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Good heavens, do now we have a enjoyable soccer crew on our fingers. That wasn’t a query, by the way in which. That’s a reality. The 2025 Indianapolis Colts? They’re enjoyable. They’re good.
Related story: They’re undefeated.
The Colts stole one Sunday night from the Denver Broncos, stole this NFL sport proper from underneath the Broncos’ snout because the solar was beginning to set behind Downtown Indianapolis – stole it by lacking a 60-yard discipline objective as time ran out and getting one other probability due to a Denver penalty after which profitable it when the identical kicker, Spencer Shrader, drilled a 45-yarder with zeroes on the clock and heroes everywhere in the discipline and partying underway round Lucas Oil Stadium.
This was a stunner of a 29-28 win for the Colts.
Insider Joel A. Erickson: Thoughts on Colts’ loopy, last-second win vs. Denver
When was the final time this Colts had been this a lot enjoyable? Got to be the Andew Luck years, and that was … man, that was a lengthy time in the past. How many beginning quarterbacks have the Colts had since Luck retired earlier than the 2019 season? Too many, and none of them was adequate. None of them – not Philip Rivers or Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, not Carson Wentz or Jacoby Brissett, not Gardner Minshew, not Anthony Richardson – was pretty much as good because the man the Colts have now at QB1.
Can you consider that?
Believe we’re speaking that approach about Daniel Jones?
The man’s no fluke, clearly. What the Colts appear to have discovered, seven NFL seasons and 10 beginning quarterbacks after Luck’s retirement, is a franchise quarterback within the prime of his profession. Quick, verify that final sentence for some key phrases. You see “Pro Bowl” or “All-Pro” or “MVP”?
Me neither.
But a franchise quarterback could be a franchise quarterback with out being a famous person. Just be adequate to win 10 or extra video games a 12 months. Be adequate to get your crew into playoff place. Be adequate to show liabilities within the passing sport – receiver Adonai Mitchell and working again Jonathan Taylor – into strengths, and adequate to show a one-trick pony (Alec Pierce) into somebody able to working, and profitable, the entire route tree.
Daniel Jones is all of that. Taylor, out of the blue a power within the passing sport, stays among the best working backs within the NFL. This Colts protection, and that new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, are fairly salty contemplating they had been with out prime exterior cornerback (Charvarius Ward) and edge rusher (Laiatu Latu) – two of a very powerful gamers on the sector – and nonetheless made sufficient performs, sufficient stops, to get this occasion began.
What precisely are the 2025 Indianapolis Colts? They are, in a phrase:
Wheeeeeeeeeee!
Colts QB Daniel Jones is for actual
Something bizarre is going on with these Colts. We talked about it final week, when their new QB1 appeared like a star and their new DC’s protection was super and their new security, Cam Bynum, intercepted a move and celebrated and that was super because the Colts beat the Miami Dolphins 33-8. Specifically final week, we questioned:
What did we simply watch?
Doyel final week: Seriously. What did we simply watch?!?!?
Because that Colts crew positive did look good. Now, possibly the Dolphins stink. Maybe this was a one-game mirage. Stranger issues have occurred within the NFL.
Um, stranger issues are occurring now.
Because the 2025 Colts simply grew to become the primary crew for the reason that 1966 NFL/AFL merger to attain on their first 10 possessions of the season. They had been 7-for-7 final week towards – three touchdowns, 4 discipline objectives – after which scored on their first three possessions Sunday towards Denver: two discipline objectives, and a landing.
Want to quibble? That’s a variety of discipline objectives. But I see your quibble and lift you this query: Have you ever seen an NFL crew go two consecutive video games – a lot much less its first two video games of the season – and not using a punt? That’s the 2025 Colts. Two video games, two wins, zero punts. First time it’s occurred within the NFL in at the least 50 years.
Weird issues, I’m telling you.
The Colts’ offense scored on its first 10 possession of the season. Shrader has transformed his first 9 discipline objectives of the 12 months – he was 4-for-4 towards Miami, and 5-for-5 towards Denver – and is now 18-for-18 to start out his NFL profession.
It’s, like, bizarre. Which brings us again to Daniel Jones, whose Colts debut final week – greater than 250 passing yards, finally two dashing touchdowns – was historic. No, you’re proper, he wasn’t the primary NFL quarterback to start out the season with these numbers. Four others had executed it beforehand.
Their names? John Elway, Troy Aikman, Otto Graham and Jim McMahon.
That was Jones’ firm final week when he was 22-for-29 for 272 yards and a passing TD, no interceptions and people two dashing scores. Jones additionally set an NFL personal-best, 71 video games into his profession, with 197 passing yards within the first half.
