The Patriots are back on the right track following a much-needed divisional road win over the Jets last week.
New England’s defense once again turned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson into a turnover machine, while the offense was far from perfect but did enough to earn a 22-17 victory and snap New York’s four-game winning streak.
However, the long road back to the playoffs will get significantly more challenging. According to Football Outsiders, the Patriots have the ninth-hardest remaining strength of schedule, while other prognosticators say they’ve got the toughest remaining slate in the league.
With two games against the Bills and home tilts vs. Miami and the reigning AFC Champion Bengals, Sunday’s more mundane matchup against the Colts is a near-must-win at Gillette Stadium.
Although it’s a stretch to call an early November game at 4-4 a must-win, given that wins will be hard to come by after the bye week, it’s certainly a take-care-of-business week against an Indianapolis team in a transition period offensively. Over the last ten days, the Colts have pulled the plug on veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. The team acquired Ryan via trade this past offseason but has already turned to second-year QB Sam Ehlinger after a turbulent start to the season for the former Falcons star. Indy has also fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, traded receiving back Nyheim Hines to Buffalo at the deadline, and blew a nine-point fourth-quarter lead at home to the Commanders last Sunday.
To say Indy is in transition is putting it kindly, but that doesn’t mean the Patriots can sleep on a Colts team that controlled a 27-17 win over the Pats at Lucas Oil Stadium last season. Indianapolis led 20-0 heading into the fourth quarter before the Pats made it interesting late. The Colts handled the Patriots in all three phases and won despite a horrible performance by former quarterback Carson Wentz, who only needed to throw for 57 yards to get the W.
On paper, Indianapolis is a tough matchup for…
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