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The Indianapolis Colts have now lost five straight games, falling 27-23 to the Dallas Cowboys in another disappointing showing at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In a surprising twist, the defense actually looked serviceable on Sunday. The offense? Not so much.
What's frustrating is watching these young defenders finally step up while the franchise is being torn apart, largely because of how poorly this defense has performed.
But once again, Indianapolis walks away with another loss, falling to 2-7.
Here are my position grades from Week 9.
Daniel Jones finished 20-of-34 for 180 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. But his 15.4 QBR tells the real story.
Jones earned a team-low 36.7 offensive grade, per Pro Football Focus. Interestingly, he graded significantly better against the blitz (69.6) than without it (30.4).
I'm going to defend Jones here. He's never been a quarterback who can consistently elevate a struggling supporting cast, but give him weapons, a rushing attack, and decent defense, and he can win games.
Unfortunately, Indianapolis just traded away one of the best offensive linemen this franchise has ever drafted.
This is the season from hell, and Jones isn't the biggest problem. But he certainly didn't play well Sunday.
Something looks off with Jonathan Taylor.
JT managed just 46 yards on 13 carries and lost a costly fumble. Meanwhile, rookie Seth McGowan continues to impress, rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown on six attempts.
Both were effective in pass protection, but Taylor needs a resurgence. Maybe Tuesday's trade deadline will finally quiet the noise surrounding him.
Where is the separation? This unit combined for 121 total receiving yards.
Ashton Dulin provided the lone explosive play, turning a screen into a 55-yard touchdown. Otherwise, this receiving corps was painfully average.
With Alec Pierce eventually returning, this group still has potential. But right now, nobody is consistently stepping up.
Tyler Warren continues working his way back from injury, hauling in four passes for 44 yards.
The entire group contributed in pass protection, and while the others weren't involved much offensively, tight end was far from the problem.
Surprisingly, this unit wasn't terrible.
Indianapolis allowed two sacks and roughly 10 pressures, with respectable performances in both pass protection and run blocking.
Not dominant, but certainly not the reason Indianapolis lost.
The Colts generated three sacks and consistent pressure on Dak Prescott, but the run defense remains a problem.
Javonte Williams rushed for 101 yards, while Dallas totaled approximately 179 on the ground.
The pressure was encouraging. The inability to stop the run wasn't.
Bryce Boettcher and C.J. Allen are finally finding their footing.
The young duo combined for 22 tackles, providing some much-needed consistency in the middle of this defense.
Neither was spectacular, but both continue showing why they deserve opportunities moving forward.
Dallas threw for 335 yards, and CeeDee Lamb absolutely torched this secondary.
Sauce Gardner held up relatively well early before surrendering a critical 46-yard completion to Ryan Flournoy.
This was a bend-don't-break performance, but allowing that much production through the air isn't acceptable.
Cam Bynum delivered one of his better performances, earning the team's second-highest coverage grade.
Meanwhile, Hunter Wohler led Indianapolis with an incredible 16 tackles.
The young safety is making the most of his opportunity, and this group was one of Sunday's brighter spots.
Spencer Shrader is officially back.
The Colts kicker drilled all three field goals, including bombs from 59 and 50 yards.
Rigoberto Sanchez was reliable, kickoff coverage improved, and Anthony Gould and Seth McGowan provided encouraging returns.
The most frustrating part of Sunday's loss wasn't even the final score. It was watching a defense that has been historically bad at times finally show signs of life, only for the offense to completely disappear.
Indianapolis has now lost five straight, and with Tuesday's trade deadline approaching, this roster could look even worse by next Sunday.
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