pre-meme img credit

New England fans probably couldn't contain their anticipation of what would likely be a scoreboard scorcher for the Pats against the flailing Indianapolis Colts in this week's Thursday night matchup. I'm sure Brady is right there with them since this will be the first time he's had the option to call either #87 or #11 in the huddle, it's been a while.

Jules is back! - img credit:Eric J. Adler

After being listed with an ankle injury following Week 4 and being limited in practice participation this week, I've been patiently waiting for Gronk to be officially given the green-light for game time. He was listed as Questionable on the NE roster along with a DNP (Did Not Practice) to boot all week but as 'sources' suggested he was good to go for this seemingly simple win over the Colts.

Edelman ended the game with 7 receptions for 57 yards while Gronk caught 6 passes for 75 yards. Nothing spectacular about their stat lines at all really. Edelman had a bunch of good looks and came close to the endzone and Gronk was usually called on for pass blocking assignments or used as a decoy for the most part.

I was expecting a big show from these top players but as it turned out, the Colts just couldn't stop the pass-catching ability of James White or the solid running from rookie Sony Michel. Edelman and Gronk certainly played their roles in the victory but the spotlight was on the tandem running backs from New England.

Michel with the stiff-arm - img credit:Eric J. Adler

James White finished with a nice round 0 yards on 2 rushing attempts yet he caught 10 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. While White handled the ball through the air, Sony Michel took care of it on the ground for the Pats ending with 98 rushing yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. Michel also caught 1 pass for 12 yards.

career pass #500 - img credit: David Silverman

Let's not forget about Tom Brady here. He threw for 348 yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Brady also jumped over the pile and extended the ball past the goal line for a rushing touchdown. An historic stat was in the works too this game and I had no idea about it until it happened mid-game and it was mentioned.

Tom Brady threw his 500th career TD to Josh Gordon putting him 3rd on the all-time list behind only Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508), talk about some good company! Cheeseheads beware, he'll be surpassing Favre before mid-season probably.

No matter how much I dislike the Patriots as a team, I can't help but respect the wide breadth of talent they possess. They definitely had a rocky start to the 2018 season but they quickly got back on track and look like they'll have another typically dominant Pats season. If not, they can always resort to the dirty tactics they've been known for over the years...I couldn't end this without at least a quick jab to the Pats!