A First Start for Kyle McCord, an Audition for the Colts: Two Reeling Teams Meet in Indianapolis

Some games are about the standings. Sunday's matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium is about the future. The 1-7 Miami Dolphins visit the 2-7 Indianapolis Colts with both franchises in the middle of change, and the most important player on the field may be a quarterback who has yet to take a regular-season snap.

Miami placed Malik Willis on injured reserve with a groin injury this week, which means Kyle McCord will make his first NFL start, CBS Sports reported. The Colts, meanwhile, enter on a five-game losing streak with a receiver room thinned out by last week's trade deadline.

McCord, 24, came to Miami from Green Bay just before the season in exchange for a sixth-round pick, and he has been active for every Dolphins game without taking a snap. His college resume is no secret. In his 2024 season at Syracuse he threw for 4,760 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

McCord, who started at Ohio State before transferring to Syracuse, has pointed to his experience in big college games as something he can draw on, Pro Football Talk reported. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik told reporters the Dolphins are not planning a major overhaul of the offense for their new starter, and that he expects McCord to feel some nerves before and possibly during the game.

That is an honest assessment, and a healthy one. Nerves are normal. What coaches want to see is how a young man responds after his first bad throw. Miami's best help for McCord could be on the ground. Running back Ollie Gordon II is expected to be the focal point of the run game, and the Dolphins have ruled out center Aaron Brewer and receiver Jared Wayne, according to Yahoo Sports.

Indianapolis is in a different kind of transition. Athlon Sports described Week 10 as an audition after a fire sale in which the Colts traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, guard Quenton Nelson and receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen, and parted ways with general manager Chris Ballard. Coach Shane Steichen is using the rest of the season to evaluate tight end Tyler Warren and a rebuilt receiving corps.

How rebuilt? Athlon reported the Colts receivers expected to play Sunday have combined for 27 catches and 375 yards, and Steichen plans to start Anthony Gould in the slot. Quarterback Daniel Jones enters with 10 interceptions through nine games.

The injury report adds to the challenge. Steichen ruled out right tackle Jalen Travis (knee), tight end Mo Alie-Cox (groin), linebackers Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee) and Jaylon Carlies (neck), long snapper Luke Rhodes (hamstring) and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (calf), with Luke Tenuta expected to step in at right tackle, Yahoo Sports reported.

The one star the Colts kept is the one to watch. Indianapolis turned down second-round offers for running back Jonathan Taylor before the deadline, Yardbarker reported, and he has 656 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 161 carries, plus 26 catches for 220 yards. His snap share has slipped from 89 percent over the first three weeks to 70 percent since.

His opponent in the matchup that may decide the game is a rookie. Miami linebacker Jacob Rodriguez leads the Dolphins with 79 tackles, and Yardbarker called Taylor against Rodriguez the matchup to watch. If Taylor gets rolling, Jones can play safe, efficient football and the Colts can protect a young offensive line. If Rodriguez wins that battle, Sunday could turn into a long afternoon for an Indianapolis offense short on playmakers.

Nobody will mistake this for a Super Bowl preview. But I like games like this, because they show you who a team really is. When the wins are scarce and the roster has been stripped down, you learn which players still sprint to the ball and which ones are waiting for the season to end.

For McCord, this is the chance every backup prays for, and he has earned it by preparing every week for a game he did not know was coming. For Jones, it is another opportunity to show the steady leadership he has carried through a hard season. For Taylor, it is a reminder that loyalty runs both ways: the Colts kept him, and now he can show them why.

Kickoff is Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Watch the first quarter closely. How McCord handles the opening series will tell you a lot about the rest of the day.