Jones consistently kept the Colts ahead of the chains, completing eight of 11 passing attempts on first down for 134 yards; he also picked up six yards on a scramble to open a 14-play, 84 drive that ended with the Colts' first touchdown of the game.
And when the Colts' offense faced a third or fourth down, Jones completed seven of nine passes for 66 yards with five first downs and rushed for three more first downs, one of which was a one-yard sneak into the end zone.
Jones, too, connected on all three of his passes that traveled 20+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage – including a fantastic deep shot completion to wide receiver Alec Pierce early in the second half – and the Colts generated eight passing plays that gained 15 or more yards. This wasn't just efficient; it was also explosive.
After the game, Jones was asked if even he was surprised by the ruthless manner with which the Colts' offense operated in Week 1.
"I don't think it was surprising to us," Jones said. "I mean, we've had a lot of confidence based on our preparation and the work we put in through training camp – and kind of where we think we've grown and improved. You always got to go out there and do it on the field and perform, so there's that element to it. But no, we weren't surprised, but like I said, now the challenge is to grow with it, build and continue to develop as a team, as an offense."
Behind all this, too, was head coach Shane Steichen consistently dialing up the right plays for Jones and the Colts' offense. For starters, quite literally, the Colts' first five plays of the 2025 season were all passes, and those got them from their own 32-yard line to the Dolphins' 11-yard line.
Later, the Colts faced a fourth-and-two at the Dolphins' 42-yard line with 2:42 left in the first half. Miami was going to get the ball coming out of halftime, and though the Colts had a 17-0 lead, the chance for the Dolphins' offense to go two-for-one and cut things to a one-score game was significant at that point in the afternoon.
The Colts went for it, sensing not just the moment in the game but that they had the right playcall for the Dolphins' defense. Jones got behind center, noticed something in Miami's defensive look and shifted Pierce and Pittman from being tight to the formation to out wide. The Dolphins sent a seven-man pressure, but because Pierce shifted from inside the numbers to outside the numbers, Downs was wide open, and Jones was coolly able to replace a blitzing defender from that side for a six-yard, chain-moving completion.