The New England Patriots will try to make the Indianapolis Colts eat their words.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss predicts comments Colts players made about the Patriots will feature in any postgame celebrations New England enjoys if it beats Indy on Saturday in their Week 15 matchup. As the Patriots look to tighten their grip on first place in the AFC East and keep pace in the tight race for conference supremacy, Reiss believes the Colts’ comments will fuel New England’s fire.
“The Patriots will reference seemingly innocent remarks by Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke and quarterback Carson Wentz as motivational fuel if they come away with a win,” Reiss wrote. “Okereke said, ‘We’re really going to try to make the game one-dimensional and see what (Mac Jones) can do,’ while Wentz said, ‘We’re going to try and run the ball, and I’m confident that we’re going to be able to.’
“The Colts had plenty of praise for the team over the course of the week — (head coach Frank) Reich called Belichick the ‘best ever’ — but the Patriots have been masters of manufacturing bulletin-board material over the years. Turnovers will be the key: The Colts lead the NFL in turnover differential (plus-13), while the Patriots are tied for third (plus-10).”
Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne addressed Okere’s comments as “funny,” while Jones chose to sidestep the pregame challenge altogether. Nevertheless, the Patriots are aware of what the Colts have said about them in the lead-up to the game, so don’t be surprised if New England throws the apparent barbs back into the faces of their opponents … provided they actually win the game.
