5 Things Learned: Colts Overcome Issues In Win Over Cardinals

1. Daniel Jones Delivers In 4th

Daniel Jones Delivers In 4^th: In encountering some rockiness in Sunday’s first half, Daniel Jones hung in to deliver some major throws in two fourth-quarter touchdown drives on Sunday. We had our first “what the hell” moment from Jones on Sunday when he tossed a second-quarter INT to Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. Of course, credit Jones for it taking until quarter No. 22 of the season before he had such a turnover. Jones had a stretch on Sunday where the offense went with consecutive 3-and-outs and then he tossed that interception, which is certainly up there with any of the roughest offensive spans of the season. And he nearly was picked again in the second half as Cardinals safety Budda Baker couldn’t hang on. But, man, did Jones show some impressive 4^th quarter resolve after that. Down 7, Jones fit one into a tight window to Alec Pierce, before lofting one to Josh Downs in the back of the end zone for a tying score. Then, down three in the 4^th, he took hits, yet still found Pierce for a chunk and Downs for a first down on a 3^rd-and-8. No AFC Player of the Week will be there for Jones on Sunday. But do not forget some of the throws he delivered, under duress, against one of the top-scoring defenses in the NFL. And, once again, the Colts were flawless in the red zone (4-of-4), which is a major reason why they survived this one.

2. Colts Overcome Poor Defensive Day

Colts Overcome Poor Defensive Day: Lou Anarumo will have plenty to correct from Sudnay, but doing it with a winning feeling is always better. The Colts defense was rough on Sunday and probably should be grateful the officiating crew swallowed their whistle on the final Cardinals drive. Allowing a season-high 27 points to an offense without their starting QB, top two running backs and seeing their top wideout exit before halftime is something that will leave Anarumo a ton to correct this week. Even team captain Zaire Franklin had a boneheaded unnecessary roughness penalty that greatly aided a Cardinals TD drive. This is a day when some late pressure from the front 4 can’t excuse such a quiet day from that healthy and highly invested group. Linebacker play, with newcomer Germaine Pratt starting, continues to be a question. And the depth at cornerback is starting to crack. Giving up 320 passing yards to Jacoby Brisset and seeing so many massive down and distances into first downs is playing with fire. Down and distances of 3rd-and-15, 3rd-and-17, 2nd-and-15 and 2nd-and-16 turned into Cardinals first downs on Sunday. Anarumo and company should thank the offense for bailing them out here in Week 6.

3. Charvarius Ward Suffers Pre-Game Concussion

Charvarius Ward Suffers Pre-Game Concussion: What in the world was happening during Colts warmups on Sunday afternoon (see more below). The Colts didn’t have a single player get hurt during Sunday’s game, yet had two guys unable to play because of injuries in warmups. Veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward suffered a concussion in pre-game warmpus, during a time when he did not have his helmet on. FOX showed the replay of the incident, as Ward ran into 260-pound tight end Drew Ogletree as they were 2 of the very few players left working out a little more than an hour until kickoff. The Ward loss was certainly impactful in the present, in that he was likely to shadow Marvin Harrison Jr (although Harrison Jr. left in the second quarter with a concussion). Big picture, it’s also notable because Ward could very well miss next week’s game against Justin Herbert and the Chargers. And this is now the second concussion Ward has suffered this season (Ward developed concussion like symptoms after the season opener and missed Week 2 vs. the Broncos). Ramifications of this loss revolves around Kenny Moore II (Achilles) needing to return, as he’s missed 3 straight games. You have undrafted free agent Johnathan Edwards and newcomer Cameron Mitchell (4 career starts) as options on the roster. The return of Jaylon Jones (hamstring) could happen sometime this month, but he’s been on injured reserve since Week 1. With the trade deadline a little more than 3 weeks away, you could talk me into several defensive positions to address for the Colts.

4. Surprising Inactives:

Surprising Inactives: As if Anthony Richardson Sr. Hasn’t had enough bad injury luck, another occurred on Sunday without him playing a single snap. According to Shane Steichen, Richardson suffered an orbital eye fracture as a stretching band snapped and broke during pre-game warmups, hitting the quarterback in the eye. The injury was so severe that Richardson didn’t even dress on Sunday, meaning Riley Leonard was the backup quarterback and the Colts had no emergency 3rd quarterback. If this injury is bad enough to impact the immediate future of Richardson with the Colts, they are going to need to explore a backup QB on the veteran market. And for those curious about the Colts trading Richardson, the trade deadline is November 4th. Speaking of inatcives on Sunday, the AD Mitchell punishment continued. With Alec Pierce back on Sunday, the Colts decided to have Mitchell as a healthy inactive for the first time in his NFL career. Quite the newsy inactive list for the Colts on Sunday.

5. Business Handled

Business Handled: Like has been the case throughout the 2025 season, the Colts handled their business on Sunday with minimal national eyes watching. Unlike the previous games as big favorites though, the Colts had plenty to sweat in this one. The Colts walked into Week 6 as more than a touchdown favorite over the Cardinals, with backup QB Jacoby Brissett under center. It’s hard to have some grand reaction to an October home win over a backup signal caller. And it’s clear the Colts have some definite things to fix, mostly defensively and special teams. But when you have the Jags sitting there at 4-1 (they lost on Sunday to fall to 4-2), keeping pace, continuing to play from ahead record wise, taking care of on paper gifts is needed. And the Colts did just that, once again, on Sunday afternoon.

6. QUICK HITTERS

–Injury Report: The following Colts were inactive on Sunday: CB-Kenny Moore II (calf), RB-Tyler Goodson (groin), QB-Anthony Richardson (eye), WR-AD Mitchell, DE-JT Tuimoloau, TE-Will Mallory, OT-Luke Tenuta. The following players got injured and did not return:

–Key Stat: The Colts are now 10-of-10 in the red zone over the last two games.                                                                                               

-What’s Next: The Colts (5-1) are headed back to the west coast in Week 7, taking on the Chargers (4-2) in a 4:05 PM kickoff.