The Indianapolis Colts obliterated the Miami Dolphins 33-8 in Sunday’s season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium to snap what was the NFL’s longest Week 1 drought.
The stampede sporting blue had not witnessed a season opener in over a decade since 2013, when current receivers coach Reggie Wayne and Andrew Luck were still playing. That was left in the past as the 2025 Colts played with an edge from the opening kickoff following a tribute to induct late owner Jim Irsay into the Ring of Honor. The Colts emerged
victorious with a brutal throttling on all three phases that would make the franchise’s owner of 28 years proud. Indianapolis scored on all seven possessions to become the first NFL team in at least 47 years to score on every possession of a game.
Daniel Jones wasted no time silencing his doubters with a spectacular performance in his Colts debut. The seventh-year veteran quarterback scored three total touchdowns, including two rushing. Jones was an efficient 21 of 29 passing for 257 yards and flawlessly commanded Indy’s offensive unit to convert 7-of-15 on third down.
Jones set the tone from his first throw to rookie tight end Tyler Warren for a 14-yard gain and continued to thrive when the Dolphins bit at the play action. Warren, Indianapolis’ first-round draft pick, caught three passes on the opening drive for 43 receiving yards, highlighted by a nice audible from Jones to target Warren downfield for 21. Warren caught a game-high seven receptions for 76 receiving yards and added three rushing yards for a first down in his NFL debut.
New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo delivered the best defensive game plan in recent memory as the Colts sacked Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa three times and picked him off twice. Miami crossed into Indianapolis territory on its first snap, but the Dolphins’ opening drive was terminated after Tagovailoa sailed a pass over the middle and was picked off by Colts’ safety Camryn Bynum. The fifth-year veteran safety signed with Indy in free agency and made an impact on his fifth snap in a Colts uniform. Bynum is known for his performative celebrations after making game-changing plays and evidenced it best after his interception. The 27-year-old sprinted to the end zone, laid on his back and glided through the blue turf to mimic a “slick back” dancing trend on TikTok, where dancers appear to float or glide in a rhythmic fashion.
The Colts went back to work following the takeaway as Jones orchestrated a 14-play scoring drive that lasted 8:18, which was longer than any drive from the 2024 season. Head coach Shane Steichen often leaned on star running back Jonathan Taylor, who led the Colts with a game-high 71 rushing yards on 18 carries. On the very first play of the second frame, Jones recognized Tampa 2 for Miami’s secondary and delivered a strike down the right sideline to receiver Michael Pittman Jr. for a 27-yard passing touchdown to take a 10-0 lead. Pittman led the Colts with 80 receiving yards on six catches, including the first TD of the 2025 season.
The Colts were relentless in pursuit of another takeaway two snaps later as cornerback Kenny Moore II strip-sacked Tagovailoa, which allowed cornerback Xavien Howard to recover the fumble inside the territory of his former team. Anarumo had a field day mixing in different blitzes and coverages to flummox Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, demonstrated best when the Colts new DC used second-year edge rusher Laiatu Latu to drop back in coverage, allowing Latu to leap in front of a route for his first career interception to end the Dolphins first drive of the second half.
It took five aggressive plays for the Colts to march for another score, starting with another play-action fake to Taylor to give Jones enough time to let receiver Adonai Mitchell separate from his defender and reel in a diving snag near the sideline for 18 yards. Jones capped off the drive with his first rushing TD as a Colt, muscling into the end zone from 1-yard out on third-and-goal to extend the lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter. The Colts took their largest lead 30-0 after Jones added a second sneak into the end zone for the knockout blow early in the fourth quarter.
Colts kicker Spencer Shrader was automatic and added four field goals from 24, 35, 28 and 48 yards out. It was a coaching clinic as Indianapolis’ offense produced 10 explosive plays of at least 15 yards, while its defense allowed just four in the second half. The Colts finished with 418 yards of total offense, 6.0 yards per play and converted 27 first downs.
The Colts host the Denver Broncos inside Lucas Oil Stadium next Sunday. The Dolphins head home for the season opener against the New England Patriots.
