Gardner Minshew passed for 194 yards, Jonathan Taylor scored the game’s only touchdown and the Indianapolis Colts held on to defeat the sinking New England Patriots 10-6 on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Colts (5-5) won their second straight game in order to enter their bye week at .500, while ensuring the Patriots (2-8) would retain the worst record in the AFC.
Minshew completed 18 of 28 passes and threw one interception. Taylor rushed 23 times for 69 yards, and Michael Pittman had a game-high eight catches for 84 yards for Indianapolis.
Behind by four with time winding down, the Patriots drove into striking distance. Rookie Demario Douglas had 9- and 21-yard receptions to help the cause.
But with Mike Gesicki getting open in the end zone, Mac Jones badly underthrew his pass to the tight end and Julian Blackmon corralled his third interception of the season.
The Patriots forced the Colts to punt and had one more possession with 1:52 to go. Bill Belichick sent Bailey Zappe in at quarterback after Jones’ league-high 10th pick of the year.
New England gained two first downs before Zappe, on a fake spike play, threw a deep ball intercepted by Rodney Thomas II.
Jones went 15-for-20 for 170 yards in the Patriots’ third straight loss and sixth in seven weeks. It was the third time this season New England failed to score a touchdown.
Rhamondre Stevenson ran 20 times for 88 yards.
The Patriots opened with a 13-play drive that produced a 37-yard field goal by Chad Ryland.
Indianapolis answered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ate up most of the rest of the first quarter. Taylor swept right on fourth-and-goal from half a yard away to make it 7-3.
The teams traded punts the rest of the half. The Colts converted a fourth-and-4 to set up a field goal in the final seconds, but Matt Gay was short from 57 yards.
Early in the third quarter, Minshew tried a throw on the run, linebacker Jahlani Tavai tipped it and Myles Bryant fielded the interception. New England, however, failed to capitalize when Ryland missed a field goal right from 35 yards.
New England’s best drive spanned 8:04 across the third and fourth quarters. The Patriots moved 89 yards in 15 plays, almost entirely on the ground, but Jones was nearly intercepted on third-and-goal. They settled for Ryland’s 24-yard field goal to cut it to 7-6 with 12:44 to play.
Isaiah McKenzie returned the ensuing kickoff to the Colts’ 47. Gay drilled a 51-yard field goal with 8:54 left.
–Field Level Media