The Indianapolis Colts (6-3) and New England (7-2) Patriots are each coming off their bye week leading up to their matchup in Indianapolis this Sunday.
Tom Brady got off to a slow start this season, but has returned to championship form in recent weeks. Through four games, Brady’s Pass Rating was a -2.7, which ranked him 25th in the league. His quarterback Accuracy Percentage through the first four games was 66.4%, a category in which he also ranked 25th. In Week 5, however, Brady fixed whatever issues he was having and has been the best quarterback in the league since then. His passing grade of +21.4 in Weeks 5 through 9 is the league’s best. His Accuracy Percentage has also risen to 78.9%. In the first four weeks Brady completed only one of 16 deep passes, but he has connected on 10 of 21 since.
If the Colts want to slow down Brady and the Patriots' passing game they will need key members of their secondary to continue to play well. Vontae Davis has been the third-best cornerback in the league in coverage (+10.9) this year. Davis has allowed a catch on only 43.2% of the passes thrown to a receiver he was covering leaving defending quarterbacks with a 41.1 NFL QB rating when throwing at Davis. Davis ranks in the Top 3 for all cornerbacks in both categories. Safety Mike Adams has also excelled in pass coverage this season (+8.5). A receiver Adams covers is targeted once every 26.5 plays that Adams is in coverage.
Here are some other players to watch for in this game:
Indianapolis Colts
Cory Redding – Redding has done his best work when rushing the passer (+8.1) accumulating 16 QB hurries, four QB hits, and three sacks.
Dwayne Allen – In a high-powered offense Allen has fulfilled his role as the primary blocking tight end well. His Pass Blocking Efficiency of 98.5 ranks third among tight ends.
T.Y. Hilton – Hilton leads the league in Yards Per Route Run (2.38) when line up as a slot receiver.
New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski – Like Brady, Gronkowski started the season slow, but over his last four games he has been the leagues in overall rating (+16.7), pass rating (+11.8), receptions, receiving yards, and yards after catch.
Dont’a Hightower – Hightower has been the league’s second-best inside linebacker in pass coverage this season (+6.6).
Patrick Chung – When Chung is within 8 yards of the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball he is responsible for stopping the ball carrier 8.4% of the time on run plays. That is the second highest percentage among safeties.
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