Recent times have been inconsistent at best for the Indianapolis Colts. There have been quite a few downs, but there have also been some ups in there as well. What we witnessed Sunday against the Dolphins was encouraging, exciting, and simply remarkable. Across the board, the Colts dominated, and they did it week one. That wasn’t supposed to happen. The Colts don’t win week one games, or at least hadn’t for over a decade. All of that is out the window now as the Colts put the rest of the league on notice.
Is it just one game, and could this be way too much hype? Absolutely. It could also be right on the money, and whether the wheels fall off in week two, nothing can be taken away from the performance that was game number one. The offense scored on every single possession. All of them… That is insane and makes for a headline in and of itself. A quarterback who was criticized in preseason for not being able to finish drives with points, went out and shut everybody up. Daniel Jones looked like a phoenix out there; reborn from the ashes that are New York NFL teams. Short, intermediate, and long, Jones made all the throws. He even took off with the ball several times and rushed for two scores. There isn’t much else he could have done better.
If you are a fan of Tyler Warren and the Colts selecting him out of Penn State, you had to be smiling ear to ear. Rookies draw special interest as the desire to see them succeed is immense. Getting out of the gate early is tough for most because of the steep learning curve that is the NFL. This didn’t appear to be the case for Warren who looked like a ten year veteran out there. His teammates joined him as well with everyone make big catches. Seeing Michael Pittman Jr. look like the player of old was encouraging as well after a nagging injury left him hampered last season.
The defense appeared to be a potential calling card for this team heading into the season. Not necessarily slating them to be a top five unit, hopes had to be higher than years past, and oh boy, did they deliver. The front was in Tua Tagovailoa’s face all afternoon wreaking havoc and forcing him into bad throws. The Dolphins had 43-yards at halftime. Um… It was even a shutout for most of the game and had the Dolphins not converted an improbable fourth down and goal, it would have stood. Lou Anarumo looks exactly like what the doctor ordered as this defense and its pressure are lightyears ahead of what we have seen in seasons past. A defense like that will keep even a less than perfect offense around to compete in any game.
Outside of the Buffalo Bills games in which Carson Wentz was under center and Jonathan Taylor went cheat code, I cannot recall a more dominate performance. Maybe the Colts won other games by more points, but the final score doesn’t always tell the tale. That was a team performance and an incredible way to start the year. The Colts finally have something to build on as they start the season instead of working out of an early hole. Put together similar or even performances close to that, and we could be in for a real treat in 2025.
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