Andrew Luck and his Indianapolis Colts head to New England for a Thursday Night Football matchup against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Brady could be without tight end Rob Gronkowski, but wide receiver Julian Edelman will be back on the field following his early-season suspension.
New England comes off a convincing offensive performance against the Dolphins, albeit with some lingering questions to resolve.
Sony Michel and James White combined for 224 total yards and 3 touchdowns. Michel did all his damage on the ground. He was not targeted in the passing game. White contributed in both aspects with a receiving and a rushing touchdown.
No wide receiver had more passing targets than White. In fact, the two leading targets, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarelle Patterson, combined for just one more than White’s 11.
The presumed starting wide receivers, Chris Hogan and Josh Gordon, combined for just 3 targets. Gronkowski saw 7 passes head his way before leaving injured.
So, who will Brady throw to Thursday? With another week under his belt, will Gordon be a bigger part of the game plan? Does Edelman step right into the lead role? Will Hogan go back to his sneaky third-receiver touchdown magnet role of 2017?
It’s a dilemma most quarterbacks wish they had. Even with the tight end uninvolved, Brady has the options he needs to repeat last week’s performance Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Colts’ Andrew Luck will throw to anybody he can if only to avoid rushing the football. Indianapolis’ running backs managed just 2.2 yards per carry against the Texans last week, contributing to Luck’s outrageous 63 pass attempts.
Marlon Mack missed the Week 4 contest and is no sure thing to play Thursday. He has been limited in practice and could benefit from the longer layover.
Luck will be without his two favorite receivers. TY Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle will miss the game. Ryan Grant, Chester Rogers, and rookie Zach Pascal could top last weeks combined 19 catches on 28 targets. Eric Ebron will line up at tight end.
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How to watch the Patriots vs. Colts game
Fox Sports and the NFL Network will broadcast Thursday night’s tilt across the country and internationally.
But if you are among the millions of Americans who said, “No more!” to expensive cable and satellite television contracts, then you can join the fans watching live stream NFL action on Fubo TV.
Fubo TV’s internet television service provides the same broadcast cable and satellite viewers enjoy to most areas of the country.
DirecTV Now is another of the internet TV providers offering high definition live stream NFL action Thursday. The game is also available on Sling TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue across the nation.
Take advantage of their free trials to watch the live stream Patriots vs Colts game or sign up for a monthly subscription with no contract to enjoy live stream NFL action the rest of the season.
Who will win the Patriots vs Colts game?
This game is being touted as a revenge game after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left the Colts at the altar in the offseason.
But don’t count on that being a factor on the field. Certainly, Frank Reich and his staff are happy McDaniels walked away.
So it comes down to the players on the field. Missing Gronkowski and trying to work in Gordon and Edelman might be a concern for some teams. But this is Tom Brady we’re talking about.
Brady never loses on short weeks. The Patriots put to rest any worries about a sub-standard rushing game last week. Even without Gronk, Brady has a whole bunch of receiving targets to play with.
It will be all Luck can do to stay close with a stable of rookies and backups. Final score: Patriots 33, Colts 21.