Patriots Ride Jonas Gray (Who!?) to 42-20 Win Over Colts

The Patriots rode the four rushing touchdowns of previously-unknown Jonas Gray to knock off the Colts 42-20.

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At 8:29 EST tonight, very few people outside of New England had any idea who Jonas Gray was. 38 carries, 199 yards, and four touchdowns later, and for at least a week Gray is a household name.

The former Notre Dame running back spent the first two-plus seasons of his career toiling away on the Dolphins, Ravens, and Patriots’ practice squads, finally earning his first NFL call-up in Week 7 against the Jets. After rushing for 12 yards against the Jets, 86 against the Bears, and 33 against Denver, Gray simply broke the Colts’ will as he pounded the defense all night long with his powerful, straight-ahead style.

He set a Patriots franchise record with his four rushing touchdowns, and got into the end zone on the ground as many times as the rest of the NFL on Sunday did combined. He also became the first running back since 1921 to rush for four touchdowns in a game which he entered with zero.

The Patriots rushed for 244 total yards as a team, while Tom Brady finished a modest 19 of 30 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Colts, on the other hand, managed just 19 total team rushing yards as Ahmad Bradshaw (four yards) and Trent Richardson (zero yards) both struggled mightily. Andrew Luck had a solid night passing the ball (23 of 39, 303 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), but the Patriots limited the Colts’ big playmaker T.Y. Hilton to just 24 yards on three receptions.

The 8-2 Patriots have a brutal schedule upcoming, with games at home versus Detroit, at Green Bay, and at San Diego. The Colts fall to 6-4, but things get easier for them with Jacksonville next week and Washington the week after that.

 

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