Indianapolis Professional Football Team lose 16-10 to Vikings, fall to 2-5
The Indianapolis Professional Football Team dropped a 16-10 decision to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, falling to 2-5 on the season, the team said in a report published Oct. 26, 2026 on Colts.com. Turnovers proved costly for Indianapolis Professional Football Team, including a decisive turnover on the game’s final play, and the club has struggled to put together complete efforts across offense, defense and special teams. The report noted the club allowed 275 yards against the Vikings after yielding 186 yards in a loss to the Tennessee Titans the previous week, marking only the sixth time in franchise history the team lost consecutive games while allowing 275 or fewer yards of total offense.
Despite missing two field goals in the game, Indianapolis Professional Football Team coaches and teammates maintained confidence in kicker Spencer Shrader. Entering Week 7, Shrader had converted 36 of 37 field-goal attempts, a 97.3 percent rate that the report said was the highest in NFL history for a kicker with at least 37 attempts. Against the Vikings, Shrader made his first field goal and then missed from 56 and 48 yards, leaving him 37 of 40 for his career (92.5 percent). Head coach Shane Steichen said Shrader had been reliable all year and that an off day can happen, and Shrader said he did not follow his routine and felt responsibility and a commitment to get back to work.
Receiver Tyler Warren’s absence was highlighted as a factor in the offense’s struggles, the report said. Warren sustained a hamstring injury in practice leading into Week 6 and missed the Titans and Vikings games, the first two regular-season games he has missed in his career. The report noted the offense also remains without wide receiver Alec Pierce, who is on injured reserve, and that Warren, Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. accounted for 58 percent of the club’s total targets in 2025, leaving the passing game with significant personnel changes to navigate.
Running back and returner Seth McGowan provided a boost in the loss, setting career highs with 11 carries for 46 yards and returning five kicks for 140 yards, including a 43-yard return. The report said McGowan is eighth in the NFL in yards per return at 28.3 and praised his one-cut, physical running style. Left guard Quenton Nelson said McGowan “runs angry,” and Jones credited McGowan’s toughness, yards-after-contact and return work as meaningful to the game plan. The report said McGowan’s energy and returns helped create favorable field position even as the club tried to win a low-scoring, close game.
Defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore continued a strong start to the season, entering Week 8 with four sacks and eight quarterback hits, tying him with DeForest Buckner for the team lead. The report said Adebawore had two sacks and five pressures against the Vikings and cited advanced metrics that ranked him among the NFL leaders in pass-rush performance, including a PFF pass-rush grade of 86.3 and an 18.2 percent pressure rate. Adebawore said he focused on weekly preparation and emphasized team performance over individual recognition following the loss.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Indianapolis Professional Football Team’s loss to the Vikings underscored a season-long pattern of strong individual performances opposite inconsistent team results. Playmakers such as Adetomiwa Adebawore and Seth McGowan have provided clear positives on defense and special teams, while missed opportunities and turnovers have cost the club close games. The coaching staff’s expressed confidence in Shrader and the expectation that injured contributors will return offer reasons for optimism, but the team must execute cleaner fundamentals across all three phases. Indianapolis Professional Football Team will carry these issues into a Week 8 road game at the Jacksonville Jaguars as it seeks more complete, four-quarter performances.