With three missed kicks, Dolphins drop close one in Kyle McCord's first start

David Furones, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Nov 15, 2026

Published in Football

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The young Miami Dolphins made enough plays on offense and defense to win against the host Indianapolis Colts in second-year quarterback Kyle McCord’s first NFL start.

But with kicker Zane Gonzalez missing three kicks, the Dolphins lost to the Colts, 24-22, Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Miami (1-8) lost a third consecutive game after picking up its lone win of the season, Oct. 25 against the New York Jets. The loss held up the Dolphins’ draft position over two Jets picks, as New York has the first-round pick of Indianapolis (3-7).

McCord, in for injured starter Malik Willis and playing through the game after hitting his hand against Colts edge rusher Laiatu Latu early in Sunday’s action, went 17 of 32 for 209 yards, a rushing touchdown and a fumble that went for a Colts touchdown.

He had a fourth-and-17 pass batted down at the line of scrimmage with 1:36 remaining. The Dolphins would’ve had a chance at either a long field goal or maybe a more manageable fourth-down attempt, but a miscommunication in pass protection between left tackle Patrick Paul and running back Ollie Gordon II let Colts linebacker CJ Allen roam free for a third-down sack.

After the turnover on downs, the Colts picked up a first down on the ground and ran out the clock.

Gordon ran for 76 yards on 20 carries. Wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Malik Washington went for 71 and 50 yards, respectively.

The Dolphins defense struggled against the run in the first game without standout Zach Sieler, who is out for season with a torn biceps. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 83 yards and Seth McGowan 77 and a touchdown.

Colts quarterback Daniel Jones went 11 of 22 for 108 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown.

Trailing, 21-10, the Miami defense got the team back in the game in the third quarter. Rookie cornerback Chris Johnson intercepted a Jones pass that went off the fingertips of intended target Andrew Ogletree and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed, but it was still a one-possession game, 24-16, when Indianapolis came right back with a 52-yard field goal.

Miami got closer when McCord powered through a facemask penalty for a rushing touchdown on a designed run from three yards out at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins failed to tie the game with the ensuing two-point conversion try, and then Miami did not take the lead in the middle of the fourth quarter when kicker Zane Gonzalez had one of his three missed kicks on a 51-yard attempt.

The McCord-led Dolphins offense got a spark in the second half when offensive coordinator and play caller Bobby Slowik dialed up some trickery. A backward pass to Malik Washington let him show off his arm, throwing a 34-yard touchdown over the top of the defense to fellow wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.

It tied up the game at 7, but the Colts scored at the end of the first half and then again to start the second half to pull ahead.

Wide receiver Laquan Treadwell scored a 7-yard touchdown, in front of Dolphins cornerback JuJu Brents in an Indianapolis homecoming to take a 14-7 lead at the end of a 92-yard drive. Before that score, Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley left points on the field by going for a fourth-and-2 from the Colts 8-yard line and turning it over on downs on a McCord incompletion to tight end Greg Dulcich.

At the start of the second half, Indianapolis nickel cornerback Justin Walley flushed McCord for a strip-sack. The fumble was recovered in the end zone by Adetomiwa Adebawore for the touchdown that put Indianapolis up two scores.

The Colts started the scoring Sunday on the first play of the second quarter with running back Seth McGown plunging in from four yards out to cap a 12-play, 63-yard drive.

Aside from the Johnson pick-six, rookie safety Michael Taaffe had an interception on a fourth down in the second quarter. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive end Chop Robinson each forced fumbles. Robinson also picked up a sack

Miami had kicking woes again. Prior to Gonzalez’s fourth-quarter miss, he missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. He rebounded with a make from 53 yards out, but Gonzalez later failed on an extra-point attempt. He has missed at least one kick in three consecutive games. The special teams unit also had a kick-catch interference from Kyle Louis covering a punt.

The Dolphins are back on the road next Sunday, visiting the Buffalo Bills in their new stadium.