The Patriots and Colts have both enjoyed a late season week 14 bye and come in to this pivotal week 15 matchup well rested. The 9-4 Patriots must win this game to hold onto the 1 seed in the AFC after the Chiefs defeated the Chargers 34-28 on Thursday Night Football. The 7-6 Colts sit at 6th place in the AFC playoff picture. In a crowded AFC wild card race, getting a win at home is pivotal for this Colts team. Here are my keys to the game for both teams. 

First for the Patriots. Someone else has to beat you other than Johnathan Taylor. Taylor in my book is a legitimate MVP candidate. I normally wouldn’t say that about a running back, but the guy has just been that good. Taylor leads the league in rushing yards with 1,348, and also leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 16. Bill Belichick is known for being able to shut down an opposing team's best player, and I’m sure a large part of the Patriots gameplan defensively is centered around slowing down Taylor. That’s not to say Michael Pittman Jr. and T.Y. Hilton are scrubs by any means but I think if the Patriots put this game in Wentz’s hands and force him out of the pocket, the Patriots will win.  

This one is obvious, but it’s still worth saying. Rhamondre Stevenson has to have an impact on this game. Damien Harris was ruled out of this game with a hamstring injury, so Stevenson will presumably be the featured back. Stevenson has had some ups and downs like you would expect from any rookie, but has really played good football as of late. Contributions from J.J. Taylor (who will presumably be active with Harris Out), as well as Brandon Bolden paticluary on third down would also go a long way for the Patriots. 

Now for the Colts. Center Ryan Kelly was downgraded to out today, and that’s not good at all for the Colts. Kelly was second team All-Pro last year and is one of the Colts best overall players. Rookie Christan Barmore has been an absolute force for the Patriots this year, and is looking like one of the bigger steals of last year's draft. Davon Godchuax has also come on as of late for the Patriots. Godchaux was credited with ten combined tackles last week against the Bills, which was a career high. Godchaux also recorded a 56 percent run tackle rate against the Bills, the highest percentage for a nose guard in the last six seasons (Min 10 run snaps). Credit Next Gen Stats for that stat. Colts backup center Danny Pinter needs to have a big game to help protect Wentz inside and open up some holes for Taylor. The Colts O line in general will need to step up in a big way. 

Lastly for the Colts. They need a good version of Carson Wentz. Wentz to me has always had talent. It’s just a matter of consistency. Wentz has overall done some good things this year. The thing that stands out to me the most this year is he’s only thrown 5 interceptions in 13 games, after throwing a career high 15 last season. The Colts acquired Wentz for games like this and need him to play like a franchise quarterback, which he is more than capable of. 

This game could definitely go either way. I like this Colts team and think they could surprise some people come playoff time. However I like the Patriots in a close one, 27-24.