FRANKFURT, Germany — Different country, same result for the free-falling Patriots.
New England lost to the Indianapolis Colts 10-6 in an ugly, low-scoring mess of a football game at Frankfurt Stadium.
Quarterback Mac Jones was benched after throwing an unconscionable red-zone interception with 4:38 remaining, and replacement Bailey Zappe tossed a pick of his own minutes later to ice the game for Indianapolis.
The loss dropped the Patriots to 2-8 entering their Week 11 bye, raising very real questions about the job security of both their QB and their head coach. Multiple reports indicated Bill Belichick is unlikely to be fired during the season. But have we seen Jones make his final start in a Patriots uniform?
Story continues below advertisement
Here are five instant-reaction thoughts on Sunday’s game:
1. The atmosphere was incredible
With a cozy capacity of just over 50,000, Frankfurt Stadium is smaller than every NFL team’s home venue. (Gillette Stadium, for comparison, holds nearly 65,000.) But it got loud on Sunday. Really, really loud.
Robert Kraft has touted that New England boasts the largest German fanbase of any NFL club, and those fans showed up in droves. The stadium grounds were packed hours before kickoff, and the unattractive on-field product did little to dampen the German supporters’ enthusiasm.
As is the norm at these international games, attendees sported jerseys of all 32 NFL teams. But this was a decidedly pro-Patriots crowd. They roared when New England took the field and openly booed the Colts. They belted out “Sweet Caroline” during a first-half timeout — and continued to sing even after play resumed.
Story continues below advertisement
It was a remarkable spectacle, though one the Patriots’ players and coaches surely won’t remember fondly.
2. The offense was anemic
The Patriots began the game with one of their most impressive opening drives of the season, marching 61 yards in 13 plays. Mike Gesicki had a contested catch to move the sticks on third-and-7. Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott both ran the ball well. New England picked up four first downs.
Then, Dayo Odeyingbo sacked Jones on third down in the red zone, and the wheels came off. The Patriots notched just three total first downs over their next five possessions, one of which came on the final play of the first half.
Jones was sacked five times before halftime, with four of those coming on third-down dropbacks.
Story continues below advertisement
When the stadium showed the “Play of the First Half” on the Jumbotron, it chose … a 35-yard Chad Ryland field goal. Yeah, it was that kind of day for New England’s offense.
The Patriots moved the ball more successfully in the second half but got three total points out of three consecutive visits to Indianapolis’ red zone.
Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien unloaded on Jones on the Patriots bench after one of those drives, screaming at the third-year QB over an apparent missed read.
Story continues below advertisement
3. Kayshon Boutte checks in
The Patriots rookie wideout snapped his streak of eight consecutive healthy scratches, seeing game action for the first time since Week 1. With DeVante Parker out with a concussion, Boutte served as New England’s No. 3 receiver behind Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The LSU product’s first target didn’t come until halfway through the fourth quarter, when he hauled in a slant from Jones and absorbed a high hit that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.
Douglas led all Patriots pass-catchers with five receptions for 75 yards. Smith-Schuster had one catch for 9 yards and committed two pre-snap penalties. Fourth and fifth receivers Jalen Reagor and Tyquan Thornton saw little to no playing time.
4. Jack Jones benched again
For the second straight week, the Patriots’ second-year cornerback did not play a single snap in the first quarter. Jones watched the first two defensive series from the bench, sitting down with a jacket on and hood up while the rest of New England’s subs stood on the sideline.
Story continues below advertisement
Shaun Wade and Jonathan Jones were New England’s starting outside cornerbacks, with Jack Jones not entering the rotation until five minutes into the second quarter. Jack Jones also didn’t see much playing time after halftime, with the Patriots opting to roll with Wade, Jonathan Jones and slot corner Myles Bryant.
Bryant notched a third-quarter interception off a tipped ball by linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
J.C. Jackson did not make the trip to Germany, with the Patriots telling him to stay home amid concerns about his reliability. Belichick said this week that he expects Jackson to rejoin the team after the bye.
5. Aggressive gamble backfires
The Patriots sold out to block a second-quarter punt by Indy’s Rigoberto Sanchez. The result: Sanchez’s longest punt of the season.
Story continues below advertisement
New England’s rushers couldn’t get home, and with the Patriots choosing not to deploy a deep returner, Sanchez’s punt bounced at the 41-yard line and rolled all the way to the 18 — a field-flipping 69-yarder. The Patriots’ offense promptly went three-and-out.
It was another rough day for the Patriots’ special teams overall. Ryland missed a chip-shot field goal, two of Bryce Baringer’s punts went into the end zone for touchbacks and the Colts’ Isaiah McKenzie ripped off a 42-yard kick return to set up a fourth-quarter field goal.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports Images
