Jason McCourty and Rich Eisen expertly capture game-changing fake spike interceptions.
It’s difficult to imagine a more fitting ending to the New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday. Nevertheless, an interception that was thrown into triple coverage on a purposeful fake spike sealed the stunning disaster that was the NFL’s last international game of the 2023 season.
The way Bill Belichick responded said it all.
“A game-sealing interception results from a Bailey Zappe fake-spike,” stated Eisen, who made his second and last game call from Frankfurt on Sunday. “Things I didn’t think I’d be saying when I woke up this morning here in Germany.”
That’s because on New England’s last drive of the afternoon, Zappe took Mac Jones’ place. The Patriots were clearly out of options and needed to find a spark from their backup quarterback in order to avoid what would have been their eighth loss of the year.
Up until then, Jones had gone 15 out of 20 for 170 yards and no touchdowns against one interception. Before Jones was replaced, Zappe completed three passes to set up the Patriots for a 4th-and-1 from their own 40-yard line.
With time running out, Zappe attempted a Dan Marino impression, but in the end, he appeared more like Dan Orlovsky. Dan, I apologize for the ricochet shot.
Rodney Thomas II of the Colts intercepted him, and that was that.
“I’m amazed by that exact sequence,” McCourty, the former star of the New England Patriots, remarked. “Alright, they head to the running play. You take the initial down. You anticipate that they will spike the ball, gather themselves, and determine what comes next. They adopt the phony spike. On the outside, JuJu Smith-Schuster is one-on-one, so perhaps you should give him a chance. Rather, Bailey Zappe throws it into a team meeting of the Indianapolis Colts and gets penalized.
“I’m amazed by that exact sequence,” McCourty, the former star of the New England Patriots, remarked. “Alright, they head to the running play. You take the initial down. You anticipate that they will spike the ball, gather themselves, and determine what comes next. They adopt the phony spike. On the outside, JuJu Smith-Schuster is one-on-one, so perhaps you should give him a chance. Rather, Bailey Zappe throws it into a team meeting of the Indianapolis Colts and gets penalized.
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After an ugly 10-6 victory over the Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots, who now have an unprecedented 2-8 record, the Indianapolis Colts advance to their Week 11 bye with an even 5-5 record.
Even though the offense didn’t always l
Now that the historic rivalry has settled, let’s examine the positive and negative aspects of the Colts’ thrilling victory on the other side of the Atlantic.
ook great, they were able to make the crucial plays when they mattered most. The Patriots’ already faltering offense would be silenced by the Colts’ formidable defense, even though the latter saw several momentum swings in their favor during the game.
Jonathan Taylor, the running back for the Colts, was recently extended, so he took over the rushing duties for the game. He would end up with 23 carries for 69 rushing yards (3.0 average) and the game’s lone touchdown on either side of the ball.
The three yards per carry highlights the fact that the offensive line did falter at times. But Taylor proved in this game that he will probably take over at the backfield, as Zack Moss was limited to just one carry for two rush yards.
After the bye week, expect Shane Steichen to continue depending on the 2021 rushing champion to lead the offense as they wrap up the 2023 campaign.
While quarterback Gardner Minshew had a few outstanding plays but generally displayed limitations, running back Taylor showed tenacity in a hard-fought victory. He completed 18 of his 28 passes for 194 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
This season, Minshew has battled with turnovers, and that struggled carried over into a game where field position and points were at an all-time high premium. Instead of scurrying for three or five yards, he would toss a terrible interception to Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant in the middle of the field.
However, a few outstanding plays that demonstrated Minshew’s height-of-pocket presence deserve recognition. The most noteworthy was a stunning diving catch made by rookie wide receiver Josh Downs on Minshew’s pass after he ducked under Patriots defenders to throw a lightning-fast dart that proved to be a game-deciding play.
