Indianapolis Colts trail by two in first half against New England Patriots

The Indianapolis Colts are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive in a do-or-die game against the New England Patriots in Massachusetts. While the Colts have a better record than the Patriots, they haven't won in Gillette Stadium since 2006, and the Colts will also be looking to break the Gillette curse. While Alec Pierce will be playing, they've lost many of their offensive stars to injury over the last several weeks.

The Patriots received the ball first, and quickly ran the ball into Colts territory with little resistance from the defense. The next drive appeared to be winding to a close, but a pass from quarterback Drake Maye on 3rd and 7 got them another first down, and they continued to march downfield into the red zone. But on third down, DeForest Buckner came in with a huge play, sacking Maye and stopping their hopes for an early touchdown after an otherwise weak opening showing from the defense. The Patriots opted for a field goal instead, and the Colts offense took the field.

Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor both got back-to-back first downs with great runs, before Richardson connected with Drew Ogletree for another first down - something Ogletree desperately needed after his disastrous drop last week. Once in the red zone, Richardson came under pressure, but he managed to throw the ball to Taylor for a touchdown.

Maye responded with a vengeance, running an incredible 41 yards to the Indianapolis 24-yard line, and leading the offense to the goal line on the very next play. The Patriots ran it in for a touchdown, but a holding penalty negated the score and required a replay of first down. The defense remained mostly ineffectual, but more penalties kept pushing the Patriots further back and erasing any progress they made. On 3rd and goal, the pocket collapsed and Maye was forced to throw it away; it was caught, but caught out of bounds, and once again, the Patriots had to resort to a field goal.

The Colts came out at the end of the first quarter to a disaster, with a pass meant for Michael Pittman, Jr. deflected and then picked off.

The defense, thankfully, found signs of life and stuffed that drive quickly, though the Patriots got close enough that they were able to get another field goal, and the lead.

Taylor took the lead when the offense returned with an eight-yard run, and on second down, Kylen Granson couldn't hold on to a pass from Richardson, bringing it to 3rd and two. A bobbled snap almost ruined the drive, but Richardson managed to hang onto it, and run 13 yards for another first down. A deep pass intended for Pittman was incomplete, but pass interference was called against the Patriots defense, giving the Colts the first down.

Now at the 17 yard line, the Colts lost a few yards with an attempted run from Taylor, but a pass to Pittman picked up 10 yards, and another run from Taylor got them to 1st and goal. The Colts easily picked up a touchdown from there with a run into the end zone, giving the Colts the lead back.

The Patriots needed to respond, and managed to eke out a first down, and the New England offense started to drive down the field, ultimately getting a touchdown with a dime that got the Patriots into the lead again. While in the past two games the defense kept the Colts in the game, so far today, they've offered no resistance to the Patriots, allowing over 200 yards so far.

With four minutes left, the Colts were trailing by two and looking to reclaim the lead before the half ended. Under pressure, Richardson tried to toss the ball away, while the refereees penalized the Colts for having an ineligible man downfield on Mark Glowinski, making it 3rd and 12. Richardson again came under pressure and started to run before trying to get the ball to Pittman, who couldn't hold on to it. That led to the first punt of the game.

As the Patriots offense came back onto the field, both teams traded penalties before the Patriots made their way down the field and into the red zone with 30 seconds left in the half. At 3rd and 3, Maye tried to run it in, with holding called against the Patriots... and then, incredibly, a field goal attempt from Joey Slye was missed, leaving the Colts behind by just two points.