6 Colts players to watch in Sunday’s Patriots game

Patriots

The Colts may not be the best team the Patriots have faced this season, but they have some solid players on both sides of the ball.

Jonathan Taylor beat the Patriots for the game-tying touchdown the last time he played against them. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

In terms of talent, the Patriots’ Week 10 opponent hasn’t matched many of their other opponents so far this season. But the Colts have several strong contributors on their roster.

Indianapolis enters Sunday’s game in Germany with a respectable 4-5 record, despite backup Gardner Minshew playing most of the season. Minshew and the Colts are looking to earn their second straight win after ending their three-game losing streak last week.

Here are six Colts players to watch in Sunday’s game.

Jonathan Taylor

The star running back appeared to be regaining his top-level playing ability in recent weeks after missing the first four games of the season while rehabbing from ankle surgery. He rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Browns’ top-ranked defense in Week 7 and had 95 yards on 7.9 yards per carry against the Saints a week later.

But the Panthers were able to bottle up Taylor last week. He rushed for just 47 yards on 2.6 yards per carry, though the Colts were still able to win with ease.

Which Taylor will show up on Sunday? Well, the one time the Patriots faced Taylor, they contained him for much of the game. He rushed for 103 yards but at 3.7 yards per carry on his first 28 rushes of the 2021 Patriots-Colts game. Taylor’s final run was big, though, breaking away for a 67-yard touchdown that clinched a victory in Indianapolis sealed.

The Patriots defense is one of the few things the team has done well this season, ranking 11th in rushing yards allowed and second in yards per carry allowed (3.5).

Michael Pittman

The Colts have formed a formidable receiver duo this season with Pittman and rookie Josh Downs, who is questionable for Sunday’s game after missing practice all week due to a knee injury.

While it’s unclear if Downs will play, Pittman appears to be playing just fine regardless of who has played at quarterback this season and who has been around him at receiver this season. He ranks ninth in the league in receptions (58) and 16th in receiving yards (593). In the five games Gardner Minshew has started this season, Pittman has 36 receptions for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

So Pittman adds to the list of long challenges at wide receiver that the Patriots defense has faced this season. New England has done a good job of slowing down opponents’ top receivers until recently. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both went for over 100 receiving yards in Week 8, while Terry McLaurin had 73 receiving yards and Jahan Dotson had 69 receiving yards plus a touchdown last week.

If Downs can go Sunday, it will only increase the challenge for the Patriots’ secondary, which will be without JC Jackson. Downs has emerged in recent weeks, recording 23 receptions on 29 targets for 315 yards and two touchdowns in the four games before leaving last week’s game early with the injury.

DeForest Buckner and Samson Ebukam

The Colts have gotten strong play from their defensive line in recent seasons. This year it’s not much different.

Buckner and Ebukam have helped the Colts to 25 sacks this season, which ranks them 10th in the league. Buckner is no stranger to success; he earned multiple All-Pros and recorded at least 7.5 sacks in each of the last five seasons between his time in Indianapolis and San Francisco.

Buckner is on track to have another season like that. He has recorded a team-high five sacks, 36 combined tackles, six tackles for loss and a fumble recovery with 23 pressures and 17 run stops, per Pro Football Focus. The talented defensive tackle has also shown off his pass-rushing skills with the Patriots in each of the past two seasons. He has recorded a sack in both games he played against the Patriots as a member of the Colts.

Ebukam is new to the mix in Indianapolis. The edge rusher joined the Colts this offseason after a solid two-year stint with the 49ers. He has four sacks this season, just one short of his career high, with 29 combined tackles, six tackles for loss and a forced fumble to go with it. He also has 21 pressures and 20 run stops per PFF, but has struggled a bit in recent weeks, recording just three pressures and no sacks over the last three games.

The Patriots offensive line has played significantly better in recent weeks as their decision to start Mike Onwenu at right tackle has paid off in a big way. They will also take a break on Sunday, as Colts standout defensive tackle Grover Stewart is still serving a six-game suspension.

Zaire Franklin

There haven’t been many better tackles than Franklin this season.

The sixth-year linebacker has the second-most tackles in the league this season with 102 combined tackles. He also leads the league in tackles per game with 12.8 per game.

However, Franklin has been busy for the Colts in the run game. He has recorded 36 run stops this season, which is one of the best marks in the league, per PFF.

However, Franklin has been dealing with a knee injury lately, which forced him to miss last week’s game against the Panthers. He missed practice and was restricted earlier in the week before fully participating in Friday’s practice, making him questionable for Sunday.

If Franklin can’t go, Shaquille Leonard would likely suit up for the Colts. But the veteran has seen his shooting fluctuate in recent weeks. Still, Leonard had 10 combined tackles last week despite playing just 55 percent of the snaps.

So it looks like it will be tough sledding for Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott either way.

Kenny Moore

The Colts have played strong at all three levels of defense this season, so it’s no surprise they rank 12th in defensive DVOA.

Moore is arguably the unit’s best player. The corner has three interceptions this season, two of which were registered in the Colts’ win over the Panthers last week. Opposing quarterbacks also have trouble generating big plays when targeting Moore. Moore has allowed 35 receptions on 46 targets for just 292 yards and zero touchdowns to go with his three interceptions this season, per PFF.

Moore, who the Patriots signed as an undrafted rookie in 2017 before releasing him, had good performances against New England the past two years despite being targeted a lot. He has given up 13 receptions on 21 targets for 108 yards, with two pass breakups in his last two games against the Patriots.

It’s clearly been a big struggle for Mac Jones and the Patriots’ passing game this season. If the battle continues in Week 10, Moore will likely be a big reason why.