2022 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 9
Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1) at New England Patriots (4-4)
Sunday, November 6, 1:00 PM ET
Once upon a time, this was the most anticipated matchup every year on the NFL calendar. The days of Brady vs. Manning are obviously long gone, so the Patriots and Colts getting together at midseason doesn’t have the allure it used to. Hence, the 1:00 start time of this game.
It would have been fun to hear Tony Romo call a Manning vs. Brady game, though, wouldn’t it?
At any rate, this matchup is going to be Mac Jones vs. Sam Ehlinger. Just a little bit different. Aside from a clunker against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football last week, the Patriots have been playing some really good football of late, especially defensively.
No surprise there.
Bill Belichick has his unit firing on all cylinders and you can see just how easy it is for him to win schematically when the Patriots go up against a team like the Jets and more specifically, a quarterback like Zach Wilson. They absolutely dominated him. Despite the fact that Wilson threw for 355 yards, the Patriots had him running for his life all game and forced three interceptions.
What will this New England defense do to Sam Ehlinger?
The Colts struggled against the Washington Commanders this past weekend. Jonathan Taylor doesn’t look himself out there and didn’t have a single 100-yard rushing game in the month of October. Playing in New England against Bill Belichick’s defense when your offense is struggling is not really a recipe for getting right or getting things going.
Prediction: Patriots win 23-16