New England Patriots Tie Indianapolis Colts, 13-13, In 2026 Preseason Opener

Check out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast for more! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie. The New England Patriots kicked off the 2026 preseason tonight, hosting the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium for the preseason opener. Led by standout performances from Tommy DeVito, Kyle Williams, and a tenacious defensive effort, the Patriots looked to be well on their way to securing victory in their inaugural action of the season, but a late surge by Riley Leonard and Indianapolis was enough to even things up at the end. Following Tuesday’s highly-competitive joint practice that featured a heavy dose of the starters on both sidelines, New England’s backups received the vast majority of the playing time on Thursday night. With focus placed on their new arrivals and youth, the tie against Indianapolis began to paint a clearer picture of the team’s developmental pipeline and their standing on the roster as the cutdown to 53 players nears. First Half Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito (16) throws a pass against Indianapolis Colts defensive end Caden Curry (55) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Without many of the starters in action, it was quarterback Tommy DeVito and a host of roster hopefuls that started the game for the Patriots’ offense. A heavy early dose of running backs Jam Miller and Lan Larison, along two pass interference penalties on Indianapolis cornerback Mekhi Blackmon — one against Kyle Williams and the other against Mack Hollins — helped move New England into field goal range on the game’s opening drive. Andy Borregales made his first kick of the night to cap-off the opening possession of the season with three points from 40-yards out. The Patriots followed up their score on offense with a takeaway on defense to open the 2026 season — their first of three in the first half on Thursday night. After allowing the Colts to move the ball down to the 33-yard line, cornerback Kindle Vildor intercepted a wayward pass from quarterback Anthony Richardson that was tipped up into the air by wide receiver Coleman Owen.  New England would later force and recover two fumbles in the second quarter. The first was at their own one-yard line; as running back Seth McGowan attempted to cross the goal line to score, defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. knocked the ball out and safety Dell Pettus recovered to stall the drive. Indianapolis’ next possession began at the Patriots’ 30-yard-line, and the defense struck again. Anthony Richardson attempted to scramble into the red zone, but was hit hard by linebacker K.J. Britt, forcing the ball loose and giving defensive tackle Isaiah Iton a window to recover. It was then that DeVito and New England’s offense began heating up. Following the fumble recovery, DeVito led the Patriots on a 12 play, 82 yard touchdown drive, completing 7-of-8 passes, 58 passing yards, and a 12-yard exclamation point on a back-shoulder connection to Kyle Williams for the score. The Patriots took a 10-0 lead with 4:03 remaining in the half. Indianapolis responded with their own touchdown drive just before halftime. Richardson marched the Colts 69 yards in 7 plays, converting on a quarterback sneak from one-yard out to tighten the scoreboard, 10-7, with 1:04 left in the half. Taking back possession with under one minute left on the first-half game clock, DeVito went to work once more. He hit Williams on a deep hitch, giving the receiver space to turn towards the sideline and stretch the gain to 25 yards after the catch on the first play of the drive. That would be all the Patriots could muster on the drive, quickly stalling after the chunk gain.  The two teams entered halftime in a three-point contest, and DeVito wrapped his night up there. He finished 13-of-22 passing with 138 yards and the touchdown pass to Williams. Second Half Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Andy Borregales (36) lines up his field goal kick against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Quarterbacks Behren Morton (New England) and Riley Leonard (Indianapolis) took over under center to begin the second half, but the change in personnel did nothing to slow down a red-hot Patriots defense early. It took just three plays for New England to generate their fourth takeaway of the night. Defensive Tackle Eric Gregory hit Leonard’s arm on a deep pass attempt to wide receiver Eli Pancol, allowing plenty of time for safety John Saunders Jr. to run underneath the ball and grab the unit’s second interception. Saunders also had an interception during Tuesday’s joint practice and continues to make a push towards one of the final available roster spots in the secondary. Morton and the Patriots offense were unable to create much traction on their opening drive of the second half, but the 24-yard return on Saunders’ pick set them up on the edge of Borregales’ field goal range. He made up for his earlier transgression from 50-plus by converting on a 52-yarder to open the second-half scoring, putting New England up, 13-7.  Borregales’ struggles from deep would return, missing a 55-yarder on New England’s next possession in the third quarter. He finished the game 1-of-3 from 50-plus. In the 2025 regular season, he was 4-of-4 from 50-plus. The Colts were able to swing momentum back in their direction following Borregales’ deep miss in the first quarter, with Leonard engineering a nine-play, 49-yard drive that reached the Patriots’ five-yard line before New England’s defense made another red zone stand. Indianapolis elected to go for the first down on a 4th-and-2 from the six-yard line, but edge rusher Bradyn Swinson was able to get a hand on the pass to force a turnover on downs just before the end of the third quarter.  The Patriots carried their six-point advantage into the final quarter of play, but things would tighten up quickly. Offensively, the fourth quarter featured a heavy dose of new addition Hasaan Haskins and the New England rushing attack, but no more points added to the scoreboard for the home team until the waning moment. With the game largely in-hand, more scoring wasn’t entirely necessary for a Patriots’ team that had dominated the pace of action with suffocating defense.  Their armor on that side of the ball would crack to begin the fourth however, as Leonard led a seven-play, 35 yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 46-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader to trim New England’s lead to 13-10. The Colts would have one final chance to tie or take the lead late, and Shrader hit a miraculous 61-yard field goal to tie things up at 13-all with 1:16 left in regulation. With one final drive to capture victory, Behren Morton led the Patriots on a five-play, 39-yard drive that set Borregales up for one final attempt — this time, from 49-yards out. He missed wide left, wrapping the evening with a 1-for-4 showing that left the two teams knotted on the scoreboard when the final buzzer sounded. Looking Ahead Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up before a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images Next, New England will turn the page to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts & Co. are set to visit Foxboro for two joint practice sessions on Wednesday, August 19, and Thursday, August 20, before they square-off in preseason game number two next Saturday night. How do you think the Patriots performed in their preseason-opening tie against the Colts? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable. – Follow Eddie on Patriots Roundtable Related Articles: - What to Watch For: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts Preseason Week 1 - Observations From the New England Patriots Joint Practice with the Indianapolis Colts - Key Matchups to Watch For at New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts Joint Practice - New England Patriots Dark Horses: 5 Players Who Could Make the 53-Man Roster Check out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast! YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts