The New England Patriots will take their desperation for a win overseas on Sunday, facing the Indianapolis Colts in Germany in Week 10. The 2-7 Patriots have lost their last two games and are losers of five of their last six. The Colts, meanwhile, ended a three-game losing skid last week to improve to 4-5 on the season.
Which side will win on Sunday? Here are five bold predictions for the New England's Week 10 matchup with Indianapolis.
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Mac Jones will throw for multiple touchdown passes
The Patriots quarterback's struggles this season have been well-documented, but he's been a bit better recently, at least on the stat sheet.
Jones threw for two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in consecutive weeks, sustaining some scoring drives in those games just like he against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. He only threw for one touchdown last week, but he would've had two if Jalen Reagor did not drop his deep pass late in the third quarter.
The Colts have only given up two touchdown passes in a game four times this season, but of the five that they've allowed one or fewer, three of them came against now-benched or rookie quarterbacks. Jones should at least be decent enough on Sunday.
Rhamondre Stevenson will rush for over 80 yards
It's been a struggle this season for the second-year running back. Stevenson's only rushed for more than 60 yards once this season, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. For the vast majority of 2023, he hasn't looked anything like the dynamic playmaker he was as a rookie. But he did show some burst last week, running for a career-long 64-yard touchdown against the Commanders.
Stevenson will also get to go up against an Indianapolis un defense that hasn't played too well as of late. Opposing running backs have rushed for at least 95 yards in the Colts' last three games, and they've surrendered that many rushing yards at least four times in the last six games.
The Patriots won't allow a sack
The Patriots' offensive line actually hasn't been too bad the last few weeks. They've only allowed Jones to be sacked four times in the last three games, noticing a major difference after they shifted Michael Onwenu to right tackle in Week 7. They also didn't allow a single sack in their loss to the Commanders last week, even though they didn't have starting left tackle Trent Brown.
Brown will be out again on Sunday, but that might not make too much of a difference. The Colts have recorded two or fewer sacks in four of their last six games, struggling to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. When you couple that with the Patriots' desire to get the ball out of Jones' hand quickly, it might be tough for the Colts to get Jones on the ground on Sunday.
New England will give up over 30 points to the Colts
These predictions seem overly optimistic to this point, but we'll change the vibe here.
Indianapolis' offense might not be the most consistent group, but the one thing that is consistent is its floor. The Colts have scored at least 20 points in every game this season, improving recently with Gardner Minshew getting acclimated at starting quarterback after the season-ending injury to rookie Anthony Richardson. They've scored at least 27 points in the last three games, with playmakers elevating the offense and head coach Shane Steichen working his strategic magic.
The Patriots end up losing in a relatively high-scoring affair
Something that New England hasn't really done in the Mac Jones era is get in a shootout. The Patriots have lost all but one game where they've allowed more than 25 points with Jones at quarterback, mostly scoring 20 points or fewer with him under center.
Jones helped change the tide a bit a few weeks ago, leading the Patriots to a comeback 29-25 win over the Bills for Jones to get his first such win. But I don't they'll have the firepower to win on Sunday, losing 31-26.
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