Colts Fall to Dolphins 24-20

Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis, IN – This game came down to the wire, which was expected, and the Dolphins were the team that came out victorious. Andrew Luck had two opportunities to take the Colts to the lead, but was unable to do so. Ryan Tannehill led the Dolphins with a huge game in a head-turning victory in Indianapolis.

Andrew Luck had a solid game, throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown, but tried to force a pass and was picked off as well. The Dolphins pass-rush pressured him all game, and sacked him a total of three times. Overall, this was a much better game offensively for Luck and the Colts, but it was all in a losing effort.

Ahmad Bradshaw stepped into his new role as the Colts’ starting running back very nicely with 15 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown to go along with those numbers. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and showed a lot of positive things. As he continues to get his feet back underneath him coming back from that foot injury, you can expect to see Bradshaw’s numbers continue to climb.

The receivers stepped up against the Dolphins, especially T.Y. Hilton. Hilton had a disappointing Week 1, but came up big with six catches for 124 yards this afternoon. Coby Fleener had a great game as well filling in for the injured Dwayne Allen, catching four passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. Reggie Wayne caught five passes for 46 yards, Griff Whalen two catches for 28 yards, and Darrius Heyward-Bey disappointed once again this week with just two catches for 10 yards. The Colts may make a move to promote T.Y. Hilton above DHB on the depth chart if he doesn’t show something soon.

Ryan Tannehill picked apart the Colts’ secondary all afternoon, throwing for 319 yards and a touchdown. He showed great poise, and his offensive line protected him very well, giving him time to make plays down the field. When Tannehill plays up to this level, the Dolphins are going to be very hard to beat. Tannehill finished with a passer rating of 107.4.

The Dolphins gained a total of 101 yards on the ground as well, led by both Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas with 69 and 30 yards respectively. Miller showed a lot of speed and agility picking his way around defenders for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Whether it was through the air or on the ground, the Colts’ defense was unable to come up with the necessary stops against the Dolphins’ attack.

Mike Wallace stepped up big-time for the Dolphins as well, piling up 115 yards on nine catches to go along with a touchdown. Charles Clay also tore up the Indianapolis secondary with nine catches for 101 yards, while Brian Hartline contributed with 68 yards on five receptions. Indianapolis was unable to shore up the secondary concerns from Week 1, and the Dolphins’ gameplan took complete advantage of that weakness.

Overall, this game came down to execution, and the Dolphins did just that. They certainly will turn some heads with this statement win against the Colts, and moving to 2-0 on the young season. It’s a disappointing loss for a Colts team that has high expectations on their season, and it just shows that there is a lot of work to be done.

Injury Note: Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Donald Thomas left the game with a torn quadriceps. We are unsure of how long recovery will take, but it is certainly going to put his season in jeopardy.

Evan Massey is an Editor at Naptown’s Finest. Follow Evan and Naptown’s Finest on Twitter.