The Patriots hosted the 1-3 Indianapolis Colts in week five for a quarterback showdown between Andrew Luck and Tom Brady. The Patriots were coming off of a huge win against the Miami Dolphins in which the Patriots seemed to finally realize their potential. The offense was finishing drives and the defense was getting off the field quickly. The Patriots hoped to build on this momentum and move to 3-2 with a Thursday night matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

The game started with a bang as the Patriots marched down the field and scored a quick touchdown. The injured Colts offense struggled and began the game with a missed field goal, an interception, and two punts in their five first-half drives. Meanwhile, the Patriots offense rolled with their momentum and cruised to a 24-3 halftime lead.

The Patriots started slowly as they went three and out in their first drive. The Colts capitalized with a touchdown and then intercepted a drop from Patriots wide receiver (WR) Chris Hogan to get the ball back. The ball then changed hands in both of the next two drives with Colts running back (RB) Jordan Wilkins fumbling and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski dropping a ball that was tipped into the hands of a Colts defender. The Colts scored another touchdown and the Patriots’ lead was diminished to 24-17. However, the Patriots scored twice in a row to expand their lead to three touchdowns.

The Colts scored again in garbage time and the Patriots won 38-24. Both the Patriots offense and defense came to play in the primetime week five matchup. The offense put up 438 yards and seemed very efficient on the field. Their only two mistakes were the two turnovers, which came from drops from receivers. The defense utilized the “bend but don’t break” policy in full and limited the Colts scoring despite allowing 439 yards.

Things to note:

• Patriots WR Josh Gordon received Tom Brady’s 500th passing touchdown. Brady is one of only three quarterbacks to ever throw for that many touchdowns. The historic pass also made Josh Gordon the 71st receiver to receive a touchdown from Tom Brady, an NFL Record.
• Patriots RB Sony Michel had another amazing week and rushed for 98 yards on 18 carries. His highlight was a 34-yard run to the outside that put the game out of reach for the Colts.
• Tom Brady did it all on Thursday, passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns in the week five blowout. He also threw two interceptions that bounced off the hands of his receivers.
• Patriots RB James White had another amazing week and caught ten passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
• Patriots WR Julian Edelman drew nine targets in his first game back from a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He used those nine targets to churn out 57 yards in seven catches.
• The Patriots defense had a tough time containing Colts TE Eric Ebron as he went for over one hundred yards and two touchdowns.