Mac Jones was benched for Bailey Zappe in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as the New England Patriots fell to a 10-6 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany; Jonathan Taylor rushes for a first-half touchdown while Julian Blackmon comes up with late interception
Sunday 12 November 2023 21:13, UK
Mac Jones was benched in the fourth quarter as Jonathan Taylor's first-half touchdown helped the Indianapolis Colts to a 10-6 victory over the New England Patriots in Frankfurt on Sunday.
Julian Blackmon came up with a sucker-punch interception to derail a late Patriots drive, marking the final straw on a tough day for Jones as he exited the game for Bailey Zappe with two minutes to play.
His backup did not fare much kinder, throwing a game-icing interception to Rodney Thomas II as the Colts improved to 5-5 on the year in the final international regular-season game of the season.
Jones finished 15 of 20 passing for 170 yards and an interception, while Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew went 18 of 28 for 194 yards and a pick.
Both teams missed field goals either side of half-time, which the Colts had entered with a 7-3 lead thanks to Taylor's second rushing touchdown of the season and three sacks from Dayo Odeyingbo.
The result drops New England to 2-8 while heightening the uncertainty surrounding the future of head coach Bill Belichick beyond this season.
Jones was almost intercepted by Blackmon earlier in the second half as the Colts safety got hands on a lofted pass in the end zone, forcing the Patriots to settle for a 24-yard field goal at the end of a 15-play drive lasting eight minutes.
Matt Gay's 51-yard field goal pushed the Colts' lead to 10-6 on the ensuing drive after Isaiah McKenzie had ignited the response with a 42-yard kick return.
The Patriots would come up short once again in their efforts to turn the game on its head when Blackmon snagged Jones' pass at the goal line with four minutes to play, much to the despair of the New England sideline at the end of a nine-play series.
Zappe entered the game with two minutes remaining, before any hopes of a late twist fizzled out when the Patriots quarterback was picked off at mid-field, leaving Belichick with his hands on his head.
Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots
The Patriots had threatened a perfect start to the second half when Myles Bryant was well-positioned to collect Minshew's tipped pass off the hands of Michael Pittman Jr for an interception at the half-way line.
Jones almost landed himself in trouble as he attempted a dangerous under-arm shovel while scurrying to try and escape pressure.
The pick eventually went unrewarded as the Patriots failed to convert on third-and-three before Chad Ryland skewed his 35-yard field goal attempt wide of the posts.
New England's next drive was all about the run, Stevenson carrying the ball five times alongside four Ezekiel Elliott runs and a 15-yard Mac Jones scramble to set themselves up at the Colts 24 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The outcome being Ryland's 24-yard field goal.
The Colts defense blunted Jones and the Patriots to the sight of five sacks in the first half, three of which came courtesy of Odeyingbo.
New England flashed signs of mending their stuttering offense during a 13-play opening drive that ended in Ryland's 37-yard field goal after an Odeyingbo had derailed the series on third-and-six.
Taylor capped an immediate response when he skipped outside to run in for a one-yard touchdown at the end of a 14-play, 75-yard, seven-minute march ignited by Minshew's off-script 30-yard throw to Isaiah McKenzie on third-and-six.
The sides then exchanged seven punts to test Deutsche Bank Park's low-hanging scoreboard, Kwity Paye joining the sacks tally for the Colts having returned from an injury scare earlier in the half.
Minshew put the Colts in position to extend their lead late in the first half when he connected with Josh Downs for 12 yards on fourth-and-four, only for Matt Gay to miss the 57-yard field goal attempt.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick: "Obviously it was a disappointing game. Similar theme that we've had to other games this year. Just too many missed opportunities in all three phases of the game. Just got to play better situational football and do a better job taking advantage of the opportunities that we have. We just didn't do a good enough job today."
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry: "It's just tough. It's just not good enough in any aspect. Yeah, we're going into a bye here, and we've got a lot to improve on. We've got to get a lot better. It's not good enough in any aspect."
Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr: "It was a really tough game, a gritty game. There wasn't a whole lot of offense out there, but we were able to lean on the defense who really took care of the game for us. We're going to go back and celebrate them because they got this win for us."
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones: "I didn't play very well. I've played well in my career before, but just not right now. It's peaks and valleys, but I'm kind of in a valley right now, and just got to bounce back."
The Patriots enter a bye week before returning to face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 12, while the Colts are due to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their break.
Week 10 in the NFL concludes on Monday night when the Denver Broncos visit the Buffalo Bills in the early hours of Tuesday, before the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Baltimore Ravens in Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 11.
