A new era begins for the Colts, plus why teams should invest in special teams New York Times (Online) Jacob Robinson Chris Ballard's tenure never quite recovered from the shocking retirement of Andrew Luck. The news came after a preseason game, weeks before the 2019 season began. Since then, no team has had more QBs start 10-plus games each (seven) since 2019. Indy never found the guy. This article is from The Athletic's NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. It's free to subscribe. Ballard once justified not drafting a quarterback by saying, “The second that guy doesn't play well, I'm gonna be the first one run out of the building.” So in came Philip Rivers. Carson Wentz. Matt Ryan. Gardner Minshew. Anthony Richardson. Daniel Jones. Some of them well past their primes, and others just not good enough. (Ballard drafted Richardson, but the late Colts owner Jim Irsay shouldered the blame.) No playoff wins, yet Ballard remained at his job. There was always promise without results . Sunday was a new low: losing 26-20 to a previously winless Titans team. It dropped the Colts' record to 3-12 since Ballard's win-now blockbuster, when he shipped two first-round picks to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Last April's pick would've been No. 16. Next year's projects to be in the top 10. Monday's decision to fire Ballard came before a matchup against the 5-0 Vikings, the previous employer of Ballard's final Colts quarterback, Jones. Only three QBs have a lower passer rating than his 71.1 this year, a few months into his two-year, $88 million deal. What's next for the Colts? Coach Shane Steichen has been spared, for now , while Ed Dodds, assistant GM for nine seasons in Indianapolis, leads the personnel department. As for the on-field product, my colleague James Boyd explains why it's time to embrace a full rebuild . But will an interim general manager have authority to move aging team staples like 30-somethings Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, both on expiring contracts? Probably not without sign-off by owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who seems as suited for the role as anybody in her position. What comes next won't be easy, but should be different. That might be enough for now. Over to Sando. Los Angeles entered this season of sky-high expectations, convinced it'd done enough to address the fatal flaw that'd doomed it in 2025: special teams. While there were reasons to be skeptical, few could have envisioned the Rams having more kickers (three, after signing Brandon McManus ) than victories (two) through their first six games of 2026. The Rams rank last in EPA per play on special teams, per TruMedia. They also rank last in the special-teams commitment metric I developed over the summer (see bottom left). The commitment metric measures how teams configure their game-day rosters with (or without) special teams in mind. As you can see from the blue line, teams tend to get out what they put in. Inspiration came from catastrophic special teams plays that doomed MVP-quarterback seasons for both the Packers and Rams recently: the '21 Packers with Aaron Rodgers and '25 Rams with Matthew Stafford. While the Packers have made strides this season, the Rams continue to land well behind in the five categories powering the commitment metric: The five metrics measuring commitment to special teams include: Commitment alone guarantees nothing. Teams still need good players and coaches. But with the Rams' commitment falling sharply over the last few seasons, it's plausible their unusual roster construction is a factor . After trading away first-round selections in the “f— them picks” era, the Rams have increasingly used later-round choices to fill holes on offense and defense, with less regard for special teams. They have cycled through five special-teams coaches and one interim coach under Sean McVay, but the game-day commitment still lags. Now, as injuries to key players mount, the preseason Super Bowl favorites are struggling to find their footing. Back over to Jacob. It's hard to keep up with every NFL team The Athletic covers. I get it. So I spent the day unearthing what you should know from our beat reporters, my colleagues on the front lines, in locker rooms, speaking with coaches and players. Here's a quick roundup: Entering today, the Giants' starting quarterback was still a mystery. Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy? (Each is also his own mystery.) Coach John Harbaugh declined multiple opportunities earlier in the week to affirm that Winston is the starter, and if the Giants make a change, it would not be surprising if McCarthy's late-game heroics against the Saints were enough to overtake the struggling starter. Buffalo is turning to rookies during its bye . How do you fix one of the league's worst defenses? Shuffling the lineup is a start. The brightest option is rookie corner Davison Igbinosun, who replaced 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston opposite CB1 Christian Benford. It sounds like that'll stick: “I don't think Igbinosun is in any jeopardy of Hairston re-taking the starting job,” Joe Buscaglia wrote. The Jets need Garrett Wilson involved. Ignoring your best offensive player isn't a recommended strategy, but it's what the Jets did through three quarters in Sunday's 26-19 loss to the Patriots. Wilson was targeted on just two of Geno Smith's 16 passes, and has now finished with fewer than 10 targets in nine of his 13 games under Aaron Glenn. That must change . A.J. Brown to bounce back? He caught three passes for 26 yards against the Seahawks before an ankle injury cost him four weeks. He returned to catch three passes for 27, dropping three of his 10 targets. “He was so bad that even the home fans were sarcastically cheering when he finally did catch a ball,” Chad Graff noted. It's been a nightmare . The Vikings interior line improved. Timely, considering how important it is for shorter quarterbacks like Kyler Murray. One year after allowing the highest pressure rate in the NFL, the interior is allowing the lowest of Kevin O'Connell's tenure. An injury to left guard Donovan Jackson hurts, and it makes interior help one of several Vikings trade-deadline targets . The Bears missed Kyler Gordon. Three sacks and two forced fumbles are an impressive line for an edge rusher. They are mind-boggling for a nickel corner. It was a historic season debut for Gordon , and came after a calf injury had lingered for months. He helped seal the Atlanta game with this play: Detroit gets reinforcements. The 3-2 Lions exited their bye in last place in the NFC North. Yet Dan Campbell is excited , partially because Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch is on track to return, as is center Cade Mays, their biggest free-agent signing. They host the 4-2 Packers on Sunday. The Raiders still can't run the ball . The league's sixth-highest-scoring team ranks 21st in converting red-zone opportunities to touchdowns. “When you want to be a good red-zone team, you've got to run the ball well,” coach Klint Kubiak said. Not ideal for a team whose EPA per carry outside the red zone ranks 30th — and 32nd near the goal line. Sean Payton sticking with Bo Nix. Only the 1-5 Titans average fewer yards than 4-2 Denver, which is struggling despite fielding one of the NFL's healthiest lineups. The Broncos struggle on third down, struggle to run the ball and have a quarterback whose competitive effort was “disrespectful” to the position, according to Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Broncos are focused on fixing everything around Nix . Terry McLaurin done in Washington? A torn patellar tendon could keep the receiver out for 10-plus months, if he returns there at all . Football is the worst sport for this injury, per studies cited by our Nicki Jhabvala. McLaurin has no remaining guaranteed salary. 🎧 Listen in. Re-linking this story on NFL headsets by Jourdan Rodrigue and Sando. You'll scroll through stories from legendary coaches and learn details on how it all works. Hot dogs and truckers are mentioned. 🏆 “The Kenneth Walker Bowl” can describe Sunday night's Seahawks-Chiefs game, the running back's first game in Seattle since his Super Bowl MVP award. Now that he's the Chiefs' current MVP, his old defense is his biggest test yet. Michael-Shawn Dugar explains why Walker was always going to leave Seattle . 🇫🇷 NFL in Paris. Amid civil unrest in the French capital, the league plans to play Sunday's Saints-Steelers game. “We always have a strong security presence,” a league executive said yesterday. “That security will be heightened.” 🏈 Quick Outs. With blood clots sidelining Jalen Hurts indefinitely, Tanner McKee might quarterback the Eagles for the rest of 2026. Can he salvage the season? Derrik Klassen investigated McKee's timid debut . ▶️ Most-clicked: How and why Brian Flores is taking on the entire NFL . My favorite line from Michael Silver: “Flores stands out like a shirtless ice fisherman.” 📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic 's free NFL newsletter in your inbox. Also, check out our other newsletters .