New faces shine as the Colts dominate the Dolphins from the opening kickoff to the final whistle Week 1
Colts dominate the Dolphins to start the year 1-0
The Indianapolis Colts’ struggles in Week 1 have been well documented, with the team going 11 years without a win during the opening week. The team went 0-10-1 during that stretch, but the curse finally came to an end in 2025, and they did it in dominant fashion.
The Colts were the better team in this one from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, and the final score reflects that. They begin the year 1-0 for the first time since 2013, with a 30- 8 win over the Miami Dolphins. The entire team showed up, but new faces on the team played massive roles in this win.
Daniel Jones silences his doubters
When the Colts named Daniel Jones as the starter, the outside world had a lot of negative things to say, myself included. His performance in Week 1, though, made head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard look brilliant, but even more importantly, Jones has to feel proud of the performance he put on the field. He finished his first game as a Colt, completing 22 of 29 pass attempts,272 yards, one passing touchdown, and two rushing touchdowns.
The Dolphins’ CB room is one of the weakest units the Colts will play this year, but their defensive line is among the best. Jones ran Steichen’s offense to near perfection throughout the day and picked the Dolphins’ defense apart. We will have to wait and see if this is the start of Jones’ career resurgence, but the Colts couldn’t have asked for a better first game from their new starting QB.
Big-ticket free agents are already paying off
The Colts made some significant changes to their defense this offseason. That included them making some uncharacteristic moves. They signed two big-ticket free agents in CB Charvarius Ward and S Cam Bynum. And they got big outings from both to give the Colts a Week 1 win.
Bynum recorded his first interception with the Colts, and Ward led a Colts CB room that held the Dolphins’ dynamic WR duo to a combined eight receptions for 70 yards and no touchdowns. Tackling was also a significant concern for the Colts last season, and Ward’s tape from Week 1 could be teach tape for young CBs trying to improve in that regard. The Colts have to feel pretty great about their decision to sign both of these players to big contracts right about now.
Lou Anarumo’s defense gives fans exactly what they’ve been begging for
Last but not least, new Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo deserves his flowers. When the Colts hired Anarumo, they elected to make a drastic shift to their defensive philosophy from recent years. Instead of Gus Bradley’s defense that sat back and reacted to offenses to take away big plays, the Colts attacked QB Tua Tagovailoa from the first play to the final whistle.
In years past, Tagovailoa was the exact style of QB that slowly but surely picked the Colts defense apart. In Week 1, that wasn’t the case, though. Tagovailoa finished the day by completing only 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 114 yards and one touchdown. They also intercepted him twice and forced him to fumble once, which the Colts recovered.
It is an outing Tua will want to forget quickly, but it feels like it could be the beginning of a fantastic season for the Colts’ new defense.
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