The Indianapolis Colts (2-4) hit a major crossroads this week after their home loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.
The loss, already the team's fourth in the AFC, led to general manager Chris Ballard's firing.
On paper, the Colts don't look like one of the NFL's worst teams, but their record suggests otherwise. They are underachieving and failing to translate what they feel are good weeks of practice into effective gameplay.
In ESPN's latest NFL power rankings, the Colts ranked No. 26, ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins. That's a two-spot slide from last week's No. 24 ranking.
Throughout the first six games, the Colts have yet to string together a 60-minute effort of complementary football, featuring strong contributions from the offense, defense, and special teams.
Their loss to Tennessee was a failure by all three.
"(Daniel) Jones has committed nine turnovers this season, with multiple giveaways in three of the Colts' six games," ESPN's Colts reporter Stephen Holder pointed out. "There is some context, to be sure. The team's receivers are very underwhelming without Alec Pierce (heel), and the offensive line isn't consistently handling blitzes well. But Jones is not able to rise above those issues, ranking near the bottom of the league in QBR (30th), yards per attempt (29th), and completion rate (29th). At this point last season, he ranked top five in all three categories."
The Colts put significant stock in Jones returning from last year's Achilles injury and playing well in 2026. While he hasn't missed any time since the offseason, Jones' play has been hot and cold, marked by frequent, careless turnovers.
He completed just 52.3% of his 42 pass attempts and was sacked six times against the Titans, often appearing unable to see open receivers or hesitant to pull the trigger on certain throws. Jones threw two interceptions.
The strong point of the Colts' offense was running back Jonathan Taylor and the run game. Taylor accounted for 21 of the Colts' 30 runs and 94 of their 165 yards. He also had a touchdown. He did, however, lose a fumble.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen had eight catches for 82 yards, but no other Colts receivers had more than four catches or 41 yards.
The Colts' defense played relatively well, though the offense put them in tough spots with two consecutive turnovers to start the second half. Indy held the Titans' offense to 186 total yards (102 passing and 84 rushing), just 3-of-10 on third downs, and forced only their third takeaway of the season.
The biggest issue for the Colts' defense, as usual, was a lack of pass rush, as they failed to get to quarterback Cam Ward for a sack and hit him only once. Tennessee had allowed 10 sacks through the first five weeks. In the last two games, the Colts' defense has had just one sack and three quarterback hits, both against vulnerable offensive fronts.
The Colts' offense outgained Tennessee by more than 200 yards, were 46.7% on third downs, and had an advantage of more than 17 minutes in time of possession, yet still somehow lost.
That's what being negative in the turnover margin will do to you.