Just when Indianapolis Colts fans begin thinking that their favorite team is terrible, they only need to be reminded by the Miami Dolphins that worse teams do exist in the league. Indy is struggling temporarily. Miami is atrociously awful, especially at the kicker position.
But we didn't learn that in Indy's 24-22 victory against Miami in Week 10. That truth was already known to all the parties involved. The question wasn't really whether the Colts would win, but by how much. As it turns out, not by nearly enough.
Indianapolis might be just 3-7, but they have rarely gotten blown out. The team is at least competitive. That should remain the case for the rest of the season, but three wins by Week 10 still somehow look a lot better than two.
Immadiate takeaways from the Indianapolis Colts too-close win over the Miami Dolphins
Daniel Jones isn't good (admittedly, we knew this)
The Colts surely will choose not to keep Jones around past this season. The team might have already benched him, but obviously Shane Steichen likes Jones as a person and keeps him in the game despite evidence that the quarterback isn't good.
Yes, he is missing several receivers at this point, but he hasn't been effective all season. Plus, his pick-six against the Dolphins was completely on him. He led tight end Drew Ogletree too much, and the ball bounced off the receiver's hands into the hands of Dolphins defensive back Chris Johnson. Ogletree did nothing wrong.
Indy could release Jones and save $38 million in cap space for 2027. For a rebuilding team, that's a must. To have Jones return next season would be criminal.
Injuries will be brutal in Week 11
Indianapolis has a short week coming up, as it plays the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football. The Colts were already missing right tackle Jalen Travis and others in Week 10, but cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner were hurt during the game. Gardner suffered yet another calf issue, and Ward had a shin problem.
Maybe both return for Thursday, but both could miss the game, too. Does it matter? The way Indy is playing, they are likely to lose to Houston. But being blown out could be a possibility because of the mounting injuries (and because Daniel Jones is still healthy).
Shane Steichen's offensive approach isn't working
Maybe the head coach's argument is that he tried to have an even run-pass ratio, and maybe even tilt in favor of the run, but that isn't acceptable. He should have a 3:1 ratio in terms of running the ball to throwing it. His play-calling in high-stress moments is also weird, as he tends to throw the ball on early downs instead of setting up the pass with the run.
Steichen is supposed to be a brilliant offensive coach, and he has had success early in games in his Colts career, but his adjustments aren't good. He would be better as an offensive coordinator and having a strong head coach lead the team. That might be where he is headed.
After all, if the Dolphins had even a halfway decent kicker, Miami likely would have won the game. Steichen should have been able to outscheme the Dolphins, even with Indianapolis being down to practice-squad-level receivers. Tyler Warren is still on the team, but Steichen hasn't found a way to use him effectively in 2026.
As for his leadership, his team had 13 penalties. A well-coached team struggling for roster lives doesn't do that.
A win doesn't change the season, but it's better than an embarrassing loss
Indianapolis had no real business barely beating a Dolphins team with a quarterback who had never played a down in the NFL, but a loss would have been so much worse. Obviously, Indy isn't going to the playoffs, but staving off a bad loss at least builds some morale in a team desperately in need of any good news.
Fans needed it, too. The season has been disappointing enough. No one needed a loss to the Dolphins to compound the problem.
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