Following the Browns-Raiders matching being postponed to Monday, Patriots-Colts is the only game Saturday and it should be a good one.
Both teams are in the playoff picture, playing their best football of the season and coming off bye weeks.
New England needs to win to keep pace with Kansas City at the top of the conference, while as the current No. 6 seed, Indianapolis needs all the wins it can get over the last four weeks.
The Patriots come into the game winners of eight straight against the Colts. Their last loss came all the way back in 2009.
In terms of injuries, the Patriots will be without Damien Harris, who was downgraded to out Friday with a hamstring injury.
Patriots vs. Colts
Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021
8:20 p.m., NFL Network
Colts -2.5, over/under 45.5
3 keys to the game
Take care of the football
A big part of the Patriots’ seven-game win streak has been taking care of the football, but that will be tested Saturday night. The Colts have forced the most turnovers in the league (29), including 14 fumble recoveries, also the most in the NFL. With Harris out, Rhamondre Stevenson will be the featured back and he was made inactive early in the year for a fumble, so this is certainly something to keep an eye on. Whichever team wins the turnover battle will likely win this game.
Big Mac Jones game?
This will be interesting, as the Colts have come out and said they want to put the game on the shoulders of Mac Jones, forcing the Patriots to be one-dimensional. Will New England spread the field and allow Jones to throw the ball upwards of 35 times, or will it stick to what it is as an offense, ride the offensive line and still run the ball? It will be interesting to see how Jones performs if he does throw it that much because this is a very good Colts defense, and the passing game hasn’t been tested all that much over this win streak.
Patriots run defense legit?
The stats say the Patriots run defense is ranked 18th in the NFL and has had some bad performances, including allowing 270 yards to the Titans a few weeks ago. The Colts obviously have the best healthy running back in the game in Jonathan Taylor and a veteran offensive line. This is a statement game for the Patriots’ front-seven to prove that they can have some success against a good rushing team.
Fun Facts
1. The Colts have scored the most points per game in the NFL since Week 7 (32.1), while the Patriots have allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL since Week 7 (10.4).
2. With a win, the Patriots will improve to 7-0 on the road this season. They have finished undefeated on the road just twice in franchise history (2007 and 2016). After this week, the only remaining road game is at Miami the final week of the season.
3. If the Patriots score at least 30 points they will set an NFL record for the most consecutive games scoring 30 points against an opponent. They currently have done it in nine straight games.
4. The Patriots are outscoring their opponents 118-35 in the fourth quarter, the best point differential in the league.
5. Matthew Judon needs one more sack for most sacks in a season by a Patriots player under Bill Belichick. He currently has 12.5 and is tied with Chandler Jones and Mike Vrabel.
Prediction (Personal season record: 8-5)
Colts 27, Patriots 21
Indianapolis is a very good team and have excelled in the first quarter. This means it has been playing games on its terms, and if that happens it be bad news for the Patriots. They have only trailed twice in their last five games and are not used to playing from behind. It just seems like a bad spot for the Patriots and they are due for a loss.
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