Fourth quarter, 3:23, Patriots 38-17: The Colts moved the ball into the red zone but couldn’t connect on a pass into the end zone on fourth down. The Patriots now will look to drain the clock.
Fourth quarter, 7:08, Patriots 38-17: The Patriots suddenly have broken this game wide open again.
Jonathan Jones intercepted an Andrew Luck pass that was bobbled by Zach Pascal, and Sony Michel ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run the very next play. That should be the nail in the Colts’ coffin.
Fourth quarter, 9:19, Patriots 31-17: Welcome to the party, Josh Gordon.
After catching his first pass of the night earlier in the drive, the veteran receiver muscled through two defenders in the end zone to haul in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady.
Brady reached two milestones on the play: It was the 500th touchdown pass of his career, and Gordon was the 71st player to catch one from the Patriots QB, setting a new NFL record. He’s the third quarterback to reach the 500-touchdown mark, joining Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
Fourth quarter, 12:48, Patriots 24-17: We’ve got a one-score game here, ladies and gentlemen.
Following Najee Goode’s interception in the end zone, Andrew Luck led the Colts on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Erik Swoope.
Devin McCourty, who also allowed a touchdown pass to Eric Ebron earlier, was in coverage on this score, as well.
Third quarter, 2:26, Patriots 24-10: Tom Brady’s bad luck continues.
After completing passes of 13 and 19 yards to Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, respectively, Brady delivered a perfect pass to Gronkowski that the tight end caught, bobbled and lost control of, with the ball bouncing into the arms of linebacker Najee Good.
The play initially was ruled a fumble by Gronkowski before being changed to an interception — Brady’s second in as many drives. Both came off drops.
Third quarter, 5:00, Patriots 24-10:Â Less than two minutes after Indy’s interception, Devin McCourty came up with a takeaway of his own.
The veteran safety ripped the ball out of running back Jordan Wilkins’ hands and recovered the fumble to give the Patriots the ball back at midfield.
McCourty unsuccessfully tried a similar move on Dolphins running back Frank Gore late in last week’s blowout win.
Third quarter, 6:57, Patriots 24-10:Â Tom Brady delivered two of his best throws of the night on back-to-back completions to Rob Gronkowski, but the Patriots’ drive ended prematurely after a pass to Chris Hogan bounced off the receiver’s hands and into the arms of safety Matthias Farley.
The Colts’ defensive backs launched into an elaborate celebration after the interception, which was Brady’s fifth of the season.
This has been a rough year for Hogan, who entered tonight with just eight catches in four games.
Third quarter, 9:48, Patriots 24-10: That great punt return set up Indianapolis’ first touchdown of the game. Tight end Eric Ebron beat Devin McCourty for a 14-yard score.
Third quarter, 11:44, Patriots 24-3: Three-and-out for the Patriots, including an incompletion to Josh Gordon.
Tom Brady has yet to connect with the former All-Pro receiver tonight, throwing incomplete passes on each of Gordon’s first two targets.
A great punt return by Chester Rodgers gave the Colts their best field position of the night at the Patriots’ 35-yard line.
Third quarter, 12:42, Patriots 24-3: The Patriots used pass breakups by Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty to force a Colts punt on the opening drive of the second half.
Malcom Brown, who left with an injury late in the first half, was not on the field for that series. He returned to the sideline but does not have his helmet with him. The Patriots might be resting him for the remainder of this game.
Halftime, Patriots 24-3: Patrick Chung intercepted a pass intended for Colts running back Nyheim Hines, giving the Patriots one more shot at points before halftime.
A 16-yard completion to Phillip Dorsett and short passes to Chris Hogan and James White brought New England into range for Stephen Gostkowski, who booted a 45-yard field goal to pad the Pats’ lead.
Dorsett was examined in the sideline medical tent after his reception but quickly emerged and appeared to be moving fine on the sideline.
Adrian Clayborn, who drew an important hold on the previous drive, hit Andrew Luck to help force the QB’s errant throw. Chung’s celebration game was quite strong, as well.
