Indianapolis, IN — For the first time since Andrew Luck’s second year in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts start their season with a 1-0 record after besting the Miami Dolphins 33-8 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was both an important and monumental day for the organization. Not only has the aforementioned curse finally been lifted, but the franchise honored its late, great owner in Jim Irsay, by inducting him into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during halftime of the game. Notable Colts players from all eras were in attendance to show their support, from Peyton Manning to Pat McAfee and everyone in between. Emotions were high and expectations low; therefore, the end result was just as shocking as it was impressive.
Not only did Shane Steichen and DC Lou Anarumo have these guys playing as together and inspired as we’ve seen in recent memory, but complementary football was on display. Most importantly, there was down-to-down consistency on the offensive side of the ball. This newfound sense of self resulted in a historical showing from the Colts’ offense, and although expectations need to be proactively tempered, there now lies concrete proof that this offense has a respectable ceiling, and that is thanks to the recent last-ditch effort of a marriage between three parties: GM Chris Ballard, HC Shane Steichen, and QB Daniel Jones.
It sounds laughable to suggest that Daniel Jones could be the missing piece to this impossible puzzle that’s been the Ballard era Colts, but Week 1 suggested, potentially fraudulently due to a subpar opponent in the Dolphins, that Indy may have found something by pairing Jones with Steichen and then meshing them with the respectable offensive weapons littered amongst the Colts offense.
It’s been regurgitated ad nauseam that the recent influx of successful reclamation projects at quarterback across the NFL. From Geno Smith to Sam Darnold and everyone in between, this recent reminder to not give up on young players has allowed faltering organizations to retool as opposed to accepting a full-blown rebuild. As with the case of Daniel Jones in Indianapolis, this marriage of sorts has an asterisk due to the overarching nature of said move. Yes, like the other examples, Jones was to be given a fresh start to right his wrongs, but with a twist. He, too, is responsible for the future(s) of Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen. Given that this season has been regarded as the last year for this regime to figure it out, the clock is ticking for all parties involved.
Since this timeline in Indianapolis had all but run its course heading into the season, skepticism toward the franchise’s uncharacteristic notion of ‘going all-in’ was more than valid. While some masochist fans wanted to see their team historically fail so that this regime in question can receive a fitting end, the majority of the fanbase had checked out entirely, not necessarily hoping for a collapse, but rather expecting one.
Fast forward to the conclusion of Week 1, Steichen and Co. have the boys humming. From start to finish, the Indianapolis Colts dominated the Miami Dolphins and secured their first 1-0 record since 2013. Not only did the offense put on a historic showing, responding to every drive with a score, but the defense played greedily as well, with multiple takeaways coming early and often. The team was firing on all cylinders, but the question(s) begs to be asked: how is such complementary football achieved in such a drastic turnaround? Sure, the basis of a contender remained, but the edge-defining key positions in football evaded them for far too long. Why now?
Perhaps, Chris Ballard was finally afforded the resources to field a worthwhile product. Maybe Shane Steichen is not in over his head as head coach. What if.. Daniel Jones is just another example of how not every quarterback is built the same, and additionally, how the ideal circumstances are necessary to not only succeed but to thrive?
That’s a lot to tackle at once, but one thing is apparent, and that is Daniel Jones has regained his sense of self. Even he, during his post-game press conference, explained that consistency throughout the season is most important, but he looked like the best version of himself during the Colts’ long-awaited Week 1 victory, and that’s beyond noteworthy.
From the very first snap, Jones was dialed in. He was locked in pre-snap as he made checks throughout the opening drive. His dropbacks were in rhythm, and his passes were on time. Jones was smooth sailing throughout this game as if this were a televised walkthrough. If his situation was so bad just a season ago that he requested he be released to continue his story elsewhere, then how, in such a short turnaround, has he mended his otherwise blatant shortcomings? You do so by providing a favorable scheme while instilling faith and confidence in one’s ability to get the job done, and Shane Steichen has done just that.
Anthony Richardson aside, this storyline is quickly blossoming into a powerful one. Not even a calendar year ago, Jones was tossed aside to be soon featured as the next line of ‘bust’ quarterback prospects. Similarly, with the ever-apparent regression of the aforementioned young quarterback, who, unfortunately, has since received that same reputation, Shane Steichen’s days as the man in charge were beginning to be counted. After just one game of the following season, both individuals have breathed new life.
After putting on a clinic of a coaching performance against the Dolphins, Steichen and Jones have fans and analysts alike giving flowers while simultaneously apologizing. As the new signal-caller, Jones put up an impressive stat line to the tune of 22-29 passes completed (76% completion), 272 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 sack, 114.7 passer rating, and rushed the ball seven times for 26 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs.
Schematically, Steichen was throwing so much at the Dolphins defense that he very well could’ve checked his playbook’s index for additional ideas during the second half — and Daniel Jones handled the workload with ease. Most of the time, Jones was throwing shorter routes, but not all were quick-hitters. Of course, he was mostly money on said quick-developing routes, but even on the plays where he worked through his progressions would result in a net positive. Couple his poised decision-making with the favorable matchups thanks to Steichen’s timely and balanced playcalling performance, and it’s clear how and why the Colts offense was able to dominate so seamlessly.
Efficiency and production aside, Jones was truly operating like a savvy veteran in the season opener. He made various checks at the line, utilized his cadence for hard counts and similar tendency-breakers, all while communicating regularly with all ten of his teammates on the offense. It’s an impressive trait that is evident even from the broadcast copy, and furthermore, iz an inside look to how Jones so clearly won the starting job. It shouldn’t be an indictment on any young quarterback who is falling short, but a brief idea as to what’s required from the sport’s most important position at its highest level possible. Steichen proudly discussed this very excellence during his media availability following the win.
“He checked the protection on it. He made a few of those all game. There’s a lot of that stuff that goes on. There was another one on 4th down where they checked it and brought [cover] 0, and he threw it to [Josh] Downs. He makes a lot of plays like that for us,” Steichen went on about a question regarding an opening-drive check call that Jones had made.
“There’s no doubt. There’s all those little things — the game within the game — those are conversations that happen in offensive staff meetings,” Steichen later added when discussing how Jones utilizes cadence to further his pre-snap manipulation. “Then he brings those [takeaways] to the offensive meetings and he stands up and talks about it like, ‘Hey, here’s what I’m going to do on this one fellas,‘ and guys are locked in and ready to go.”
It’s easy to understand, even outside of the timeline’s crumbling looming overhead, why Shane Steichen would want to pair a veteran quarterback like Jones with a rock-solid roster like the Colts have. The offense’s ceiling in terms of explosives may be lowered without Anthony Richardson’s talents, but its ceiling as far as a sustainable operation goes has undeniably been raised.
As I discussed in a previous article, how we got to this point could’ve been done so in a less stressful way, but as far as the vision for the Colts’ 2025-26 season goes, I get it. Although it seemed at first like the Daniel Jones signing was window dressing to light a fire under Richardson, this regime’s last-ditch effort is a commendable one, even if it’s way past due.
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