Then comes Sunday towards Denver, the encore, and Jones was arguably higher: 23-for-34 for 314 yards, one passing landing, no INT’s, one dashing TD. Oh, and we’re going to wish an eraser. Because he simply broke that report for passing yards within the first half: 235.
Why do Jones’ numbers plummet within the second half? Because … Taylor. Last week he and rookie D.J. Giddens managed the ball within the second half. This time, as a result of the sport was nearer, Taylor dealt with the closing by himself – working for 107 of his 165 yards within the second half. This should’ve felt nice to Taylor. Remember that mistake final season towards Denver?
Me neither.
As for Jones, he’s simply sharing the ball like Halloween sweet, finishing at the least 4 passes to 4 completely different gamers, at the least two passes to 2 extra, and – as I stated – redefining what we thought we knew about this Colts offense.
And, frankly, redefining what we thought we knew about Colts coach Shane Steichen.
Flowers for him, too.
Colts coach Shane Steichen for actual, too
Remember when Adonai Mitchell and Jonathan Taylor couldn’t catch? Sure you do. It was final season. Mitchell and Taylor had been focused a mixed 86 instances. They caught a mixed 41 passes. Those aren’t NFL numbers. To be frank, they aren’t even faculty numbers. They’re straight out of highschool, and never one of many good ones such as you see within the MIC, both.
This season? With Daniel Jones at quarterback? Taylor and Mitchell have been focused 11 instances, and caught 9 of them. And on a kind of incompletions, the third play from scrimmage Sunday, Mitchell was held (no flags) by two completely different Broncos defensive backs, together with All-World cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Speaking of redefining what we thought we knew…
Surtain got here into this sport as The One You Don’t Test, having been thrown at simply as soon as final week as a result of he’s simply that good. Well, Jones threw at Surtain all sport lengthy Sunday, discovering completions to Mitchell, to Michael Pittman Jr., to Pierce.
Speaking of Pierce…
Remember when he was restricted to 1 parlor trick? It was a superb trick, thoughts you, working as quick and so far as he might, and both catching the ball or drawing a defensive move interference. Last season Pierce had 37 catches for 824 yards, main the league with 22.3 yards per catch. The principle then: Pierce is one-dimensional, however he’s so good at it, he’s price protecting round.
The fact now: Alec Pierce can run shorter routes, too. He could make contested catches in visitors. And he can do each on the identical play, making a sliding, finger-tip seize towards Surtain for 11 yards within the second quarter, and getting open on a drag route over the center for seven yards late within the fourth quarter. What’s the massive deal about seven yards? Well, it was third-and-6. Pierce obtained open quick, made the play with 1:44 left, and now the Colts are in discipline objective place.
They’re inside two factors – trailing 28-26 at this level – as a result of Cam Bynum didn’t simply intercept a move and have a good time final week. He intercepted one and celebrated this week, too, a diving catch contained in the Colts 10 within the fourth quarter. Don’t make that catch, and never solely does the world miss out on Bynum’s Blue imitation celebration, however the Broncos have a chip-shot discipline objective and the Colts will want a TD, not only a discipline objective, to win this sport.
But Bynum made that play, and the Colts wanted solely a discipline objective as a result of Denver’s kicker, Wil Lutz, missed from 42 yards with 3:15 left within the sport. His kick began down the center, began fading, then made a tough proper flip into the upright, giving the Colts the ball and loads of time to get into field-goal vary.
The Colts obtained there, as a result of Shane Steichen is redefining what he’ll change into as an NFL head coach. For two seasons he was the intelligent offensive mastermind – and he’s intelligent, make no mistake – however for 2 years he leaned a bit of too exhausting into that. Maybe it was out of necessity. Maybe having Minshew and Flacco and Richardson at quarterback could make you do foolish issues to attain factors.
Steichen hasn’t needed to get foolish this season. If something he’s change into too conservative – I’ll take it – like the way in which he was enjoying for a 58-yard discipline objective within the closing seconds, earlier than Taylor was thrown for a 2-yard loss and Broncos linebacker Deondrea Tillman dedicated a penalty by leveraging towards Colts lengthy snapper Luke Rhodes to attempt to block the 60-yarder.
By and huge, although, Steichen stays inventive – he strains up first-round decide Tyler Warren at each place however center linebacker and left sort out – however is mature sufficient to offer the ball to Taylor or Jones. He trusts Taylor to pound away till he breaks an extended one, and he trusts Jones to search out completions to Pittman or Pierce, or Taylor or Tyler Warren, or Mitchell or Josh Downs.
And then Steichen provides it over to the protection, understanding he has a coordinator who will pursue victory as aggressively on that facet of the ball as Steichen all the time has on offense.
The Colts are enjoyable, they’re good and they’re undefeated.
Related story: They’re for actual, too.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar. Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand e-newsletter.
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