New England Patriots: An Early Look At The Indianapolis Colts

Oct 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton (11) runs after a pass reception against Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis (21) during the first quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 51-34. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

No Defense

Stats sometimes lie in football. For instance, the New England Patriots are currently ranked 14th in the league in pass defense.

Seriously.

There is no way in hell the Pats are mediocre in that department. In fact, I think they may very well have the best pass defense in the entire NFL. However the Colts 26th ranking in pass defense and 18th overall ranking on the defensive side of the ball is no lie. Indianapolis has struggled on defense all year long, which makes Andrew Luck’s 2014 campaign even more impressive.

Shutting out the Cincinnati Bengals with Andy Dalton as their quarterback is nothing to be proud of. Allowing a Pittsburgh team that just got shut down by the Jets to hang 51 on you is something to take note of. The Colts’ secondary will be no match for Tom Brady’s offense, and they don’t have a good enough pass rush to make Brady uncomfortable behind a rapidly improving offensive line.

With all of that said, the one area Indy’s defense seems to excel at is getting off the field on third downs. Chuck Pagano’s team currently ranks number one in the league in 3rd down defense, which really is an impressive stat. They are only allowing the opponents to convert 30% of their third downs, a number that is quite exceptional. New England converts 41% of their third downs on an offense, so that will be an interesting battle to monitor on Sunday night.