The Patriots took a gamble with a punt-block attempt in the second quarter of their loss to Indianapolis in Week 10. They sent nine men to rush up the middle, while two players covered a pair of Colts who were split out wide.
There was no one back to receive the punt, which Rigoberto Sanchez kicked 69 yards. The Patriots went three-and-out on their next two possessions.
Patriots special teams coach Cam Achord said taking such a risk on special teams is nothing new.
“That’s the scheme,” Achord said. “If you really look back on it for the last several years, we’ve ran it multiple times and the results have usually been pretty fairly in our favor.