INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jonathan Taylor seems to hit a new milestone every week. Daniel Jones is in the throes of his best season, and the Indianapolis Colts have the NFL's best record through eight games.
Surprised?
Many prognosticators considered this team to be one of the league's worst two months ago. Now the Colts have won four straight, are atop the AFC South and are turning heads everywhere. They've been so impressive even some players are surprised
by what they're seeing.
“It’s crazy because we’ll run a play on cards and we’re like, ‘No way it’s going to look like that,'” receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said after Sunday's 38-14 rout over Tennessee.
"And then it looks just like that, and it’s wide open. I’m like, ‘All right, maybe he (coach Shane Steichen) is on to something.’”
Steichen sure seems to have figured it out.
The Colts are 7-1 overall and 5-0 at home for the first time since 2009. They're the first team to score 30 or more points in six of their first eight games since Arizona in 2021, and they've scored 270 points — the highest eight-game total of the franchise's Indianapolis era.
Individually, they're getting it done, too.
Jones finally looks like the franchise quarterback the New York Giants envisioned when they drafted him No. 6 overall in 2019. He has four straight games with at least 210 yards, two or more TD passes and a passer rating of 100 or higher, and if he wins just three more games, he'll have a new career best.
Taylor could be chasing a 2,000-yard season while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. On Sunday, he had his fourth game with three TDs this season — a feat that has happened just eight times around the rest of the league.
He also became the sixth player in league history with 70 total TDs in their first 75 games, joining Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Smith, Chuck Foreman and Todd Gurley.
And while neither Jones nor Taylor craves publicity, they are the most prominent players in an offense that's clicking on all cylinders.
“I just think it’s everybody coming together, playing as one. We’re playing complementary football,” Taylor said after running for 153 yards on 12 carries Sunday. "Offense, defense, special teams, everyone going out there, each phase, making plays, and us being able to capitalize off one another’s success.”
While they have looked virtually flawless in this near-perfect start, they're also aware how fleeting winning can be.
So instead of basking in the September and October surprises, a welcome respite from their early season struggles of recent years, they know November and December will dictate whether they were just off to a good stat — or whether they're a legitimate playoff team.
“You always want to start fast in this league,” Steichen said. “All 32 teams are trying to start fast and go win as many as they can. But I think the season starts in November, December. That’s where it really starts to pick up. You’ve got to play at your very best in these next two months.”
Offense. In addition to Taylor and Jones, Pittman, rookie TE Tyler Warren and the offensive line all seem to be in perfect sync. The combination has Indy scoring a league-high 33.8 points per game. Taylor has been even better than when he won the league's 2021 rushing crown, and Jones might be the best offseason acquisition in the league.
Run defense. It's hard to quibble with much of Sunday's performance. But Indy's defense allowed its second-highest rushing total of the season, 113 yards on 25 carries. The 4.5-yard average per carry also was the highest allowed since Week 2.
Pittman. With defenses loading up against Taylor, Pittman is taking advantage of the openings and Jones is finding Pittman more often. With eight receptions, 95 yards and one TD on Sunday, Pittman now has at least five catches and one TD in five of his past six games. His six TD catches also ties his career best.
WR Adonai Mitchell. Everything changed for Mitchell when he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line in Indy's only loss. Before the drop, he appeared to be emerging as a larger part of the offense. In the four games since, all wins, Mitchell has targeted three times and has one catch for 8 yards.
Defensive ends Samson Ebukam (knee) and Tyquan Lewis (groin) did not play Sunday, and WR/KR Anthony Gould left with a knee injury Sunday. Steichen had no updates Monday.
65 — Taylor has 63 TD runs, which is tied with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for second in franchise history. He needs two more to surpass Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the top spot.
The Colts play only three more games in Indy this season, so they're going to have to prove their offensive combination can be as efficient on the road as it has been at home.
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