Indianapolis ColtsvsNew England Patriots
IND 13/NE 13
Things to say
The Colts and Patriots played to a 13-13 preseason tie at Gillette Stadium.
01
opener
Colts and Pats ended up in a 13-all tie. Preseason, so nobody's crying about it. Neither offense could really punch it in when it mattered.
02
key player
Anthony Richardson looked sharp — 11 of 14 for 145 and a rushing score. The arm talent's there, he just needs to stay on the field.
03
hot take
Three Spencer Shrader field goals, including a 61-yarder to knot it up. When your kicker is the story, your red zone offense has some work to do.
04
deep cut
Will Mallory quietly went for six catches and 80 yards. Tight end nobody's talking about, but he was moving the chains all night.
05
exit
Anyway, it's August football, doesn't count. Real answers come when the games start counting.
The recap
Preseason football giving us a good old-fashioned tie, 13-13, and it took a Spencer Shrader 61-yard bomb as time wound down to get the Colts even. Anthony Richardson was the story before that, carving up New England at 11-of-14 for 145 yards and punching in a 1-yard score himself, though he did leave one interception on the field.
New England grabbed the early edge on a Tommy DeVito touchdown toss to Kyle Williams, but nobody could pull away and it came down to a battle of leg strength between the kickers. When your turning point is a 61-yarder in a game nobody's supposed to win, you take it and go home.