Colts Humiliated At Home By Dolphins

Despite facing one of the NFL's worst teams at 1-7, the Colts self-destruct on offense with three interceptions and fail to rally in humbling 16-12 loss on Sunday.

There’s no other way to look at the Indianapolis Colts’ embarrassing home effort on Sunday against the lowly Miami Dolphins.

The Colts were awful. And there's no excuse for their second consecutive loss.

A dismayed Lucas Oil Stadium crowd booed the men in blue at the end of a 16-12 stunner to a team that had dropped its first seven games this season.

Colts backup quarterback Brian Hoyer threw three interceptions as the home team (5-4) was shut out for a half and didn’t score a touchdown until the final quarter. And even after that positive, a Jack Doyle scoring reception, Adam Vinatieri missed the extra point, his league-leading sixth failed PAT of the season.

Making his first start since 2017 for the injured Jacoby Brissett, Hoyer didn’t look like he was worthy of the three-year, $12-million contract signed in September. He completed just 18 of 39 passes for 204 yards.

The Dolphins (2-7), who entered with the NFL’s worst-ranked defense at 32 points allowed per game, stacked the defensive box to shut down the Colts’ run game and force Hoyer to beat them.

And, inexplicably, the 11th-year pro couldn’t.

Forget about head shaking on this one. Fans couldn’t be blamed for losing their minds watching this one.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a journeyman playing for his eight team in 15 seasons, isn’t exactly nimble afoot but still scrambled for the visitors’ only touchdown on an 11-yard scramble in the second quarter. The Dolphins led 10-0 just before halftime.

The Colts mounted a comeback in the third quarter, but failed to get into the end zone, instead relying on a pair of Vinatieri field goals. But Vinatieri would contribute to this mess with that extra-point miss after the Doyle touchdown, which loomed large late in the game.

It was Vinatieri’s 11th missed kick this season. The only other time the NFL’s oldest player at 46 has had that many misses was when he failed on 11 kicks as a rookie back in 1996.

The latest miss was a key factor as the Colts drove into Dolphins territory in the final minutes. Instead of being able to rely on a field goal to tie the game, the Colts had to go for a touchdown.

Hoyer drove the Colts to the Dolphins’ 16 after a 4-yard pass to tight end Eric Ebron earned a first down. Hoyer tried to go back to Ebron, but he dropped the pass. Then Hoyer overthrew two fade-route passes to the corner of the end zone.

On fourth and 10, Hoyer hooked up with Ebron, but the tight end was 2 yards shy of a first down. Why Ebron wasn't far enough on his route to gain a first down was a final silly mistake in a game full of them.

The loss overshadowed an impressive defensive effort by Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, who had 11 tackles, one interception, one sack and one forced fumble. Make no mistake, this outcome was about the Colts' offensive ineptitude.

The Dolphins won their second straight game against a team that was supposed to be contending for a playoff spot and division title. On top in the AFC South Division just two weeks ago, the Colts are now one game behind the Houston Texans and currently eighth in the AFC pecking order.

What won’t change is the Colts’ injury status when they return home next Sunday against Jacksonville. Brissett might play, but don’t expect to see injured wide receivers T.Y. Hilton (calf) and Parris Campbell (hand fracture). The Colts fell to 0-7 when Hilton, a four-time Pro Bowl star, hasn’t been in the lineup since he arrived in 2012.

The Colts could have seized an early lead after recovering a Dolphins fumble on the game’s opening possession. Hoyer hit Ebron in the end zone, but in yet another example of the tight end’s inconsistency, he lost control of the ball going to the ground and it was wrestled away by Dolphins safety Steven Parker for an interception.

Ebron, who made his frustration public this past week about wanting to be more involved in the offense, has made this kind of mistake before. He failed to hold onto a touchdown pass after going to the ground in a season-opening loss at Los Angeles. He also had two drops in this game.

The Colts finished with just 109 yards rushing on 29 carries against the NFL’s 31st-ranked run defense. Running the football was supposed to be a strength for head coach Frank Reich’s team, but opponents have been stuffing that ground game lately and forcing quarterbacks to beat them.

Brissett was able to do so in home wins over Houston and Denver. He exited in the second quarter of last week’s 26-24 loss at Pittsburgh, which could have been won had Vinatieri not missed a 43-yard field goal late.

While the Colts are still in the hunt for a division title and the playoffs, there has to be some serious soul-searching from top to bottom about where everybody stands. Some are on rather shaky ground.

Vinatieri is having the worst year of his legendary career and his critics want him to retire. Ebron is sounding off about wanting the ball more, but then fails to deliver too many times.

The Colts have now been in nine consecutive one-score games. Living on the edge, coupled with injuries and inconsistencies, has caught up with them.

That couldn’t have been more obvious or embarrassing on Sunday.