The Indianapolis Colts dropped their fifth game in a row with a 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in what was a highly entertaining yet sloppy game of football. The defeat means Indianapolis has now lost 14 of its last 16 games across the last two seasons.

That said, despite the negative result, there were some notable outcomes for a team heading towards a rebuild.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from what was arguably the most entertaining game of the Colts’ season so far.

The Good

Pass Rush

The Colts’ pass rush was almost nowhere to be found in the early portion of the season. On Sunday, it came alive.

Indianapolis edge defenders Laiatu Latu, Caden Curry, and Jaylahn Tuimoloau all recorded sacks. Latu forced a fumble simultaneously, which set Indianapolis up with a short field in the first half. Curry and Tuimoloau’s sacks were each player’s first of their respective careers. 

Additionally, while he won’t get credit on the stat sheet, recently-extended defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore made some key plays in pass rush to help set his teammates up for success. He finished with two tackles, three QB hits, and a batted pass.

Despite losing their sack leader in DeForest Buckner in a trade two weeks ago, Indianapolis hasn’t skipped a beat getting after the quarterback. 

Second-Year Players

The most encouraging development for the Colts on Sunday was the involvement of their young players.

It was a Jaylahn Tuimoloau coming out party against the Cowboys. The second-year defensive lineman is really putting it all together this season, and it was only a matter of time before he found his first career sack. Tuimoloau added a batted ball as well and had a few nice reps in run defense. 

Hunter Wohler, while he struggled in pass coverage, was an enforcer against the run. He finished with a team-high 16 tackles. 

Tyler Warren came alive in the second half after zero targets in the first 30 minutes. The former first-round pick finished with four catches for 44 yards and picked up a couple key first downs as well. 

All in all, a solid day for the second-year players who saw the field. 

Rookie Class

In addition to the second-year guys, Indianapolis got plenty of contributions from their 2026 rookie class.

CJ Allen logged double-digit tackles (10) for a second straight game and nearly snagged his first career interception. The second-round pick really makes his presence felt. Caden Curry logged his first career sack and recovered a fumble. Seventh-round pick Seth McGowan rushed for 45 yards on six carries and found the end zone for the first time as a pro. 

Bryce Boettcher was everywhere as well, joining Allen in the double-digit tackle department with 11. 

While the immediate future is likely to be ugly, the Colts have a chance to work with some of these young players and really develop them into assets they can utilize in future seasons. 

The Bad

Run Defense

Just wasn’t meant to be for the Colts’ defense against the run.

Javonte Williams led the way for the Cowboys with 101 yards. Former Colts running back Tyler Goodson picked a great day to rush for a career-high 77 yards on 11 attempts, good for 7 yards per carry. As a team, Dallas managed 5.3 yards per carry and posted just under 180 yards on the ground. 

While there were some nice plays made in run defense by a few Colts youngsters, the overall product wasn’t there. Bryce Boettcher, while always aggressively flying around, wasn’t consistently in the right place to make a play. Wohler brought some physicality as a tackler and Tuimoloau got into the backfield a few times, but the defense struggled collectively to stymie Dallas’ rushing attack. 

Jalen Farmer

A welcome-to-the-NFL type of afternoon for the rookie. 

Jalen Farmer was put through the wringer on Sunday, being responsible for a couple lapses in protection that resulted in sacks. It was clearly a day full of growing pains for Farmer, who’s very clearly the weak link up front for the Colts’ offense. 

Replacing an All-Pro-caliber left guard like Quenton Nelson was always going to be a tough task, and it’s too early to throw the towel in on Farmer. But so far, the rookie from Kentucky has done little to convince Colts’ decision makers that he’s their best option at that spot moving forward. 

The Ugly

Passing Game

The Colts’ passing attack is reaching unwatchable levels of poor. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones managed 180 passing yards and a touchdown, completing 59% of his passes. That said, the stats are a bit inflated by a 55-yard screen pass that Ashton Dulin took to the end zone in the third quarter and a few long drives late in the game.

Additionally, Jones hardly pushed the ball down the field and threw mostly passes at or near the line of scrimmage, a sign of just how handicapped the passing game is without Alec Pierce.

When Pierce went down with a heel injury in Week 2, Indianapolis lost a significant piece of their offense. Without him, there is no deep threat, making the passing game too one-dimensional. 

To make things worse, Indy’s best receiver who’s healthy, Josh Downs, is mentally checked out after requesting a trade earlier in the season. That leaves Dulin, a 34-year-old Keenan Allen, Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould and Deion Burks at wide receiver. That’s not a group that you’ll ever find consistency with. 

Warren, arguably the Colts’ best pass catcher as a whole, wasn’t targeted until the third quarter. 

It’s easy to put the blame on Jones, but his supporting cast did him no favors. If that does end up being Jones’ last game in Indianapolis amid trade speculation ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline, Colts fans will be left with a sour taste in their mouths over the quarterback. 

Sauce Gardner

Cornerback is a cruel position. 

Despite a valiant effort trying to contain the white-hot Ceedee Lamb, Sauce Gardner’s game won’t be remembered for how he held his own against one of the league’s best receivers. 

Instead, he’ll be remembered for allowing the 46-yard deep ball to Ryan Flournoy that set Dallas up for their go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes to go. 

Gardner has quietly been very solid in 2026, but his mistakes have been magnified due to the impact they've had on games. 

While he may not have given Indianapolis the kind of return they were hoping for by trading away two first-round picks a year ago, Gardner is the only Colt under contract through 2030. He has ample time to make it up.