The Miami Dolphins faced the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, with starting quarterback Kyle McCord in his NFL debut after an injury to Malik Willis. A game featuring two teams in contention for the first-overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, it felt like that at times. Neither team executed a complete game, but in the end, the Colts held on to squeak out the win.
The Dolphins fell to 1-8 with the loss to the Colts. They had chances to win this game, but they lost after three kicks failed to put points
on the board. The game was put on the shoulders of a young quarterback, and he responded. The offense moved the ball well enough to win the game. The defense shut down the Colts’ offense, especially in the second half. The Dolphins should be walking out of Indianapolis with a win.
In the end, the special teams failed Miami.
In the long run, this game could prove important to the Dolphins as they look toward the 2027 NFL Draft. Miami falling to 1-8 keeps them in contention for the first-overall pick and pushes the Colts further away from claiming it. Even better, the Colts’ pick is owned by the New York Jets after a trade last year. Not allowing an AFC East division rival to jump them in the draft order could be a way to find a silver lining on an ugly black cloud of a day.
I’m trying to find the positive in what should have been a Miami win but now goes down as yet another loss.
Final Score
Dolphins 22 – 24 Colts
Immediate Reactions
Snap Winners and Losers
Winners
Malik Washington, wide receiver
Washington had himself a day. The highlight will be his 34-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert on a double-pass play, but he was all over the offense on Sunday. He had three catches for 50 yards, plus returned four punts for 36 yards.
Jordyn Brooks, linebacker
Brooks was a wrecking ball throughout the game. He was just everywhere – in the backfield, shutting down runs at the line of scrimmage, breaking up passes in coverage. He was a force throughout the game. He led the game with nine tackles, had a pass defensed, and a forced fumble. It was a great day for Miami’s All-Pro linebacker.
Ollie Gordon II, running back
Miami’s offense is built to run the ball, and Gordon was not afraid to take carry after carry, despite the Colts stacking the box and daring Miami to find a way to run. Gordon had to grind out some of his runs, but in the end he tallied 20 carries for 76 yards along with four receptions for 39 yards.
Kyle McCord, quarterback
McCord spent his entire rookie season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, then joined the Green Bay Packers for training camp this year. Miami traded for him at the end of the preseason, and he made his NFL debut in this game as the starting quarterback. The game never felt too big for McCord. Some plays looked like a young player trying to force something, but overall, McCord was solid all game and kept the Dolphins in the game. He finished the game 17-for-32 for 209 yards and a 73.6 passer rating. He also ran twice for four yards and a touchdown.
Losers
Note: “Losers” is not a judgment on the talent or character of any individual. It is simply a categorization of the play in one game – no disrespect is intended or should be inferred
Zane Gonzalez, kicker
I think there is a rule that someone from the special teams unit has to appear in the losers list this year. Gonzalez lands here after missing a 47-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. Miami’s defense is playing hard to take some of the stress off a quarterback making his first career start. The offense did enough to move the ball down into Colts territory. Gonzalez just booted the ball left. He responded in the second half with a 53-yard field goal, but then missed an extra point and another field goal later in the game. Miami has to have better from their kicking game. Miami lost this game by two points. Gonzalez missed seven points’ worth of kicks.
Other thoughts
Why does Jaylen Wright have no space on any handoff?
It seems like every time Wright is in the backfield and takes a handoff, he gets hit almost immediately. The same isn’t true of Gordon’s rushing attempts. It might be confirmation bias, and there is space on some of his runs, but it really does seem that Wright just cannot buy the space he needs to even try to make a move or get up to speed.
Disaster strikes to open second half
Miami opened the second half with the ball. On the kickoff return, safety Julius Wood was called for an illegal block, backing Miami up to their own 15-yard line. On Miami’s first play, cornerback Justin Walley’s blitz got to McCord’s blindside, stripped him as he tried to throw, and the Colts fell on the ball in the end zone. Miami had a chance to answer the Colts and tied up the game to open the half, but everything went wrong, and suddenly the Dolphins were down two touchdowns.
Miami has to do something about special teams
The Dolphins are a team still working through their growth and development as a rebuilding team. That is true in every aspect of the game, but that is no excuse for some of the issues on special teams. Even if some tackling issues or lane assignments are due to younger players, the miscues in the kicking game are inexcusable. I know I already listed Gonzalez above, but this is more about the unit as a whole. The Dolphins cannot afford to give up big gains, get flagged for holding or illegal blocks on returns, or miss kicks that take points off the board. Miami has to fix special teams, now.
