The Indianapolis Colts seem to be giving up on the 2022 season if their trade deadline strategy is anything to go off of, but they are still hanging around in the AFC playoff picture in Week 9. That could change though if they suffer another loss, as they will be going up against the New England Patriots this upcoming weekend. With the game nearing, we will roll out our Colts Week 9 predictions for this pivotal contest.

The Colts appear to be trending the wrong way, as they have benched their starting quarterback Matt Ryan, fired their offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, and traded their top pass-catching running back in Nyheim Hines over the past week.  But the Patriots are also struggling right now, and they could be the perfect opponent for Indianapolis to bounce back against.

This could be an ugly contest between two teams with strong defenses carrying their offense. But even with that in mind, the Colts will be the underdog in this contest, which isn't totally surprising. Still, an upset isn't totally out of the picture here, so let's take a look at our three bold predictions for the Colts in this game.

Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)

3. Colts CB Stephon Gilmore will record a pick-six against his old team

The Colts defense has been their saving grace this season, even though they have been playing without some of their key stars (Shaquille Leonard, in particular) for much of the season. Against a Patriots offense that has struggled mightily with Mac Jones under center this season, that will create some favorable matchups across the board for the Colts.

Among the players Jones will run into is Stephon Gilmore, his old teammate (kind of). Gilmore was with the Patriots when Jones beat out Cam Newton for the starting job last season, but he didn't play due to a mix of injuries and a dispute over his contract, and he was promptly traded to the Carolina Panthers before latching on with the Colts this past offseason.

So far, Gilmore has been really solid for the Colts at cornerback, and he will likely spend a lot of time on DeVante Parker if Parker ends up playing. Gilmore will have a successful day against the Patriots and Jones, and he will intercept Jones again after picking him off in the Panthers loss to New England last season, with the big difference being that Gilmore will take this one to the house for a quick six points for Indy.

2. Colts QB Sam Ehlinger will commit four turnovers on the day 

While Gilmore converting a turnover into points will help, his own quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, will have his own struggles in this game. Ehlinger's first start against the Commanders wasn't awful, but it wasn't good either. Going up against Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in just his second career start is a daunting task, though, and it will be one that Ehlinger ultimately isn't up for.

Ehlinger focused on not making mistakes for the Colts in Week 8, but he lost a fumble along the way, and didn't make any plays to turn the tides in Indy's favor. Against a Patriots secondary that has quietly been very good in recent weeks, he will run into a lot more trouble than he did against Washington.

Ehlinger will throw interceptions to Jack Jones, Mack Wilson, and Kyle Dugger, while also losing a fumble on a third-down run attempt while trying to extend the ball for first-down yardage. In any other case, Ehlinger would get benched, but he does enough to keep the Colts in this game, although it doesn't end up leading to a victory.

1. The Indianapolis Colts will come up just short against the New England Patriots, losing 20-16

This will be an ugly contest between two teams that have struggled to move the ball offensively. The Patriots have made a habit of winning ugly games recently, with their Week 8 victory over the New York Jets being a prime example of that. And against the Colts, they will once again grind out a victory to push their record to 5-4 on the season.

Ehlinger will struggle for much of the day, and Gilmore's pick six will be Indianapolis' only touchdown of the day, but he leads three field goal drives, which seems like it may be enough to win the Colts the game. The Patriots will get a pair of field goals from Nick Folk and a rushing touchdown from Rhamondre Stevenson, but will be trailing 16-13 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Jones won't have a great game, but he will lead an eventual game-winning drive in the fourth, capping things off with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne. Ehlinger will throw a game-sealing interception to Dugger on a deep bomb for Michael Pittman Jr., and the Colts, with a 3-5-1 record, will see their playoff hopes largely fade in front of their eyes.