Patriots-Colts Live Blog: Pats Improve To 8-2 With 42-20 Win Over Colts
BOSTON (CBS) -- The 7-2 New England Patriots look to keep their win streak going Sunday night in Indianapolis. Follow along for all the updates throughout the game!
Final: Patriots 42, Colts 20
That's all she wrote, as Jonas Gray and the Patriots run all over the Indianapolis Colts and improve to 8-2 on the season with a 42-20 win.
Gray ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries. In all, the Patriots ran for 244 yards.
Stick with CBSBostonsports.com throughout the night as we break this one down. You can also catch Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's press conferences live on Patriots 5th Quarter on WBZ-TV, and 98.5 The Sports Hub will take you well into the night with three hours of postgame coverage.
4th Quarter, 1:45: The Patriots are taking the victory formation for the rest of this one. A very convincing road win for the Patriots.
4th Quarter, 2:28: Cameron Fleming just limped off the field. He was a big part of the success the offensive line had in blocking for Gray, so his injury is one we'll have to monitor throughout the week.
4th Quarter, 4:11: The Colts moved the chains a couple of times, but turned the ball over on downs after crossing midfield.
That means more touches are likely coming for Jonas Gray.
Patriots 42, Colts 20 -- 4th Quarter, 6:46: Jonas Gray will have all the headlines tomorrow, but Rob Gronkowski made sure to get his highlight reel touchdown in as well.
Gronk took a third-and-four pass from Brady and made it pretty special. He pulled off a spin move to shed one would-be tackler, threw a few stiff arms as he made his way down the field and went flying into the end zone for a 26-yard score to give the Patriots some more insurance.
Gronk has been relatively quiet tonight, focused more on his blocking and shoving defenders out of bounds. But if anyone forget just how dominant he can be, and just how much of a super human he is, that play is a friendly reminder.
4th Quarter, 8:14: The Colts went for it on fourth-and-10 at their own 32 and couldn't convert, so now the Patriots will have a short field to work with.
Luck went looking for T.Y. Hilton on third down, but felt some heavy pressure from Rob Ninkovich and his pass sailed incomplete. The Colts are now just 4-f0r-11 on third down. His fourth down pass to Reggie Wayne fell incomplete, and the Patriots will take over deep in Indy territory.
You could say they're almost in the "Gray Zone," with many Patriots fans wanting to rename the red zone in favor of their new favorite running back.
Patriots 35, Colts 20 -- 4th Quarter, 8:43: Jonas Gray, you are an animal.
The back ran in his fourth touchdown of the game to put the Patriots on top 35-20. He's up to 170 yards on 31 carries, and he's now the first Patriots back to run for four touchdowns in a regular season game.
That capped off another 80-yard touchdown drive by the Patriots. Brandon LaFell had another big catch, coming back for a 22-yard catch on a second-and three play.
Gronkowski was flagged for a personal foul after Gray's touchdown, finishing his block with authority.
Patriots 28, Colts 20 -- 4th Quarter, 13:32: The Patriots stuffed Bradshaw on first-and-goal and second-and-goal, but they fell asleep on third-and-goal and let Anthony Castonzo slip open for an easy score. It was the BC-alums first career catch and first career touchdown, and he followed it up with a nice little dance in the end zone.
Bradshaw left the field after being stopped on second-and-goal, and will have x-rays on his ankle.
End 3rd Quarter: The Colts will start the final quarter of the game on the New England two-yard line.
Facing a third-and-eight after a near-Bradshaw fumble, Luck scrambled for the first down but came up a yard short thanks to a Rob Ninkovich tackle. On fourth-and-one, Luck went to Bradshaw, who broke off a tackle and picked up just enough to move the chains.
There was another big play by Luck-Fleener, a 22-yard completion on third-and-10 (the play Belichick challenged). The Patriots have had no answer for that duo throughout the game.
3rd Quarter, 2:27: Bill Belichick challenged a clear catch by Fleener, who continues to torch the Patriots defense.
That'll cost the Patriots a timeout, their second of the half. It was a bad challenge by Belichick, who likely just wanted to berate the officials after a missed push-off on Fleener on the play.
Patriots 28, Colts 13 -- 3rd Quarter, 3:30: Another 80-yard drive by the Patriots offense, led by Mr. Jonas Gray. He may need to talk to Shane Vereen about that "Touchdown Machine" nickname.
Gray had just 18 yards on the ground on the drive, but ran in his third touchdown of the night to put the Patriots on top 28-13. The Pats got big plays from Rob Gronkowski, a 16-yard pickup on third-and-three, and Brandon LaFell, a 26-yard catch on third-and-six.
The Patriots offense has been great on third down, converting on seven of their nine chances.
Patriots 21, Colts 13 -- 3rd Quarter, 8:31: Adam Vinatieri has still got it.
The soon-to-be 42-year-old booted a 53-yard field goal to cut into his former team's lead.
The Colts moved down the field a little too easy, but at least the Patriots D kept them out of the end zone. Luck hooked up with Wayne for a nice 16-yard gain after a 15-yard Rob Ninkovich penalty for a facemask. Luck went back to Wayne on a third-and-6, but Kyle Arrington made a nice tackle to keep Wayne from moving the chains.
