The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts met on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, and Jerod Mayo’s team was handed a 25-24 loss.
New England now sits at 3-10 through the first 13 weeks of the season, and they’ve already been eliminated from postseason contention. This is actually the earliest that they’ve been eliminated in 31 years when they were eliminated in Week 13 of the 1993 season.
As we continue to sift through the wreckage of the loss, let’s discuss what we learned from the Patriots’ performance in Week 13.
Drake Maye’s best day
Despite the loss, rookie quarterback Drake Maye carved up Indianapolis’ defense. He completed 80% of his passes for 238 yards and a touchdown while adding another 59 yards on the ground. His lone interception came on a pass that tight end Hunter Henry couldn’t corral.
It’s clear that Maye is a quarterback that New England should build around, but he can’t do everything yet.
New England can run if they commit
The Patriots ran the ball 31 times on Sunday for 200 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per rush. Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson combined for 135 yards on 5.4 yards per attempt with the later scoring a touchdown from 11 yards out.
New England’s rushing attack has been lackluster at points this season, but the commitment to the ground game worked against the Colts.
Christian Gonzalez is the real deal
New England’s 2023 first-round pick has been nothing short of exceptional in his second professional season in the NFL.
On Sunday, he didn’t allow a single catch and recorded his second interception this year. This led to a number of his teammates taking to social media to share the opinion that Gonzalez belongs in the Pro Bowl and deserves All-Pro consideration.
