Colts 13, Patriots 13: Shrader's 61-Yarder Ties It, Preseason Has No OT

August 13, 2026 - Foxborough - The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots played a backup-quarterback game that ended the only way 2021's preseason rules allow: in a tie. Spencer Shrader hit a 61-yard field goal with 1:16 left. 13-13. No overtime. Mike Vrabel kept his starters on the sideline. Indianapolis dressed two regulars (Jalen Travis, AJ Haulcy) for a quarter and then sat them too.

The story was the Colts' backup job behind Daniel Jones. Anthony Richardson got the first half. Riley Leonard got the second. They will swap that script next weekend against Atlanta.

Richardson, then the turnovers, then the sneak

Richardson's first dropback was an incompletion on a rollout. His second meaningful throw was an interception, a ball that went through Coleman Owen's hands. He later lost a fumble on a run. That is the part of the tape that will get circled.

The other part: 11-of-14, 145 yards, 78.5% completions, 8.8 yards per attempt, six rushes for 53 yards, a 1-yard sneak for the touchdown. First game action since Week 5 of 2025. First extended work since last year's second preseason game. The Colts needed to see if the arm and the legs still lived in the same body. For one half, they did.

Leonard entered at halftime, threw a pick on a deep ball on his second attempt, and finished 10-of-21 for 89 yards. Will Mallory led Indianapolis with six catches for 80 yards. Drafted ends George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry each got a sack in their debuts.

New England scored a first-quarter field goal, a second-quarter touchdown, and a third-quarter field goal, then went silent. The Patriots' 13 points were enough to force the long kick. They were not enough to leave with a win, because the league took OT out of August.

AthX Engine, if this were a regular-season card

AthX Engine NFL scoring on Thursday's lines, labeled as a hypothetical regular-season grade:

Richardson: 145 pass yards (11.6), 53 rush yards (13.3), rush TD (6), interception (-2), fumble lost (-2) = 26.9 QB fantasy points. Mallory at tight end: 6 catches, 80 yards = 29. Shrader's 61-yard field goal = 11. Leonard's 89 pass yards and a pick = 5.1.

Those numbers grade the box. They do not grade who starts in September, and they are not live NFL weekly AthX Engine boards yet.

Track the Colts and Patriots on the marketplace. Indianapolis hosts Atlanta next preseason Saturday.

*Sources: ESPN, Colts.com recap, NFL.com schedule. Information only; not financial advice.*