With the New England Patriots facing a fourth-and-1 late in the first half Sunday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels put his faith in Julian Edelman.
It was an odd play call — a jet sweep rather than, say, a run up the middle or a quarterback sneak — and it initially looked like an ill-advised one. Two Indianapolis Colts defenders blocked Edelman’s path, seemingly bottling the wide receiver up behind the line of scrimmage.
But Edelman had other plans.
Before his would-be tacklers could make contact, the shifty wideout planted, spun and dove forward to give the Patriots a first down.
Fellow receiver Danny Amendola’s catch-and-run on third-and-17 extended the drive once more, and New England appeared to cap it off with a touchdown after Tom Brady found tight end Scott Chandler in the corner of the end zone.
Chandler controversially was flagged for offensive pass interference on the play, however, forcing the Patriots to settle for a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a 21-20 halftime deficit.
