The Patriots are 3-9 with a minus 85-point differential. They must have played a difficult schedule, right?

Wrong.

The Patriots are this terrible having gone against just two above .500 opponents and those teams were the mediocre Texans and Seahawks. Only once in their last nine games have the Patriots gone against a team with a winning record.

New England's roster, especially on offense, is terrible. The Patriots' defense is wearing down and head coach Jerod Mayo is not proving himself up to the challenge as Bill Belichick's replacement. Belichick's coaching was a plus. Mayo's coaching is a minus.

The Colts are stepping way down in class after losing to the Lions on the road last Sunday. Indy has better skilled position players than New England. The Colts lead the NFL in forced fumbles. They have a number of underrated defensive players, including Zaire Franklin, who leads the NFL in tackles, DeForest Buckner and E.J. Speed.

The Patriots are averaging a puny 16.4 points a game, second-lowest in the NFL, and rank last in yards gained.