Dopey Report Card -- Colts vs. Patriots

They got out-gained by 169 yards and were offensively punchless for 55 minutes. But the Colts won because they made clutch plays on the game-winning drive, and because Steichen has onions.

RUN OFFENSE

After two unproductive games, Jonathan Taylor and a rebuilt offensive line got it going Sunday. Too often this season, Shane Steichen has made Taylor disappear, especially in the second halves of games. Not an issue Sunday. He committed to his running back early and late. Taylor rushed 25 times for 96 yards, and while the yards-per-carry average was humble, it kept the Colts out of consistent third-and-long situations. We also saw what it might look like with both Taylor and Anthony Richardson unleashed, at least a little bit. AR went for 48 yards on nine carries, and his outside zone run in the red zone might be an unstoppable as Philly’s Tush Push. The big story, though, was the work of the offensive line, which was missing Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and Braden Smith. Give great credit to their replacements, Danny Pinter, Mark Glowinski and Matt Goncalves. On another note, Taylor passed Marshall Faulk for third-most rushing yards in team history.

Grade: B

RUN DEFENSE

Oh, boy. The Patriots, 31^st in the league in scoring and last in yards, rolled up an insane 200 rushing yards on 31 carries, a 6.5 yard-per-carry average. Rhamondre Stevenson had 73, Antonio Gibson had 62 and quarterback Drake Maye, who looks like the real deal for the Patriots, scrambled for an additional 59 as Indy too often let him out of the well, as the football people like to say. The Colts now rank 31^st in rushing yards allowed this season (1,911), ahead of the Carolina Panthers at 2,002. How can that be with DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart anchoring the middle of the defensive line and Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed at linebacker? Make it make sense. The only positive was the Colts held the Patriots to 2-of-6 in the red zone. Of course, the Pats helped a lot in that area with holding penalties that set them back.

Grade: F

PASS OFFENSE

Quiet game from Richardson and his receivers in the passing game. The best thing we can say is the Colts did not allow a sack for the second straight week, which is…something, I guess. Michael Pittman Jr. had five catches, but that was about it on the outside. Alec Pierce made the massive catch on the fourth-and-ballgame play that pulled the Colts within a point with 12 seconds left. Another drop by AD Mitchell. Another drop by Kylen Granson. What’s new? That said, when it counted, Indy made plays, specifically on the late drive when they converted three fourth-down plays. The final, 19-play, 80-yard drive was a grinder, but it was effective. You can slam Richardson all you want, but the young man is proving himself to be a winner who maintains his poise in clutch moments.

Grade: D+

PASS DEFENSE

All season, the Colts have been worked over by tight ends catching passes over the middle. It was no different Sunday with Hunter Henry catching seven passes for 75 yards and Austin Hooper finishing with four catches for 42 yards. Once again, the Colts made an ordinary quarterback look like Dan Marino, Maye completing 24-of-30 passes for 238 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a 96.9 quarterback rating. The Colts did have four sacks, including one by Buckner, who added six tackles and a tackle for loss. Speed had nine tackles and a tackle for loss; his streak of 18 games with six tackles or more is the longest active streak in the league. Still, it’s hard to wrap your arms around this Gus Bradley defense. If he’s back next year, I’ll be shocked. This has been a lousy defense for the last three years. What else do they need to see?

Grade: D

COACHING

He went for two. That’s all you need to know. Ballsy, and smart. The Colts put together a 19-play, 80-yard drive to pull within a point, so Steichen knew the Patriots’ defense would be fatigued. I also feel like the Colts head coach has begun to figure out the best ways to use Richardson, especially in the run game. Pre-benching, that wasn’t the case.

Grade: A-

INTANGIBLES

They should have lost; they were outgained 422-253. The Patriots reached the red zone six times but came away with just two touchdowns. Kicker Joey Slye missed a short kick that would have embarrassed one of those college students Pat McAfee pulls from the crowd to kick an extra point on GameDay. But they won. In Foxboro, a place where they haven’t won since 2006. Hard to imagine the Colts are still in the wildcard race at 6-7, but this is the NFL, where parity reigns. Now comes the bye, followed by the Colts’ most important game of the season, at Denver, two weeks from now.

Grade: B