The Indianapolis Colts wasted a golden opportunity in Week 10. They entered the week at 5-3 and a half-game behind the Houston Texans for first place in the division. The Texans were on a bye so the Colts just needed to win to jump into a tie at the top of the AFC South. Their opponent in Week 10 — the Miami Dolphins.
Miami was coming off their first win of the season in Week 9. At 1-7, the Dolphins went into Lucas Oil Stadium and stole a 16-12 win over the Colts. Indianapolis now sits at 5-4 and second in the division. With a head-to-head win over Houston under their belts, the Colts would have been listed at the top of the division with this win. Instead, they now sit a game back with one of the worst losses of the season around the entire league.
So what was the problem for the Colts in this game? They held Ryan Fitzpatrick to 169 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Dolphins did not have a a running back eclipse 45 yards. Their defense held up so there is only one thing we could have learned from this loss, and it is fairly obvious.
Quarterbacks are everything
We knew this already. The quarterback is the most important position on the football field. Jacoby Brissett was ruled out of this game with a knee injury. This catapulted Brian Hoyer into the starting role and this is where the disaster began for the Colts.
Even with a backup quarterback, the Colts were expected to beat the Dolphins. They were 11-point favorites even after the news of Brissett being out was announced. The defense played well allowing just one touchdown and picking up the offense who turned the ball over at a high rate.
Hoyer was the problem. He completed 18 of 39 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown. He was erratic throwing the ball all game long and this led to three interceptions. This was the difference in the game. The Colts did not have a quarterback who could lead them on a scoring drive. No matter who the opponent is, it is hard to win when your quarterback throws three picks.
Brissett is the real deal
Without even playing, we learned something about Jacoby Brissett. That is that he is pretty good. The Colts are in good hands under center even after the shocking offseason news of Andrew Luck's retirement.
This team did not have any energy or signs of life on the field against the Dolphins. It has to be assumed that the outcome would have been different if Brissett was healthy. On the season, he has thrown for 1,649 yards with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions, Brian Hoyer's total for one game against Miami.
It is safe to say that Brissett will be back sooner than later from his knee injury after watching Hoyer's performance from Sunday.
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