Jacoby Brissett returned to Indianapolis as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals but was unable to secure a win against his former team. The Cardinals lost 31-27 to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium after a final drive ended with an incomplete pass in the end zone.
“I thought we had a chance,” Brissett said after leading the Cardinals down to the Indianapolis 9-yard line with less than a minute left. “That’s all you can ask for in this league, is a chance.”
Brissett started in place of Kyler Murray, who missed the game due to a foot injury. He completed 27 of 44 passes for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception—just six yards short of his career high. The Cardinals offense gained a season-best 400 yards despite losing wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to a concussion in the first half.
Coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed that Murray remains the team’s starting quarterback when healthy but expressed confidence in Brissett’s ability if needed. Gannon praised Brissett’s performance: “I hate to say I’m not impressed, but I know that’s who he is.”
The Cardinals scored on every second-half possession except their last. Tight end Trey McBride, who caught eight passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, believed he was held by a defender on the final play but no penalty was called. “I thought I got a little pass interference,” McBride said. “They didn’t think so.” Gannon added, “They call what they call.”
Arizona has now lost four consecutive games by a combined nine points, with each of their six games this season decided in the final minute. “It doesn’t feel like that,” McBride said about the narrow losses. “They’ve all been close. It’s frustrating.”
Gannon noted that defensive struggles contributed to the loss, particularly against Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 123 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over four minutes remaining.
“This is not no time to put our heads down,” safety Rabbit Taylor-Demerson said. “It’s a long, long season. These games are close. We’re not where we want to be but we’re not in a bad spot.”
Brissett highlighted his connection with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing during the game: “I was seeing it very well,” he said.
Injuries were also an issue for Arizona; tight end Travis Vokolek suffered neck and concussion injuries on special teams but was alert and traveled home with the team after being released from hospital care. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., running back Emari Demercado, and wide receiver Michael Wilson also left due to injuries at various points during the game.
Despite these setbacks and another close loss, Gannon stressed resilience moving forward: “It’s hard. It’s hard,” he said regarding their current losing streak. “We’re in a tough spot. Four in a row is tough. But we’ll be resilient.”
