The Indianapolis Colts play the New England Patriots in a primetime Week 15 matchup with huge implications.
In Week 15, the Indianapolis Colts will play their biggest game of the season against the New England Patriots. This game will start a new chapter of the rivalry between the two franchises and will also have major playoff implications.
Both teams are coming off a bye week with a ton of momentum. Indianapolis returns as the sixth seed in the AFC after a couple of results during their time off moved them up in the standings. The Patriots, meanwhile, return just how they left, as the No. 1 team in the AFC on a seven-game winning streak.
New England has dominated teams the last seven weeks and looks to do the same to Indy in Week 15. The Colts, well aware of the Pats’ performances, returned to the building on Monday and are already putting all of their cards on the table.
In Monday’s media availability, starting linebacker Bobby Okereke explicitly told the media that the defense plans to stop the run and force rookie quarterback Mac Jones to beat them.
No secret on the Colts’ plan for the Patriots on Saturday night:
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) December 13, 2021
Linebacker Bobby Okereke: “We’re really gonna try to make the game one dimensional and see what (Mac Jones) can do.”
Colts plan to force Mac Jones and Patriots to pass
Teams aren’t usually forthcoming with their game plans, especially against competent opponents, but Okereke laid out exactly what Indy wants to do defensively and that’s test the young quarterback.
Jones has been impressive in his rookie season for New England and is among the top candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the tone from Okereke seems as if the Colts aren’t particularly sold.
This could be because, in the Patriots’ last outing, Jones only threw the ball three times, completing it twice for 19 yards. That was in a 14-10 win over Buffalo where New England ran the ball 46 times. The Pats opted for this game plan due to the absurd winter conditions they were playing in and because they were in control of the game.
Indy is hoping that won’t be the case come Saturday. By publicly expressing this game plan, Indianapolis is essentially challenging both the Patriots run game and Jones. In other words, the Colts gave New England bulletin board material.
That isn’t a problem either, after all, this is a rivalry. That just means that Indy’s defense better show up on Saturday and be prepared to handle whatever the New England offense is dealing. If Indianapolis is unable to contain the Pats offense, it will be bad for the Colts’ chances of winning and for trash-talking purposes, as Okereke comments have started the war of words.
When is the last time the Colts beat the Patriots?
The Indianapolis Colts play the New England Patriots this week in their biggest matchup of the season and begin a new chapter of a storied rivalry.