White’s final first-half line: 11 targets, nine catches, 74 yards, one TD. He’s only had 11-plus targets in an entire game four times in his career.
On an equally positive note, the Patriots have outscored their opponents 62-10 over the last six quarters.
Second quarter, 1:43, Patriots 21-3: Hope you started James White in your PPR league this week. The running back already has eight catches on nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown, and it’s not even halftime yet.
The score, which came on a 6-yard pass from Tom Brady, capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive and gave the Patriots a commanding 18-point lead.
The Patriots lined Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski up tight to the right side of the formation and sent White on an angle route to the left. The linebacker faded toward Edelman and Gronk, leaving White wiiiide open.
This game already appears all but over.
Sony Michel also continued his strong running during that last possession, ripping off a 15-yard rush up the middle to bring New England into the red zone.
Second quarter, 4:47, Patriots 14-3: Adrian Clayborn still is searching for his first sack of the season, but his drawn hold on third-and-long wiped away a Colts first down and helped force another Indy punt.
The penalty set up a third-and-17, and Adam Butler sniffed out a screen pass to Nyheim Hines to bring the punting unit out.
The Patriots did lose defensive tackle Malcom Brown to injury during the drive, however, as he was taken to the locker room with what appeared to be a leg injury. Defensive end John Simon also is questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
Second quarter, 8:08, Patriots 14-3: That wasn’t Tom Brady’s finest possession.
He failed to spot an open Rob Gronkowski on first down, then misfired to Josh Gordon on the next play. A screen pass to Gronkowski on third down gained just 1 yard, resulting in a Patriots punt.
Second quarter, 8:49, Patriots 14-3: The Colts are on the board thanks to a 54-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri set up by a couple of short completions by Andrew Luck.
The longest was a 17-yard catch-and-run by Eric Ebron, who found himself wide open on the backside on third-and-1.
Second quarter, 12:14, Patriots 14-0: Two perfectly executed screen passes helped the Patriots pick apart the Colts’ defense and score their second touchdown of the night.
One to James White gained 18 yards on second-and-5, and another to Sony Michel on the ensuing play picked up another 12 yards. A rushing the passer penalty then pushed the Patriots into the red zone, and Michel gashed through the line for a 14 yard gain that set New England up with a first-and-goal at the 2.
Michel’s run also forced safety Clayton Geathers into concussion protocol, decreasing the Colts’ roster of available players to 42.
Two plays later, Tom Brady lunged his way into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown since the 2015 postseason.
As a passer, Brady has been nearly flawless tonight. He’s completed 14 of 15 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and his lone incompletion was a Julian Edelman drop.
First quarter, 0:58, Patriots 7-0:The Patriots gave Trey Flowers a breather on their second defensive possession, and the Colts had much more success moving the ball.
Andrew Luck completed three passes to Chester Rodgers for 41 yards and also found Zach Pascal for 12 yards, with Pascal fighting through a hold by cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Luck couldn’t connect on two passes into the end zone from the Patriots’ 20, though, and Adam Vinatieri clanged a 38-yard field-goal attempt off the left upright. Jason McCourty, who is enjoying a very strong season at cornerback, was in coverage on each of the final two incompletions.
First quarter, 6:10, Patriots 7-0: Maybe Julian Edelman is a bit rusty after his monthlong absence. He was wide open on third down — on a similar play to Cordarrelle Patterson’s touchdown last week — but had the ball bounce off his hands. Patriots punt.
The Colts, who entered tonight with just 44 healthy players, just lost another, with linebacker Anthony Walker exiting toward the locker room after taking a hit to the head.
First quarter, 7:18, Patriots 7-0:Â The Colts’ offense fared no better than their defense.
After Nyheim Hines rushed for 4 yards on first down, a blown protection allowed Patrick Chung and Trey Flowers to tackle Andrew Luck at a dead sprint on second down, splitting the sack. Tight end Eric Ebron dropped a short pass on third-and-16, resulting in a quick Colts punt.
