Much of Sunday’s home game against the Dolphins was a slog for the Colts offense, but they were able to put up enough points to win the game.
The Dolphins went up 10-0 in the first half, but running back Tyler Goodson ran for a touchdown in the third quarter to tie the game and Matt Gay hit a pair of field goals to extend the Colts’ lead to 16-10 in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins got the ball back with 1:51 left to play and moved to the Colts’ 33-yard-line, but an incomplete pass by Tim Boyle brought an end to the game.
Boyle was playing because Tyler Huntley was knocked out with a right shoulder injury and the Dolphins’ offense was unimpressive with both quarterbacks. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle each had one catch and the Dolphins lost a pair of fumbles. One was by fullback Alec Ingold, who also got stuffed on a third-and-1 before Jason Sanders missed a 54-yard field goal try in the second half.
They were able to run for 188 yards as a team, but the mistakes mitigated any positives from that part of their game and the lack of an aerial threat meant the Colts could bend without being broken. Tua Tagovailoa is eligible to return this week and the 2-4 Dolphins, who host the Cardinals next week, will likely need him to be back at full power sooner rather than later if they are going to remain competitive in the AFC.
The Colts only managed 284 yards and Anthony Richardson was 10-of-24 throwing the ball while also losing a fumble on a botched snap, so there’s a need for offensive improvement in Indianapolis as well. They’ll be able to work toward that improvement with a 4-3 record, however, and they can hope to get running back Jonathan Taylor back for a Week Eight game against the Texans that will end with the winner in first place in the AFC South.
Taylor’s return will help, but they’ll also need to find a way to get more efficient work from Richardson. While his 56 rushing yards helped the cause, the lack of a consistent passing game is going to be hard for Indianapolis to overcome in the long run.
