Patriots players say Colts LB was tipped off to their offensive plays originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Why did the New England Patriots‘ offense manage just 203 total yards and one gift of a touchdown Sunday?
If you ask some of their players, it’s partly because the Indianapolis Colts knew what was coming.
According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, “multiple offensive players” on the Patriots “could be overheard talking about (linebacker) Shaquille Leonard calling out their play calls” in the locker room following New England’s 26-3 win.
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“One Patriots starting offensive player said Leonard occasionally called out what the Patriots were going to do on certain plays, such as outside runs and screen passes,” Daniels wrote.
The Colts do have a prominent former Patriot on defense in cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who shared his Patriots intel with Indy quarterback Sam Ehlinger ahead of Sunday’s matchup. But New England is supposedly running a different offense under play-caller Matt Patricia than it ran with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when Gilmore was with the team.
Either way, it’s not a good sign for the Patriots if Leonard was calling out their plays, which suggests that New England may have tipped him off with certain tendencies, formations or pre-snap calls.
The Patriots’ offense has a laundry list of issues right now, starting with terrible play from its offensive line, which allowed Mac Jones to be sacked four times and take seven quarterback hits Sunday. Matt Patricia’s group has just two touchdown drives in its last two games (one of which covered just two yards after New England recovered a blocked punt), averaged a measly 3.3 yards per play against the Colts and now ranks 26th in the NFL in yards per game.
Thankfully, the Patriots have a Week 10 bye before a rematch with the New York Jets in Week 11. Based on how Sunday went, much of that time should be devoted to fixing their many offensive issues.