FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are now 3-10 on the 2024 season after a 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, who stunned them with a last-minute touchdown and two-point conversion. Here are 10 players graded either UP or DOWN based on their on-field performance, key plays, and other factors in the game on Sunday…
UP: QB Drake Maye
It’s hard to fault Maye for any of the Patriots’ problems in this game. The rookie finished 24-of-30 for 238 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, as he often carved up Gus Bradley’s soft Cover-3 defense.
And this time, the turnover can’t be put on Maye. His interception clanged off the hands of tight end Hunter Henry at the goal line, going from a possible touchdown to a tough-luck pick. Maye also had a few incompletions that were inaccurate, particularly in the short-middle area of the field, which he attributed in part to bad timing on his throws.
But for the most part, Maye was decisive and accurate throwing the ball, and he also made a point to avoid fumbles by holding the ball tight when pass-rushers approached. His touchdown pass to Austin Hooper was a dime. The kid is very talented and has a chance to be an elite franchise quarterback in the NFL. The Patriots “simply” need to surround him with better talent and coaching.
And yes, in a perfect world, Maye starts winning more games, ideally before the end of his rookie season. But he played enough winning football on Sunday to put him at the bottom of the list of reasons why they lost.
DOWN: LG Layden Robinson
Not a great return to the lineup for Robinson, who moved from right guard to left guard on Sunday. That’s not as easy a transition as it seems. But Robinson committed two holding penalties, which were also an issue for him at the other guard spot. Robinson may yet be a piece of the Patriots’ future on the offensive line, but it’s been a rocky rookie year for him.
DOWN: TE Hunter Henry
Hunter Henry (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Henry had a solid day catching the ball on paper, catching seven-of-nine targets for 79 yards. But one of those “incompletions” was actually a bad, ill-timed drop off his hands, right at the goal line, that resulted in an interception for Colts safety Julian Blackmon. A tough moment for an otherwise-extremely dependable player.
Maye said in his postgame press conference that he feels he threw it to the wrong shoulder, but Henry took accountability for the play as well (“That’s just a play I gotta make and it’s on me.”). He’ll continue to be a safety valve and red zone target for Maye going forward, but that drop was one he’d like to have back.
UP: TE Austin Hooper
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The Patriots’ย other key tight end, however, had a clean day, and scored the team’s first touchdown with a nice catch in traffic. Hooper finished the day catching four-of-four for 42 yards and the score. He’s been coming on lately, with the rise of Maye at quarterback and better overall execution by the offense.
DOWN: DT Davon Godchaux
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We need to blameย someoneย for the two-point conversion at the end. But it’s impossible to put it on Christian Barmore, who looked to get knocked on his ass at first, but on replay was clearly held by a guy already on the turf then tabletopped like it was eighth grade recess. So, we’re looking at Godchaux, who didn’t get nearly enough of a push to even have a chance at tackling Anthony Richardson before he crossed the goal line.
The lack of a penalty on the play will be a frustrating one for Patriots fans to swallow, but the other defenders could have also made a better play there.
UP: C Ben Brown
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Brown was the only starting Patriots offensive lineman not to commit a penalty on Sunday, which for this group counts as progress. And that’s impressive for Brown because he was mainly going up against the Colts’ DeForest Buckner, who, other than an early sack, didn’t make a huge impact on the game. Solid game for Brown, who may not be the Patriots’ starting center next season, but has done more than enough to earn an opportunity to stay on the team in 2025.
DOWN: CB Alex Austin
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This is the tragedy and triumph of Ups & Downs: you can make up for a lot of bad plays with one really big play, and you can also undo a lot of good with one really bad moment. Unfortunately for Austin, he fell into the latter category on Sunday. He was trending toward an UP with his outside coverage, but a pass interference penalty gifted the Colts on their final go-ahead drive. Had Austin not interfered, it could’ve set up a fourth-and-9 situation for Richardson and the Colts offense.
Even with the penalty, Austin played well enough on Sunday to earn more time as a starting outside corner going forward. He was always looking like that guy going into the season, and now that he’s healthy and back to regular playing time, he should still be that guy. But he won’t like rewatching that penalty in the film room.
UP: LB Christian Elliss
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Elliss’ first-quarter interception was possible thanks to a tip by teammate Jahlani Tavai, but it was a tough play in its own respect for the linebacker to come down with that fluttering ball over his head. Elliss also made a QB hit and four tackles on the day.
DOWN: LB Jahlani Tavai
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It’s tough to give Tavai a DOWN after he made the initial play that led to Elliss’ interception. But he looked responsible for leaving Jonathan Taylor wide open on the Colts’ first touchdown of the game, as he decided to pursue Richardson and got caught in no-man’s land. He also committed a sloppy pass interference penalty to gift the Colts 29 yards on a drive that resulted in a touchdown. A mixed bag for Tavai, but his negative impact on those touchdowns was too much to ignore.
