But Steichen didn’t hesitate to go for it and kept the offense on the field as the Colts scored with 12 seconds left to cut their deficit to 24-23. Steichen didn’t come to Foxborough to play in overtime – he came to win. He showed trust in his players and put the ball in their hands, and they rewarded him with the win when quarterback Anthony Richardson ran 2 yards for the game-winning points.

“Builds a little confidence and lets us know he trusts us and the offense to make a play,” Richardson said as the Colts improved to 6-7 and the Patriots fell to 3-10. “Let’s take a gamble to get a W.”

Mayo won his first challenge of the season by properly challenging the spot of a Drake-Maye scramble. And choosing the 68-yard field goal attempt over a Hail Mary on the final play is a coin toss decision.

But Mayo had other opportunities to coach courageously and instead went down humbly.

Mayo kept the challenge flag in the pocket on the Colts’ final drive when Will Mallory appeared to drop a 7-yard pass on third-and-10. The Patriots also played conservatively on offense with a lead of 24:17 in the fourth quarter and took the lead with two calls. Straight runs went nowhere after Christian Gonzalez intercepted the ball at midfield.

And Mayo took advantage of a few opportunities to be aggressive in the red zone, settling for field goals when the Patriots clearly needed touchdowns. Mayo needs to start viewing field goals as a failure and not a fallback option.

Mayo and the Patriots were the better team, but Steichen and the Colts showed them how to play to win.

▪ Last week’s 34-15 loss to the Dolphins was probably the Patriots’ most embarrassing of the season as they were barely competitive. Sunday’s loss to the Colts will go down as the most painful in history.

The Patriots lost despite dominating the statistics. They broke the 400-yard mark (422) for the first time this season. They didn’t punt until less than six minutes into the fourth quarter. They held Richardson to 109 passing yards and the Colts to 253.

The Patriots rushed for 200 yards and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. On third down they took a 6-11 lead. They held the ball for more than 34 minutes. Maye completed 24 of 30 passes and made several big plays. They forced two interceptions for the first time this year.

But they were again undisciplined, committing penalties, giving up seven for 88 yards and wiping two touchdowns off the board. And they let the Colts march 80 yards on 19 plays with the game on the line and were unable to make the plays when it mattered most.

It appears the Patriots are still soft, as Mayo called them a few weeks ago.

▪ To top it off, the Patriots not only lost a winnable game, but they also lost to the hated Colts – a nemesis throughout the 2000s and the team that started Deflategate. The Colts left Gillette Stadium victorious for the first time since 2006, ending a seven-game losing streak. I can’t imagine this going down well with the Krafts.

▪ The biggest difference between the teams – the Colts thrived in situations where it counted. The Colts went 3-for-3 on fourth down, 3-for-4 in the red zone (3-for-3 to go) and made their 2-point attempt in the final seconds. Another terrible reflection of the defense led by Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.

The Patriots, meanwhile, had success on third down, converting on their 2-pointers, but went just 2-for-6 with turnovers in the red zone, including 0-for-2 in goal-to-go situations. The Patriots had a 16-14 halftime lead but should have had at least 24 points.

▪ The Patriots entered the game as the fourth-worst team inside the red zone (touchdowns at 47 percent) and committed a mix of errors against the Colts. Their first chance was thwarted by a third-down sack; the second through consecutive holding penalties once the Patriots reached the 2-yard line; the third was negated by an unblocked defender on third-and-1, resulting in a 3-yard loss; Another drive was thwarted by an interception that bounced off Hunter Henry.

The Patriots had four drives of over 50 yards that did not end in a touchdown. They need to spend extra time working on red zone execution during their bye week.

▪ The problems with the Patriots penalty were resolved after halftime. But the lack of focus in the first half was disappointing, especially after last week’s penalty shootout against Miami.

The Patriots committed five holding penalties in the first half, with every lineman except center Ben Brown called for one. A holding call negated a touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson. Another holding penalty on the next play helped turn the first-and-goal from the 2 into a first down from the 22.

Mayo told CBS at halftime that “the penalties are ridiculous,” but they are as much on him and the coaches as they are on the players.

▪ We would like to thank offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt for taking lessons from the last few weeks and applying some creativity. On the first possession, he used Marcus Jones as a decoy, a shovel pass to Henry that gained 14 yards. He used a decent amount of play-action, utilizing the Wildcat formation near the goal line (one of the touchdowns was wiped out by a penalty) and even brought Jacoby Brissett in for a short-yard play, leading the Colts to believe he was going to sneak it (the Patriots converted on a handoff). Van Pelt was having a great game until he went conservative in the fourth quarter. Apparently it’s contagious in the Patriots coaching office.

▪ Maye didn’t make enough plays to secure the win and threw his eighth interception in seven complete games, but he once again proved his future is bright. He completed 80 percent of his passes and picked up first downs on second-and-15 and second-and-19. Maye was also a playmaker with his feet, rushing for 59 yards five times, including a 41-yarder.

And Maye once again showed impressive leadership on a difficult day. He never criticized his teammates for the penalties and mistakes and took responsibility for the interception in the end zone on Henry.

“I think I put it on the wrong end,” Maye said. “I think if I put it on the opposite shoulder away from the defender, I think that might be a complement. It’s just a shame that it was overturned. It’s just a shame.”

The Patriots have a potentially special quarterback in Maye. They just don’t have much special around them.

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Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].