Patriots turn their attention to the future after being eliminated from playoff contention

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots are focused on the future following their 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots (3-10) were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss Sunday, meaning that this week’s bye in many ways will begin the process of the coaching staff and front office evaluating the roster for 2025.

The good news is that this group has shown plenty of grit this season, playing seven games that were decided by one score. The bad news is that the Patriots are just 2-5 in those games.

Though New England’s bye comes late in the season, coach Jerod Mayo said the timing is perfect for a team that is feeling the effects of its shortcomings.

“A much-needed bye week, not only physically for the players but also mentally, just being able to hit the reset button and come back, put some good games together and continue to build for the future,” Mayo said. “That has to be our goal.”

Tight end Austin Hooper said the seed that needs to be planted over the final four games is finding a way to limit the mistakes — namely penalties and trouble finishing drives — that have hampered the offense throughout the season.

“We’ve got to execute at a higher level. We can’t beat a team before you stop hurting yourself,” Hooper said. “It’s not for lack of effort, just things that happen out there that get you scars in this league.”

This was the most balanced performance by the offense this season, with 222 passing yards and a season-high 200 yards rushing. It shows progress under new coordinator Alex Van Pelt, which is something to build on over the final four games.

Red zone efficiency. It continues to be the most glaring deficiency for the Patriots’ offense. They were 2 of 6 on Sunday and rank 30th in the NFL, scoring a touchdown only 44.7% (17 of 38) of the time inside the 20-yard line.

TE Hunter Henry. He finished with seven catches for 75 yards, which is his seventh game this season with five or more receptions. He leads the team this season with 58 catches for 610 yards and continues to be a dependable option for quarterback Drake May as he navigates his rookie season.

K Joey Slye. He made 3 of his 5 field-goal attempts, including a 54-yarder in the second quarter. Most of the conversation following the game was about his NFL record-long 68-yard attempt that came up short as time expired. But because of the 1-point loss, he was lamenting the 25-yard attempt he missed wide left just before halftime.

“I take full responsibility for this,” Slye said. “Every point for this team matters with how we play complementary football with offense, defense and special teams. So, whenever I am out there, I have got to score points.”

Henry left the game in the first quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was able to return in the second quarter and finished the game.

7 — Number of penalties called on the Patriots, costing them 88 yards. Five penalties (four accepted) were called on the offensive line. That included one for holding on Mike Onwenu that nullified a touchdown run by Rhamondre Stevenson in the first quarter and forced New England to settle for a field goal.

The Patriots have a bye this week. They visit the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 15.

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New England Patriots place kicker Joey Slye (13) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots place-kicker Joey Slye reacts after missing a field goal-attempt during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) carries the ball against Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) brings down New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (81) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots place-kicker Joey Slye (13) reacts beside punter Bryce Baringer (17) after missing a field goal-attempt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

ATLANTA (AP) — The long-running gang and racketeering trial that led Atlanta rapper Young Thug to plead guilty in October ended on Tuesday with the last two defendants found not guilty of racketeering, murder and gang-related charges.

Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, was acquitted of all charges and Shannon Stillwell was found guilty only of gun possession. The verdicts came nearly two years after jury selection began and a year after opening statements in a trial plagued with problems.

The original, sweeping indictment used song lyrics and social media posts as evidence and charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Young Thug, a Grammy-winning artist whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was set free on probation after he pleaded guilty in October to gang, drug and gun charges.

Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in a 2015 drive-by shooting outside an Atlanta barbershop that killed Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” who prosecutors said was in a rival gang. Stillwell also was charged with fatally shooting Shymel Drinks at a red light in 2022, allegedly in retaliation for the killings days earlier of two associates in a gang known as YSL, which prosecutors said was co-founded by Young Thug.

Stillwell was sentenced to the 10-year maximum for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon previously convicted of a felony involving a gun, with credit for the two years he already served and the balance to be served on probation.

Nine of the defendants, including the rapper Gunna, accepted plea deals before the trial began, and four more pleaded guilty during the trial, in October. Charges against 12 others remain pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. That left Kendrick and Stillwell, both of whom were stabbed while in jail — Stillwell last year and Kendrick on Sunday.

Tuesday's verdicts were a major setback for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Critics had criticized her use of the state’s anti-racketeering law, which she also used to bring charges against President-elect Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

“We always respect the verdict of a jury,” said Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for Willis.

Defense attorneys said the state relied on faulty evidence — song lyrics, cherry-picked social media posts and unreliable witness testimony — to create a misleading narrative about young men who turned to music to escape economic hardship and difficult pasts.

The jury's decision left Tasha Kendrick, Kendrick's mom, in tears.

“I’m just thankful for a lot of things right now,” she said. “My emotions are all over the place right now."

Prosecutors said Williams and two others founded Young Slime Life in association with the national Bloods gang in 2012. The 33-year-old artist also has a record label called Young Stoner Life. Kendrick is featured on two of the most popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial” and “Slatty,” as well as Young Thug’s “Slime Sh-t," which prosecutors presented as evidence.

Williams entered a risky “blind” plea — meaning he pleaded guilty without an agreement on his sentence — in October. Williams’ lawyer said he felt like they were winning, but the rapper complained that sitting in court felt like “hell” and wanted to go home to his family. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker let him out of jail on probation with tight restrictions, including a 10-year ban from metro Atlanta except for certain occasions.

The trial shook Atlanta’s rap scene. Williams grew up in a violent Atlanta housing project and became a highly successful artist who added his own melodic twist to the modern Southern trap sound he helped popularize.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July after he met with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Kendrick’s attorney Doug Weinstein said defendants got a “fair trial” once Whitaker took over. Among other things, she reprimanded the prosecution for being disorganized and not sharing evidence.

During closings, Stillwell’s defense attorney Max Schardt sought to cast doubts on the gang investigators and other state witnesses. Several alleged YSL members testified they had lied to police to stay out of prison. Schardt said officers had threatened them with long prison sentences if they didn’t say the right thing.

Prosecutors said those witnesses were honest with police but lied on the stand, in front of the people they had “snitched” on. They said their statements were corroborated by other evidence such as songs and social media posts where they said defendants were “bragging about murder.”

Prosecutors threw together lyrics, social media posts and irrelevant evidence to “see what sticks,” Weinstein argued, but did not prove they were connected to a criminal enterprise.

While defendants did commit crimes in the past, Schardt said during closings, it was to make money for themselves in communities stripped of economic opportunity — not to advance a gang. And music let some of them move on.

“As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.”

Both defense attorneys said Kendrick and Stillwell have other pending charges but hope to get them released from jail as soon as possible.

Stillwell is not “blind to the fact that he is getting a second chance at life," Schardt said.

Weinstein said Kendrick, who is close friends with Young Thug, was laser-focused on his music career before the state pulled him back into the criminal justice system.

“I’m so happy that he can kind of draw a line in the sand now,” Weinstein said. “All of this is behind him. He can get on with his life and not worry about this nonsense.”

Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker speaks with a prosecutor during the Young Thug trial at Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Defendant Deamonte Kendrick appears for the Young Thug trial at Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Shannon Stillwell, right, sits with his attorney, Max Schardt left, as he looks at the prosecutors during the Young Thug trial at Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)