The Indianapolis Colts finally snapped their Week 1 curse—and they did it in emphatic fashion against the Miami Dolphins. The defense suffocated Tua Tagovailoa and never let Miami find a rhythm, but in my opinion the real story was the surprising stellar play of Daniel Jones. From the opening drive, Jones looked decisive, in sync with his receivers, and in full command of the offense.
Below are several plays from his Week 1 performance that showcase every dimension of his game, courtesy of our own
Chris Shepherd.
I love this throw from Jones. He scans the field well, doesn’t get happy feet or panicky in the pocket and throws a beautiful strike to him. The pass was thrown purposefully behind him, as it allowed Warren to put his back to the defender, which shielded him from a big hit.
This play might seem like nothing but to me it shows a nicely timed throw, with Downs hit right as he’s coming out of his cut/break. He leans him a bit outside too which helps him avoid the inside defenders.
I love the hitch from Jones to find a clean spot in the pocket and step up and away from an area that got muddled. The pass was perfectly thrown to Pittman in stride and leading him, which is exactly what you ask for on those type of passes.
This throw was ever so slightly outside, but it was perfectly timed. He threw the ball just as Mitchell was coming out of his break and Mitchell adjusted beautifully to the ball and made a spectacular catch. A recurring theme that emerged at this point and continued throughout the game was Jones’ comfort and great play coming out of play action. His fakes were nice and his footwork was beautifully rhythmic on those play action throws.
The hard count got to the Dolphins here and he makes a very easy throw to Pittman who was wide open. His footwork was very sloppy on this play as he was hoping and shuffling backwards, but at least when he set his feet and threw the ball, it came out accurately.
I don’t like the footwork again on the throw, but the throw is accurately delivered, so it’s hard to knock him. I think if he takes a 3 without a hitch, if he throws off the plant step, he can get the ball out accurately and on time, but nevertheless, the throw is well delivered here even if it’s a quarter or half second late.
Ballsy throw here with a safety over the top on Pierce, but he delivers a beautiful ball to the outside and Pierce makes an incredible adjustment on the catch. My guess is this was a predetermined read from him since it’s clear he’s looking right for the look and when his eyes shift back to the left the ball is already out of his hand. Once again, he’s working off play action and he throws a great ball here.
Jones with a nice throw here off the RPO. He could’ve given the ball to Taylor, especially on first down, but keeping it and throwing a hard strike to Pittman was also a great call. The safety of the Dolphins played it poorly and Jones lead Pittman more up the field instead of inside, and it allows him to get a few extra yards.
All in all, it was a flawless performance. He showed a lot of comfort and ease out of play action and RPOs and that to me is crucial, because with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, the threat of the run is always there and it’s probably the first thing defenses key in on. If the Colts have a dangerous play action game, it’ll make Jones’ life so much easier on reads as linebackers and safeties will be biting a lot more often.
While I wasn’t a fan of Jones’ footwork on a lot of throws, he still delivered a lot of strikes thanks to generally good alignment. He has a naturally good arm and he can get away with some bad mechanics on some throws. Because of the good alignment, his ball placement was superb. He placed the ball in spots where only the receivers can get them and he protected his receivers on a lot of throws.
The Dolphins simply did not show up to play and he’ll get a serious test against the Broncos next week, as the Broncos field one of the best defenses in the NFL. If Jones can follow up with this incredible performance with another one, the Colts might have themselves a Sam Darnold style comeback story on their hands.