Patriots 21, Colts 10 -- 3rd Quarter, 11:10: Jonas Gray was stuffed on the first play from scrimmage to start the half. But he wouldn't be stuffed again on the drive.
Gray picked up another 25 yards on the ground as the Patriots marched 80 yards down the field for another touchdown. Brady hit tight end Tim Wright on a quick slant on first-and-goal for his first touchdown pass of the game, giving New England a 21-10 lead.
More great running from Gray, who is just bowling over guys at the line. Shane Vereen also chipped in with a nice 39-yard catch and run after Gray was stuffed on the first play.
3rd Quarter, 15:00: We start the second half with a touchback, so the Patriots will start things at their own 20-yard line.
Halftime -- Patriots 14, Colts 10: No plays from Brady or the Patriots ahead of the half, as they take a knee and their four-point lead into the locker room.
It hasn't been a good night for Brady, who is 10-for-19 with 84 yards and the two interceptions. He looked pretty bad on both throws, so hopefully we'll get some "Angry Tom Brady" in the second half.
The story of the first half was Jonas Gray, who racked up 100 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Julian Edelman is leading the way among receivers with four receptions for 36 yards, and we can't forget about his big 25-yard end-around.
The New Engalnd defense hasn't looked great, but they held the Colts out of the end zone until there wasn't much field to work with after Brady's second pick. Luck has 173 yards, going 13-for-19, with 70 of those yards to Reggie Wayne.
Patriots 14, Colts 10 -- 2nd Quarter, 0:55: Just a few plays after Brady's pick, Luck found Nicks in the corner of the end zone to cut New England's lead to 14-10.
Quite the change in momentum right ahead of half.
2nd Quarter, 1:16: Tom Brady may have just thrown the worst pass he's ever thrown in a Patriots uniform.
Facing a third-and-1, Brady faked a hand off to Gray and floated a terrible pass to Rob Gronkowski. Mike Adams was there for the pick, and the Colts have the ball at the New England 23 with all their time outs.
The Pats would have been better off just giving it to Gray. That was bad, Tom. Really bad.
2nd Quarter, 2:15: The Patriots forced another three-and-out, putting some pressure on Luck in the process.
Facing a third-and-6, Luck went short to Bradshaw, who was taken down by Jamie Collins before getting by the line of scrimmage.
Brady and the Patriots offense now have just over two minutes add to their lead, and get the ball back to start the second half.
Patriots 14, Colts 3 -- 2nd Quarter, 3:50: So far, the night belongs to Jonas Gray.
Gray scored his second touchdown of the evening, a two-yard run up the middle, to put the Pats on top 14-3 late in the first half.
Gray is up to 95 yards on 13 carries, and it doesn't look like he's slowing down. Some credit also has to be given to the New England offensive line, and fullback James Develin, for some solid blocking. Overall, the Patriots have 138 rushing yards between Gray, Vereen and Edelman's end-around.
The Patriots also got a pair of big third down plays on the drive; first a 20-yard reception by Rob Gronkowski and then a 13-yard catch to the Indy 16-yard line from Edelman. Gray punched it in a few plays after Edelman's catch.
2nd Quarter, 8:26: Andrew Luck has made his first mistake of the game, and now it's up to the Patriots to make the most of it.
With the pocket falling apart around him, Luck forced one into Reggie Wayne, who was covered by Revis. Revis batted the pass away, and into the hands of Devin McCourty, who returned the pick to the New England 32.
This came after Luck and Fleener picked the New England defense apart on a couple different plays. The Pats had no answer for the Luck-Fleener combo over the middle.
2nd Quarter, 11:49: The Patriots picked up a first down thanks to the legs of Jonas Gray, but didn't do much else. Gray had 23 yards on three carries on the drive.
Facing a third-and-3, Brady went deep down the right side to Tim Wright, who was covered, and the pass sailed over everyone's head.
The Colts will take over at their own 20-yard line, as Ryan Allen's punt went for a touchback.
2nd Quarter, 14:40: Julian Edelman is back, and just hauled in a 10-yard reception on the first play of the drive.
2nd Quarter, 14:49: The Colts don't do much with their first and only play of the quarter, as Luck's deep pass for Hakeem Nicks goes over his head and out of bounds.
But the Patriots have a lot of ground to cover, as Danny Amendola was downed at the New England four-yard line on the ensuing punt.
End 1st Quarter -- Patriots 7, Colts 3: The first quarter comes to a close with the Colts marching, looking to take their first lead of the game.
The Patriots had Luck in a third-and-5, and Dont'a Hightower nearly brought Luck down before he was able to hit Colby Fleener over the middle for a big game and a fresh set of downs.
The Colts will start the second quarter at their own 40.
1st Quarter, 2:58: Brady, under some heavy pressure, forced a throw to Brian Tyms in triple coverage and was picked off by safety Mike Adams. The Colts will now take over on their own six-yard line.
The drive was going well for New England, with Jonas Gray breaking a nice 20-yard run on a third-and-one play.
