The Good, Bad and Ugly From Cardinals Loss vs Colts

The Arizona Cardinals did it again.

Week 6's road test against the Indianapolis Colts could be described as yet another roller coaster for fans, as Arizona once again held a lead late in the fourth quarter before failing to get a crucial stop.

Their 31-27 loss to Indianapolis marked their fourth straight of the season. Arizona, now 2-4, have lost all of their games by a total nine points combined.

The Cardinals had their chances but couldn't come away with a win, and yet again we're breaking down a close loss as the regular season marches on.

Rating the good, bad and ugly from today:

The Good: Jacoby Brissett

Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brisset — Oct 12, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) looks to pass the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Brissett filled in for an injured Kyler Murray and put up the best passing performance the league saw in the early window of games, tossing for 320 yards and two touchdowns to one interception.

Arizona's offense, which has looked dead for majority of the season, finally came to life this week - even in spite of losing Marvin Harrison Jr. and other names within the offense throughout action today.

Brissett stood tall in the pocket and delivered throws at each level of the field, even with pressure in his face. And though he's no Kyler Murray, his mobility helped extend a few Arizona drives, too.

This is still Murray's team - no questions - though if he needs to miss extended time, Brissett showed he's quite capable of moving the offense.

Some would say it's the best the Cardinals have looked on that side of the ball this year, and I would agree.

The Bad: Second Half Defense

Arizona Cardinals vs Indianapolis Colt — Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox (81) signals a first down after a catch Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, against the Arizona Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals' defense got walked down in broad daylight on the opening drive by Daniel Jones and co. before they made adjustments, forcing back to back three-and-outs before intercepting Jones.

Arizona had appeared to slow Indy down, though the Colts' second half was a different story - scoring a field goal and consecutive touchdowns before their fourth and final possession of the half ran out the game clock.

Most of the league has yet to find an answer for Indianapolis this season, as they held one of the league's hottest offenses entering Week 6.

Yet the strength of the Cardinals resided within defensive coordinator and Nick Rallis - and yet again Arizona couldn't get a crucial stop when needed for a fouth consecutive week.

The Ugly: Complementary Football Non-Existent

It's been six weeks and the Cardinals have truly yet to play a complete game.

We saw Arizona escape with wins to open the year with a 2-0 record before dropping close games within the last four weeks, all for various reasons.

When the Cardinals' defense is humming, Arizona can't muster anything offensively. When Drew Petzing's unit finally got going, the defense was nowhere to be found today.

In a season where playoffs were expected and not just hoped for, this part of the schedule needed to accrue wins.

Arizona has the toughest strength of schedule remaining the rest of the way, and a 2-4 start simply isn't acceptable regardless of how you view things.

The Cardinals are on the brink of winning these games, all of them, undoubtedly - though this is a black and white business, and Arizona has yet to play a true 60 minutes of football.

Their record clearly reflects that. 2-4 is ugly.