A 15-yard return by Julian Edelman gave the Patriots the ball at their own 49.
First quarter, 8:58, Patriots 7-0: It didn’t take Tom Brady long to hook up with his favorite target.
On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Brady found Julian Edelman for a quick strike that gained 9 yards. It was Edelman’s first catch since Super Bowl LI.
Brady went on to complete passes to Cordarrelle Patterson (10 yards), Edelman (13 yards), Rob Gronkowski (19 yards) and James White (11 yards) to bring the Patriots into the red zone. Screen passes to Edelman and White brought them to the Colts’ 1, and another to Patterson gave them the first score of the night.
Brady’s line on that opening drive: 9 of 9, 78 yards, one touchdown. This Colts defense could be in serious trouble.
First quarter, 15:00, 0-0: The Colts won the opening coin toss and chose to defer. They’ll kick off to Cordarrelle Patterson to gets started here in Foxboro.
7:57 p.m.: Tom Brady took a moment during pregame warmups to chat with old friend Adam Vinatieri, who set the NFL record for career field goals last week.
Think the 41-year-old Brady has been around forever? Vinatieri, who will turn 46 in December, is in his 23rd (!) pro season. He’s been the Colts’ kicker since leaving the Patriots after the 2005 season.
Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
Side note: These Color Rush jerseys are far superior to the Patriots’ usual home ones. Don’t @ me.
7:13 p.m.:Â Darius Leonard and Nate Hairston both are not expected to dress tonight for the Colts, per the team.
So, in addition to losing Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton, No. 1 tight end Jack Doyle and running back Marlon Mack, the Colts also will be without their best linebacker (Leonard, an early Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate) and their top three cornerbacks (Hairston, Kenny Moore and Quincy Wilson).
This could be an ugly game for Indy.
6:52 p.m.:Â Here are the Patriots’ inactives:
Some thoughts:
— Cyrus Jones sitting out as a healthy scratch suggests Julian Edelman will return punts tonight.
— Derek Rivers and Keionta Davis both are healthy scratches for the second consecutive week.
— Eric Rowe misses his third straight game with a hip injury, meaning Jason McCourty will continue to start at cornerback.
— Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Jacob Hollister officially are active.
— Brian Schwenke gets the nod over Ted Karras for the second consecutive week.
— Linebacker Elandon Roberts and defensive tackle Adam Butler both are active after leaving last week’s game with injuries.
3:15 p.m.:Â The Patriots need to release a player today to make room for Julian Edelman on their 53-man roster, and that player is expected to be running back Kenjon Barner, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.
Barner wasn’t expected to have a major role tonight — his only carries last week came in garbage time — but news that he’ll likely be released came as a surprise, as it leaves the Patriots with just two running backs: Sony Michel and James White.
Reiss also reported tight end Jacob Hollister is expected to return tonight after missing the last two games with a chest injury.
9 a.m. ET: Good morning from Gillette Stadium, where the New England Patriots are preparing to host the Indianapolis Colts on “Thursday Night Football.”
The big news of the day so far involves Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who now is expected to play tonight after being listed as questionable with an ankle injury. New England also will have wide receiver Julian Edelman back from suspension, marking the first time since Nov. 27, 2016 that Gronkowski and Edelman both have been active for a non-preseason game.
Seven other Patriots players are listed as questionable, including wide receiver Josh Gordon (hamstring) and cornerback Eric Rowe (ankle). Meanwhile, the Colts already have ruled out seven players, including two of their most important offensive weapons in Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle.
This will be the Colts’ first trip to Foxboro since the 2014 AFC Championship Game and their first matchup with the Patriots since Week 6 of the 2015 season. They’re winless in their last seven meetings with the Pats dating back to 2010.
On a fashion note, New England will sport its blue Color Rush uniforms last worn in last season’s fog-filled win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET, but be sure to check back here throughout the day for full pregame coverage.
