5 Things Learned: Colts Blast Dolphins, End Streak

1. Outstanding Daniel Jones

That side of Daniel Jones was exactly what the Colts are envisioning from their new starting quarterback. Get the ball in the hands of playmakers and methodically move down the field through. Scoring drives of 9, 14, 5, 17, 7, 15, 7 plays is that type of script, with the Colts living in third-and-manageable situations. While Miami hardly challenged Jones to make any difficult throws, he did show off the deep ball to start the 3^rd quarter in finding Alec Pierce for 36 yards. Also, have the Colts found a new short-yardage answer with Daniel Jones looking like Jacoby Brissett on those QB sneaks? Outside of a dropped INT, Jones was pretty darn flawless in his opener. He finished the day 22-of-29 for 272 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Again, you might not have a bunch of highlight-reel throws from Jones. But this 60-minute effort is what the Colts believe Jones is capable of, around the Colts offensive personnel. Have the Colts revived the confidence in the former top-10 pick?

2. Game Ball To Lou

What you saw on Sunday was why the Colts needed to make a change in their defensive approach. Lou Anarumo is going to have a unit that is planting more seeds of doubt into their opponent, contesting more and challenging more. And that was on full display against the explosive Dolphins. You had DBs blitzing on a 2^nd-and-short (Kenny Moore II sack) and a 1^st-and-10 (Nick Cross sack). You had top edge rusher Laiatu Latu dropping in coverage on a 3rd down, and showing off some impressive eyes/hands for an interception. Against Miami, some might choose to have a safety or two playing way deep, nervous of the Dolphins perimeter speed, but both Nick Cross and Cam Bynum took turns getting involved in the challenging/playmaking front. Personnel wise, what a sound day of tackling too for the Colts, which has been an issue in recent years, and is always a concern in Week 1 + when facing the Dolphins. Are the Colts going to look like this defensively every week? Of course not. But by choosing to change, and play this style, they will at least walk into games with more unpredictably for opposing offense in preparation. The Colts beating legit quarterbacks is something they’ve hardly done in the past few years. They did it on Sunday.

3. Tyler Warren Belongs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you knew full well Tyler Warren’s impressive spring/training camp/preseason was going to mean a huge early-season role. There was going to be no “easing” Warren into NFL life. And that was quite evident on Sunday. Warren caught 3 balls on the opening drive of the game. He also added a 3^rd-and-1 run conversion when lining up as a fullback later in the first half. Warren’s presence was really felt on a play he didn’t even touch the football. On a 2^nd-and-20 early in the second quarter, Warren ran a seam route that had the full attention of safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. As Warren was heading down the seam, Michael Pittman Jr. found a zone window spot thanks to the heavy Warren attention, and Daniel Jones hit the veteran wideout for the touchdown. And in the 4^th, with the Colts facing a 3^rd-and-4, there was Warren taking a little dump off near the line scrimmage, breaking a tackle, and running up field for a 15-yard gain, thanks to ample yards after catch. Warren’s rookie debut stat line of 7 catches and 76 yards is notable, but you felt him even more when seeing the attention he is already commanding.

4. Perfect Opener?

Sunday was a clinic by the Colts. Good luck squinting to find any flaws from the Colts. With the offensive line creating clean pockets after clean pockets, Daniel Jones spread the ball around to the tune of 6 scores on 6 drives. Defensively, the Colts disrupted Tua Tagovailoa all afternoon, proving they can make a quality quarterback look pedestrian. Sound tackling was there. New kicker Spencer Shrader was 7-of-7 on his kicks (3 extra points and field goals of 24, 28, 35 and 48 yards). Outside of a leak or two in kick coverage, another hamstring injury to Jaylon Jones and Jonathan Taylor not returning after taking a hit to the neck area late in the 3^rd quarter, Sunday was dreamy for the Colts. Obviously, now it’s all about stringing stretches of quality play together.

5. Streak. Is. Over.

The. Streak. Is. Over. After 11 years (10 losses and 1 tie), the Colts have finally started a season 1-0. While that might constitute a parade around Monument Circle, this win could carry even more weight come playoff standing time. In recent years, the Colts and Dolphins have both lingered in that Wild Card pool, trying to get one of those 3 spots. If that happens again in 2025, the Colts will have a head-to-head tiebreaker in their back pocket. That might not mean much on September 7^th. But let’s talk again on December 7^th or January 7^th. This schedule has chances early in the year for the Colts to build a strong record, compared to the end where things appear to be more challenging. So this result is important on many levels, and one that feels a bit fitting on Jim Irsay Ring of Honor day.

6. QUICK HITTERS

–Injury Report: The following Colts were inactive on Sunday: RB-Tyler Goodson (elbow), CB-Johnathan Edwards, TE-Will Mallory, LB-Chad Muma, OT-Luke Tenuta, DE-JT Tuimoloau. The following players got injured and did not return: CB-Jaylon Jones (hamstring).

–Key Stat: According to NFL Network, Daniel Jones became the first Colts quarterback since Peyton Manning 2006 to go 4-for-4 on scoring drives in a first half.

-What’s Next: The Colts (1-0) will be back at home in Week 2, hosting the Broncos (0-0) at 4:05 PM, in another critical AFC matchup.