Dolphins- Colts Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out

The Miami Dolphins lost for the fourth time in five games

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) is wrapped up by Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins saw their record fall to 2-4 when they dropped a 16-10 decision against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

The teams were meeting for the first time since the 2021 season when the Colts won 27-17 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Ahead of the game, we broke down the five biggest storylines for this Week 7 matchup, so now it's time to revisit those to see how they played out.

RUNNING GAME LOOKS FOR RERUN

Before the game: The biggest reason the Dolphins were able to defeat New England in their last game to end their three-game slide was a running game that produced 193 yards. The Dolphins look to the same kind of success against a Colts defense that ranks next-to-last in the NFL in run defense. The Dolphins should be at full strength at running back, with De'Von Achane having sufficiently recovered from the concussion he sustained against the Patriots to get removed from the final injury report of the week.

During the game: The Dolphins pretty much succeeded here, reaching the 40-carry mark for a second consecutive game and finishing with 188 yards on the ground. That normally would be a recipe for success, but those totals were greatly diminished by two lost fumbles, one each by Raheem Mostert and Alec Ingold that proved pivotal in the outcome.

ATTEMPTING TO REEL IN RICHARDSON

Before the game: The big story of this game from an Indianapolis standpoint is the return to the lineup of quarterback Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Richardson is an electric talent who can make some bad mistakes, and it'll be up to the Dolphins to make him more of the latter than the former.

During the game: If you've been a reader of this site or a regular viewer of the All Dolphins Podcast, you know how much I love the won-loss record emphasis for quarterbacks. This game was a perfect example. Sure, this will go down as a win as a starter for Richardson, but the Colts didn't win this game because of him. Rather, it was more despite him. Richardson completed less than 50 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 59.2 in the game. He did have a key 33-yard completion to set up a field goal at the end of the first half and did lead the Colts in rushing with 56 yards, but he wasn't a different maker in the league.

SPECIAL TEAMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Before the game: The performance of the Dolphins special teams against New England in Week 5 was a borderline horror show that included a bad snap on a field goal attempt, a missed field goal attempt and a Dolphins punt that was blocked. The Dolphins simply won't survive that kind of performance very often. Adding a twist here will be the late change at long snapper, with veteran Matt Overton signing Saturday to replace Blake Ferguson after the latter was put on the reserve/non-football illness list.

During the game: Yep, there was a major key play on special teams and it didn't work out in the Dolphins' favor. That was the 54-yard field goal attempt that Jason Sanders doinked off the left upright when the Dolphins were trailing 13-10 with 5:14 left in regulation. Of course, we'll maintain here going for the field goal instead of being more aggressive and going for it on fourth-and-1 from the 36 to eventually try to take the lead instead of going for the tie was the wrong decision, but maybe it would have turned out to be the right call in the end had Sanders made the kick.

CAN TYLER HIT TYREEK?

Before the game: With Tua Tagovailoa expected to return to practice Wednesday and return to the lineup in Week 8, this likely will be Tyler Huntley's last start at quarterback for the Dolphins. While we shouldn't expect him to pass for 300 yards or anything like that, getting that one deep hook-up with Tyreek Hill would be a big bonus for the defense.

During the game: Yeah, didn't work out very well here, did it? Though we have to say that Huntley sure appeared to have a long pass to Hill down the left sideline on the money in the third quarter. Only problem was that Hill never was able to spot the ball, and it wound up landing a few feet in front of him after he had stopped running full speed. That one miss was one of Hill's only two targets, the other a 7-yard reception on the final drive — and that one was from Tim Boyle. Getting Hill more involved continues to be a hot topic for and around the Dolphins.

ROOKIE PASS RUSHERS DUEL

Before the game: The game will feature two of the four edge defenders taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, the Dolphins' Chop Robinson and the Colts' Laiatu Latu, and each team is looking for their rookie to start breaking out. Latu has one sack so far this season, while Robinson is looking for his first. This would be a good game for Robinson to make an impact, given the injury issues the Dolphins have at the position.

During the game: Latu wasn't a major factor, but he did have a sack on the three-and-out drive the Dolphins had right after the Colts tied the score 10-10 in the third quarter. Robinson was even more quiet. He had the chance to miss a nice tackle for loss when he met Trey Sermon in the backfield on a running play, but couldn't wrap up and Sermon got away for a 6-yard gain.