Dolphins Week 4 Loss: The Five Biggest Plays

Breaking down the five plays that decided the outcome in the Miami Dolphins' 27-17 loss against the Indianapolis Colts

The Miami Dolphins dropped to 1-3 on the season with a 27-17 loss against the Indianapolis Colts at Hard Rock Stadium.

We rank the five biggest, most important, plays of the game:

1. Brennan Scarlett's offside penalty

Yes, a lot happened after Scarlett's penalty gave the Colts a free first down when they were punting in the second quarter with Miami leading 3-0, but the reality is the Dolphins defense had completely shut them down to that point. The Colts took advantage of the freebie by using gains of 27 and 23 yards to get into the end zone to take a 7-3 lead they never would relinquish.

2. Jonathan Taylor's 38-yard run to start the second half

The Dolphins trailed only 7-3 at halftime, but Taylor set the tone for the rest of the game when he broke loose for a long gain that sparked a touchdown run that made it 14-3 early in the third quarter.

3. Jacoby Brissett's fumble early in the fourth quarter

The Dolphins were down two scores when Brissett went back to pass on the first play of the first quarter on first-and-10 from their 40. Brissett was about to be taken down for a sack when he tried to make something happen and started a throwing motion. The fumble was recovered by the Colts, who turned it into a field goal and a 20-3 lead.

4. Carson Wentz's 41-yard completion to Zach Pascal in the fourth quarter

That was the back end of a really bad back-to-back sequence after the Dolphins' first touchdown cut their deficit to 20-10 with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter. It began with Jason Sanders putting the kickoff out of bounds to allow the Colts to start their drive at their 40. On the next play, Wentz hit Pascal on a deep crosser for 41 yards to the Dolphins 19-yard line. A few plays later, the Colts were back up 27-10.

5. Brissett's third-down incompletion from the Colts 46 in the second quarter

This again was more of a sequence and it came with the Dolphins still leading 3-0 after they had pinned the Colts at their 1 and gotten a defensive stop. The Dolphins got the ball back at midfield in great position to increase their lead, but went three-and-out after a 4-yard run by Malcolm Brown and two incompletions by Brissett. On the third-and-6, Brissett threw low to Will Fuller V and he sustained a hand injury that knocked him out of the game while trying unsuccessfully to make the catch.