty more questions than answers surrounding the team, the Patriots have to pick themselves up by their bootstraps as they head to Germany for their 9:00 a.m. EST kickoff against the Colts.
As we do every week both here at WEEI.com and on the 6 Rings and Football Things podcast, here are three crucial clashes to keep an eye on in Frankfurt
- Mac Jones vs. the Colts ‘big three’ on defense
During Bill Belichick’s Wednesday morning press conference and run down of the Indianapolis Colts, he mentioned their “big three” on defense. I’m going to assume that means:
- LB Zaire Franklin
- LB Shaq Leonard
- DT DeForest Buckner
Franklin, a sixth-year NFL veteran and a seventh round pick in 2018, leads the NFL in tackles this season with 102 and Leonard, the most decorated player on the Colts roster, was the 2018 Defensive Rookie of the Year and also has three First Team All-Pro nods under his belt at the lineback position.
DeForest Buckner, meanwhile, was the seventh overall pick by the 49ers in the 2018 Draft, playing two seasons in San Francisco before being traded to the Colts for their first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was named a first team All-Pro following his first season in Indianapolis and has paced their defense in sacks ever since.
All of this being said, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones will have his work cut out for him on Sunday in Germany. The third-year signal caller has been, by no means, perfect this season, but he has shown an awareness for opposing defenses and making the correct reads pre and post-snap. The results just haven’t been there. Here’s what Jones said about the Colts defense he’ll face this weekend:
“They’ve got good players. Obviously played against them, this will be my third time in a row. We played them decently well last year and I feel like they have good players at each level, right? Coach Bradley does a good job and they’re very sound, fundamentally and they’ve been bringing some more pressures and things like that, so. It looks like a good defense on film and they’re very sound so we have to bring our A-game and really just focus on what we can control.”
With SI’s Albert Breer reporting that some of Jones’ decision making is “infuriating” those in the building, it seems the quarterback has some work to do, against a good defense, to gain some trust back from teammates and coaches.
- Gardner Minshew vs. Patriots’ defense, defensive coaching staff
For years, the narrative surrounding head coach Bill Belichick is that he always has the answers to the test against a young, inexperienced quarterback. That narrative, however, has faltered over the last few seasons as signal callers such as a rookie Deshaun Watson, Drew Lock, and most recently Sam Howell have come into Foxborough and defeated his New England Patriots.
On Sunday in Frankfurt, his defense will lineup against Gardner Minshew and while (already) a fifth-year NFL veteran, has started just 29 games in his career as a journeyman backup with a 10-19 record at the helm.
While, statistically, he’s performed as a top-32 guy with a 52-20 touchdown-to-interception ratio, Minshew failed to hang onto the Jaguars starting quarterback job after they drafted Trevor Lawrence first overall in 2021 and was then traded to the Philadelphia Eagles to backup Jalen Hurts. When then-Philly OC Shane Steichen took the Colts head coaching job, Minshew signed a one-year deal to follow him to Indianapolis and backup rookie Anthony Richardson.
The QB has started the last five games after Richardson went down with a season-ending shouler injury and will man the offense for the rest of the campaign.
With the Patriots’ defense now not having J.C. Jackson this weekend due to “questions about his reliability”, the rest of the already struggling unit will have to dig deep this weekend to not get put down by a middling quarterback once again.
- Jonathan Taylor/Zack Moss vs. Patriots run defense
The Colts all of a sudden have a two-headed monster in their backfield by the name(s) of Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss.
Taylor, put together a dominant 2021 season in Indianapolis, rushing for a league-high 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns over 17 games resulting in a First-Team All-Pro selection and his first and only Pro Bowl nod. The running back then held out to start the 2023 season, requested a trade, and was placed on the physically unable to perform list (missing the first four games) before ultimately signing a three-year, $42 million contract extension with the team.
In the meantime, Indy had to turn the rushing reigns over to backup Zack Moss, and he did so admirably. Even with Taylor now back in the lineup, Moss has paced not only the Colts’ running game, but the entire leagues. His 615 yards on the ground are second to only 49ers Christian McCaffery. Pretty good company.
The Patriots’ defense is just outside of the top-10 in terms of rushing yards allowed this season, letting up just over 100 yards per game in 2023. While safety Jabrill Peppers owns the NFL’s highest run defense grade (93.0) according to Pro Football Focus, the unit as a whole has let up a hefty handful of long runs and has displayed plenty of poor tackling throughout the campaign.
The last time New England’s defense played against Jonathan Taylor, the back rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. They’ll look to significantly mitigate that in Frankfurt.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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