Julian Edelman was shaken up a bit on the first play of the drive, getting thrown out of bounds by Vontea Davis on an incomplete pass.
Patriots 7, Colts 3 -- 1st Quarter, 4:19: The Patriots defense gave up some big plays, but the Colts had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri to make it a 7-3 game.
With the field goal, Vinatieri becomes the fourth member of the NFL's 2,100-point club.
Reggie Wayne got the best of the New England secondary on a couple different occasions on the drive, including a 46-yard catch and run that set the Colts up at the New England 15. Revis was on Wayne on the play, but let the receiver run by him, expecting some safety help. That help never came from Logan Ryan, and Wayne made the Patriots pay.
Wayne kept the drive going with a big 13-yard reception on a third-and-4 play, and has three receptions for 70 yards so far.
Patriots 7, Colts 0 -- 1st Quarter, 8:37: The Patriots did their damage on the ground on their first drive, with Jonas Gray scoring his first career touchdown.
The Patriots marched 89 yards down the field, with Gray and Vereen combining for 52 yards on the ground. Julian Edelman added another 25 rushing yards on a nice end-around to set the Patriots up at the Indy four-yard line.
Gray ran with authority and got some great blocks from the New England offensive line. He ran for 34 yards on his four carries, including a 16-yard on a first down play.
The drive wouldn't have happened without a Brady-Edelman hookup on a third-and-7, with Rob Gronkowski drawing a lot of attention away for Edelman to break free.
A perfect start by the Patriots, who only needed 4:14 to march down the field.
1st Quarter, 12:51: The Patriots force a Colts three-and-out on their first possession. Luck scrambled for four yards on first down, with Trent Richardson being stuffed at the line on second down. Luck went short to Ahmad Bradshaw on third down with all his targets downfield covered, and Bradshaw was stopped short of the first down market by a group of Patriots defenders.
Darrelle Revis was on Reggie Wayne, with Kyle Arrington taking TY Hilton.
1st Quarter, 15:00: Stephen Gostkowski's opening boot sailed through the end zone, and the Colts will start at their own 20-yard line.
Pregame -- 8:20 p.m.: The Patriots have won the coin toss and, no surprise, deferred to the second half. So Luck and company will get the ball to start this one.
They're honoring veterans in Indianpolis ahead of this one. Here's a quick glance at the field prior to the game:
Pregame -- 7:04 p.m.: The Patriots have announced their remaining inactives for tonight's game:
WR Aaron Dobson
RB James White
S Don Jones
CB Alfonzo Dennard
OL Jordan Devey
DE Chandler Jones
DL Casey Walker
We knew Chandler Jones wouldn't be playing when he was declared out on Friday, and both Dobson and Dennard have been finding their names on the inactive list for the last month. With Malcolm Butler playing well in the secondary and on special teams, that has made it much more difficult for Dennard to make the active roster each Sunday.
Akeem Ayers and Dominique Easley are both active, so we'll see how much they end up playing on the defensive line. The Patriots are dressing eight players on the offensive line with Cameron Fleming returning to the lineup. He missed the last five games with a finger injury. His return could come in handy for third and short situations.
Pregame -- 6:45 p.m.: The Patriots are seeking their sixth straight win on Sunday night, and with Denver losing to the St. Louis Rams earlier today a victory would give New England some separation atop the AFC. The Pats are 10-4 coming out of the bye under Bill Belichick, but Sunday night presents a very tough road test.
Winning on the road, or getting a convincing win on the road, is all that has really alluded this Patriots team so far this season. Both of their losses came away from Gillette Stadium -- Week 1 in Miami and Week 4 in Kansas City -- and not many will point to their Week 2 win over the Vikings (who had just lost Adrian Peterson two days prior) or a close win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 as convincing road wins.
With the Colts trying to show everyone they belong in the discussion for best team in the AFC, a win at Lucal Oil Stadium (where they've yet to win a game in three tries) would put most of those road worries to rest for New England. But it certainly won't be easy.
As always, protecting Tom Brady is a must for the Patriots. The Colts don't have anyone who can match up with Rob Gronkowski (who does?), but that won't mean much if Brady doesn't have time to find his favorite target. It will also be important to get off to a fast start for New England, with the Colts allowing just 13 first quarter points through the first nine weeks -- the lowest total in the NFL.
On defense, it's all about Andrew Luck. He's the heart and soul of the Colts offense, and without him they don't go anywhere. While he may be the best passer in the game right now, Luck is also prone to make a mistake or two. It will be important for the Patriots to take advantage of any mistakes he makes.
It's too bad Lucas Oil is a dome and it has been closed for the winter, because it's snowing in Indy tonight. Tom Brady is great in domes (he's 10-2 for his career with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions), but a snowy matchup against Luck would have been a lot of fun to watch.
Stick with CBSBostonsports.com throughout the night for all the pregame news and in-game updates when the Pats and Colts finally kick off around 8:30pm. We'll also have full postgame coverage throughout the night, and if you don't mind heading to work a little sleepy-eyed tomorrow morning, tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on WBZ-TV following the game or tune in to three full hours of postgame coverage on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
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