Patriots Preseason Opener Ends 13-13 After Colts Nail Stunning 61-Yard Field Goal

By Tiffany Williams –

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots had the lead. They had the football. They had four Indianapolis turnovers handed to them.

And they still couldn’t finish the job.

New England opened its 2026 preseason Thursday night at Gillette Stadium with a 13-13 tie against the Indianapolis Colts, watching a 13-7 second-half advantage disappear as Spencer Shrader drilled two fourth-quarter field goals, including a massive 61-yarder with 1:16 remaining.

It was preseason football, yes. But the scoreboard doesn’t care about excuses.

The Patriots were outgained 355-275. Indianapolis ran for 133 yards while New England managed only 83. The Colts averaged 5.6 yards per play compared with the Patriots’ 4.0.

And somehow New England had every opportunity to put this game away.

The Patriots forced four turnovers without committing one themselves. John Saunders Jr. and Kindle Vildor intercepted Indianapolis quarterbacks, while New England also recovered two Colts fumbles.

Four takeaways. Zero giveaways.

That should be a winning formula.

Instead, it ended dead even.

New England struck first when Andy Borregales connected from 40 yards with 11:17 remaining in the opening quarter.

Tommy DeVito then produced the Patriots’ best offensive possession of the night.

DeVito directed a 12-play, 82-yard drive that burned 6:27 off the clock before finding Kyle Williams for a 12-yard touchdown with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter. Borregales added the extra point and New England suddenly had a 10-0 lead.

DeVito gave the Patriots exactly what they needed from him. He completed 13 of 22 passes for 138 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, finishing with a 92.6 passer rating.

Kyle Williams made his opportunities count, catching two passes for 37 yards, including the Patriots’ only touchdown.

But Indianapolis refused to disappear.

Anthony Richardson Sr. answered with his legs, finishing a seven-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left before halftime.

Richardson was easily Indianapolis’ most dangerous offensive weapon. He completed 11 of 14 passes for 145 yards and ran six times for 53 yards and the Colts’ only touchdown.

But Richardson also threw an interception and lost a fumble.

That was the story of Indianapolis’ night.

Production followed by mistakes.

The Colts moved the football better than New England and piled up 355 yards, but repeatedly handed the Patriots opportunities with turnovers.

New England simply didn’t punish them enough.

Borregales pushed the Patriots’ lead to 13-7 early in the third quarter by drilling a 52-yard field goal.

But his night was anything but clean.

Borregales finished just 2-for-5 on field-goal attempts. Seven points came off his foot, but three missed field goals in a game that ended tied cannot simply be brushed aside.

Those misses mattered.

So did New England’s inability to establish anything resembling a consistent running attack.

Jam Miller led the Patriots with 55 yards on 14 carries, but New England averaged just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt. Lan Larison was held to one yard on seven carries.

That is not moving anybody.

Behren Morton took over at quarterback and completed 7 of 13 passes for 66 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or interception.

Kobe Prentice led New England with 40 receiving yards on three catches, while Larison caught six passes for 38 yards. Williams’ 37 receiving yards came on just two catches.

The Patriots defense, meanwhile, kept producing the plays that should have broken this game open.

New England intercepted Indianapolis twice and recovered two fumbles. Joshua Farmer recorded the Patriots’ lone sack, while Channing Canada led the defense with eight total tackles.

But the Colts kept hanging around.

And in the fourth quarter, Shrader started making New England pay.

His 46-yard field goal with 7:21 remaining cut the Patriots’ lead to 13-10.

Indianapolis got another opportunity late and moved 42 yards on 10 plays.

Then Shrader unloaded.

Sixty-one yards.

Right through.

Tie game.

That kick completed Indianapolis’ comeback and turned what had been a 10-point Patriots advantage into a 13-13 final.

The numbers make this one frustrating for New England.

The Patriots controlled possession for 32:07. They converted both of their fourth-down attempts. They committed only five penalties for 35 yards. Most importantly, they won the turnover battle 4-0.

Yet Indianapolis still produced 80 more yards of offense.

The Colts had 21 first downs to New England’s 16. They threw for 222 yards against the Patriots defense and rushed for another 133.

New England’s defense created chaos.

Its offense didn’t create enough damage from it.

That is the preseason lesson staring the Patriots directly in the face after Week 1.

Four takeaways should bury an opponent.

Thursday night, they didn’t.

The Patriots had Indianapolis wobbling, had a 13-7 lead entering the fourth quarter and had multiple opportunities to slam the door.

Instead, Spencer Shrader kicked it back open from 61 yards away.

Patriots 13.

Colts 13.

No winner — and for New England, plenty left to clean up.