Indianapolis, Indiana - The Indianapolis Colts are keeping their playoff hopes alive after a strong showing at home against the New England Patriots in a late-season Saturday night NFL matchup.

The Colts ran right over the Patriots 27-17 for their second win in a row and fifth win in the last six games.

New England, on the other hand, had their seven-game winning streak snapped thanks to Indy.

The Colts needed a win on Saturday night to stay in the hunt for one of the AFC’s three Wild Card spots and got right down to business during the first half.

In the first quarter, Indy scored two unanswered touchdowns followed by a field goal in the second quarter to go into halftime 17-0.

The Colts kept it going in the third as they booted through another field goal to take their lead to 20-0 after three quarters.

Once the fourth quarter started, New England finally got with the program with 17 straight points to pull within three with over two minutes to play.

But once Indy got the ball back, they quickly ran for another touchdown to put things away for good.

Finally having his name mentioned among possible MVP candidates, Indy’s second-year running back Jonathan Taylor (22) ran his way all over New England’s defense on Saturday night.

He just seems to have a nose for lots of yards and touchdowns, often putting his team on his back and running Indy straight to victory.

During the night, he found the end zone in his 11th-straight game, tying a Colts franchise record.

He finished the game with 29 carries for 179 yards and one touchdown.

After the loss, the Patriots fell out of the number-one seed in the AFC and into third with the Titans and Chiefs ahead of them, respectively.

Depending on how those two teams fare with three weeks remaining in the regular season, New England could climb their way back to the top spot and a first-round bye when the playoffs get underway.

But maybe they should hope they don’t end up playing the Colts again, should Indy be around for extra games in January.

On Christmas Day, the Colts (8-6) will be on the road to take on the Cardinals (10-3), while next Sunday, the Patriots (9-5) will host the Bills (7-6).