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Dominique Easley lived up to the hype Sunday night, and it couldn't have come at a better time than the New England Patriots' 34-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Patriots fans have waited for Easley to make his presence felt in the passing game since he was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. His rookie season was cut short due to injury, and he had just one pressure coming into Week 6 after making a bigger impact as a run defender early in the year.

It all came together against the Colts, however, when he had eight total pressures, including .5 sack. He said after the game Chandler Jones has been helping him with his pass-rush technique. Jones also had his best game of the season as a pass rusher with 2.5 sacks.

Check out this week's advanced passing stats:

PASS COVERAGE
Game stats:
Malcolm Butler: 5-12, 72 yards, TD, three PBUs
Logan Ryan: 5-8, 51 yards, TD
Devin McCourty: 4-9, 46 yards, TD, pass interference
Justin Coleman: 1-2, 27 yards
Patrick Chung: 3-4, 22 yards
Jonathan Freeny: 3-4, 21 yards
Jamie Collins: 2-4, 21 yards, PBU
Duron Harmon: PBU

-- The Patriots frequently used Chung as a slot corner on No. 1 receiver T.Y. Hilton. The safety held up well. I asked on Twitter this morning, "Who saw that coming?" Because Chung typically is used in man coverage on linebackers. It was a smart wrinkle head coach Bill Belichick threw out on a top opponent. Chung's response was appropriate.

-- Chung has been one of the Patriots' best coverage players for two consecutive seasons. He also helped shut down Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten last week.

-- McCourty matched up frequently on tight end Coby Fleener. McCourty has his second consecutive impressive performance in man coverage.

-- Butler had a solid showing, despite giving up 72 yards and a touchdown. He continues to display his impressive ball skills with three pass breakups.

-- Harmon played most of the game at free safety and protected the deep half of the field very well in place of McCourty.

-- The Patriots played most of the game with three safeties and just two cornerbacks. Coleman came on late

Season stats:
Malcolm Butler: 18-32, 329 yards, 4 TDs, INT, 7 PBUs
Logan Ryan: 14-22, 142 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Bradley Fletcher: 7-10, 124 yards, 1 TD, 1 DPI
Justin Coleman: 4-7, 97 yards
Devin McCourty: 9-17, 96 yards, TD, INT, pass interference
Jamie Collins: 11-18, 80 yards, PBU
Tarell Brown: 7-14, 70 yards
Patrick Chung: 8-16, 52 yards, TD, PBU, pass interference
Jerod Mayo: 4-4, 49 yards
Dont'a Hightower: 4-7, 39 yards
Jonathan Freeny: 5-6, 32 yards
Rob Ninkovich: 3-5, 25 yards
Jordan Richards: 1-3, 6 yards, TD
Duron Harmon: 2 INTs, PBU
Chandler Jones: PBU

PASS RUSH
Game stats:
Dominique Easley: eight pressures, .5 sack, four QB hits, three hurries
Chandler Jones: seven pressures, 2.5 sacks, three QB hits, one hurry
Rob Ninkovich: three pressures, two QB hits, one hurry
Sealver Siliga: one pressure, one QB hit
Jabaal Sheard: one pressure, one hurry

-- Easley stepped up with injuries to linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Jabaal Sheard.

-- Collins received opportunities as a rusher but wasn't as effective without Hightower in the game.

-- Jones now is second in the NFL in sacks with 5.5 on the season.

Season stats:
Chandler Jones: 19 pressures, 5.5 sacks, six QB hits, seven hurries
Jabaal Sheard: 19 pressures, four sacks, three QB hits, 12 hurries
Rob Ninkovich: 12 pressures, one sack, three QB hit, eight hurries
Jamie Collins: nine pressures, 3.5 sacks, one QB hit, four hurries
Dominique Easley: nine pressures, .5 sack, four QB hits, four hurries
Dont'a Hightower: seven pressures, 2.5 sacks, four hurries
Alan Branch: two pressures, one sack, one hurry
Geneo Grissom: two pressures, one QB hit, one hurry
Malcom Brown: two pressures, one sack, one hurry
Sealver Siliga: two pressures, one QB hit, one hurry
Logan Ryan: one pressure, one QB hit
Rufus Johnson: one pressure, one hurry
Justin Coleman: one pressure, one hurry

Thumbnail photo via Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Sports Images