The Indianapolis Colts need a great 2025 season, and there's no doubting they started it off with a bang. The Colts absolutely obliterated the Miami Dolphins, not just leaving Week 1 with a win, but with a blowout 33-8 victory.
Everything seemed to look right for the Colts on Sunday: Daniel Jones played one of his best games in years, Tyler Warren is keeping those Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) rumors going with a great rookie performance, and the defense kept the Dolphins from doing much of anything on the field.
Already, there is buzz that the Colts are finally looking like a playoff-caliber team. And that may well be true; everything about Indy looked good on Sunday. But not everyone is ready to be a believer; some are calling for caution, as the Dolphins are not exactly a formidable foe. There's still reason to celebrate - a win is a win - but does this say as much as fans want it to?
Are the Indianapolis Colts really that good, or was it all a mirage?
Some are saying no. ESPN's Bill Barnwell spoke about what, in his opinion, was real and what was fake in Week 1, and the Colts fall firmly into his "fake" category.
Barnwell wasn't entirely negative about the Colts; he gave Jones a lot of credit, including for looking more mobile than he ever has before, and noted that - for just the second time in franchise history - the Colts went an entire game without a punt or a turnover. Barnwell also pointed out that Jones still doesn't look very impressive in air yards, but that he was still accurate and consistent.
He also spoke highly of the Colts receiving corps, particularly in regard to Warren - but then, everyone in the NFL is excited to see how Warren's career unfolds. However, the answer to the question of whether or not fans should raise their expectations of what this offense can achieve is, to Barnwell, a big no - or, at least, a not yet.
Mostly, Barnwell argued that the Colts' offense did so well not because it's stacked with high-caliber talent, but because they were up against an absolutely terrible Miami defense. Their offense didn't do much better, either, meaning Jones and the Colts' offense played virtually the entire game starting with fantastic field position. A win was basically handed to them on a silver platter.
"The Colts went 10-for-18 on third and fourth down, started three of their drives from beyond their own 40-yard line and played the entire game from an extremely positive game script. Playing with a lead is always going to make life easier for an offense, and I would expect the sacks that have plagued Jones to rear their head more often if and when Indianapolis is playing from behind."
Bill Barnwell
Next week will be the real test, as the Denver Broncos will not be anywhere near as easy to defeat. The Broncos' defense is one of the best in the league; Jones will need to do more than just be accurate and consistent against them. That he looked more mobile against the Dolphins is a positive sign, because he will almost certainly need to scramble a whole lot more often in Week 2.
For the defense? Last season, the defense was a mess, and Lou Anarumo is the mad scientist they brought in to clean it up. And against the Dolphins, it looked like he did; they were dynamic, explosive, and everything fans were hoping for when Anarumo came on board.
But Bo Nix and the Broncos offense will pose much more of a challenge, and that's when we'll see what this defense is truly capable of.
Fans have a lot of reasons to feel encouraged after such a great win, especially considering it broke the Colts' long-time Week 1 curse. But they will need to wait a little longer before letting the hype train leave the station.
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