Jonathan Taylor helps Colts turn table on Patriots with 27-17 victory

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jonathan Taylor ran for 170 yards and scored connected a 67-yarder with 2:01 near to assistance the Indianapolis Colts seal a 27-17 triumph implicit the New England Patriots connected Saturday night.

The Colts (8-6) solidified their playoff hopes by winning for the 5th clip successful six games — and ending an eight-game losing streak to the rival Patriots (9-5).

Taylor has tally for a touchdown successful 11 consecutive games to necktie Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for the longest streak successful franchise history.

“It was truly conscionable accepting the challenge, knowing it was going to beryllium dogfight, knowing everything had to beryllium earned,” Taylor said. “When you bash that, that’s winning fractional the battle.”

New England had won 7 consecutive and started the play successful the apical spot of the AFC playoff chase. But the Patriots could not flooded a 20-0 shortage due to the fact that of excessively galore uncharacteristic mistakes, including Taylor’s game-saving run.

The crippled had a small spot of everything — drama, carnal play, shouting matches, adjacent a combat that led to the ejections of Patriots information Kyle Dugger and Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

But Indy won this 1 by stealing a leafage retired of Bill Belichick’s playbook — utilizing the crushed crippled to chew up the timepiece and closing it retired with a back-breaking play successful the waning minutes. It was Indy’s archetypal triumph implicit New England since 2009.

And yet, it didn’t person to beryllium this close.

The Colts and Taylor sent an aboriginal connection by starting their 2nd bid with 7 consecutive moving plays earlier Taylor took a nonstop snap, handed disconnected to Carson Wentz and past Wentz flipped the shot to Nyheim Hines for an 8-yard scoring walk and a 7-0 lead.

Matthew Adams followed that by blocking Jake Bailey’s punt that E.J. Speed recovered successful the extremity zoner for a 14-0 pb — New England’s largest shortage since a Week 3 nonaccomplishment to New Orleans.

“It seems similar they conscionable had bully unit connected the play,” New England peculiar teams prima Matthew Slater said. “That’s pugnacious erstwhile you springiness up plays similar that, it’s going to beryllium hard to win. We spotted a squad 20 points astatine their place. Good luck trying to win. There’s nary excuse to play similar that.”

The Colts added a 25-yard tract extremity earlier halftime and different aboriginal successful the 3rd 4th to marque it 20-0.

Rookie backmost Mac Jones yet got the Patriots righted successful the 4th quarter. He threw a 12-yard TD walk from Jones to Hunter Henry and aft Nick Folk’s abbreviated tract extremity made it 20-10, Jones hooked up with Henry for a 7-yard scoring walk with 2:21 left.

Two plays later, Taylor eluded 1 tackle and sprinted to the beforehand country of the extremity zone.

Jones was 26 of 45 with 299 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions arsenic helium fell to 6-1 connected the roadworthy this play .

Wentz was 5 of 12 with 57 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception arsenic the Colts rushed for 226 yards connected 39 carries.

INJURY REPORT

Patriots: Played without apical rusher Damien Harris (hamstring) and mislaid linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (ankle) successful the archetypal half. Receiver Nelson Agholor near precocious successful the 3rd 4th with a caput injury. Agholor yet was taken to the locker room.

Colts: Center Ryan Kelly missed his 2nd consecutive crippled aft being a precocious scratch. He was activated disconnected the reserve/COVID-19 database Tuesday but was listed connected the wounded study with an injured genu and missed clip due to the fact that of a idiosyncratic matter. Linebacker Darius Leonard near concisely successful the archetypal fractional with a close enarthrosis oregon limb wounded and cornerback Xavier Rhodes walked disconnected the tract aboriginal successful the 4th quarter.

STAT PACK

Patriots: New England’s NFL grounds streak of scoring successful the archetypal fractional of 99 consecutive games ended. .. The Patriots besides failed to people 30 points against Indy for the archetypal clip successful 10 games, leaving them successful a necktie with Kansas City, which did it 9 consecutive times against Denver from 1964-68 successful the AFL. … New England rushed 19 times for 81 yards. Henry had six catches for 77 yards.

Colts: Speed became the archetypal NFL subordinate to grounds 2 touchdowns disconnected blocked punts successful 1 play since Ed Reed successful 2003. … Taylor has rushed for 100 yards successful 8 of the past 11 games. … Indy added 2 much totals to its league-leading full and present has astatine slightest 1 takeaway successful 15 consecutive games.

UP NEXT

Patriots: Host Buffalo adjacent Sunday.

Colts: At Arizona adjacent Saturday night.